2023 Issues Forum – Miles to Go: Fulfilling the Promise of Racial Equity in Education

The Southern Education Foundation’s 2023 Issues Forum, Miles to Go: Fulfilling the Promise of Racial Equity in Education, is set for Nov. 14-17, 2023, in Charlotte, NC. This historic conference will bring together education leaders, scholars, K-12 educators, advocates, students, and other allies to build an agenda for addressing the South’s most important issues in education — inequitable resources and opportunities for students, increasing racial segregation, the need for expanded early childhood education, and more.

Why now is a turning point: The South continues to lag the rest of the nation on many important indicators of education opportunity, investment, and success. For Black students and their families — and many Latinx and low-income families — the remnants of segregation and inequitable opportunities for students clearly persist today. After many years of progress in education and society, the South’s forward movement is now threatened by political conflicts often rooted in race.

Hope built on history: Convening in Charlotte allows us to recognize the importance of the Swann v. Mecklenburg County Board of Education case in the early 1970s, the families involved, the late Julius Chambers, and other leaders’ roles in the desegregation of public schools in the South. As the 70th anniversary of the Brown v. Board of Education decision approaches, we will find renewed hope at this critical time in education, the South, and the life of our nation.

Grantmakers for Education is a proud sponsor of this event. Learn more about the Southern Education Foundation at southerneducation.org.