Since 1976, every U.S. president has designated the month of February as Black History Month. The celebration is a time to highlight the impact and accomplishments of black people throughout the history of our country. Several of these leaders, such as George Washington Carver and Frederick Douglass, were fierce advocates for education.

Unfortunately, after decades of celebrating these distinguished figures, the education system in America is still failing millions of students and keeping Martin Luther King’s dream beyond reach — a dream “where every person, regardless of their skin color or socioeconomic means, can freely exercise the unalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.”