From “Dropout to Doctorate: Breaking the Chains of Educational Injustice” By Terrence Lester, PhD
Public policies have been weaponized by those in power who supported the mistreatment, exclusion, and punishment of enslaved Africans through the use of power, policy and legal institutions. This historical legacy continues to impact the descendants of those who endured chattel slavery, Black codes, vagrancy laws, Jim Crow, redlining, concentrated poverty, the War on Drugs, and many other systemic injustices that have specifically targeted Black and Brown communities. Rooted in oppressive ideologies, these policies have caused harm and have led to harsh living conditions that continue to affect communities today.