A Black-owned elementary school will open this fall in Jacksonville, Florida. The school, Becoming Collegiate Academy, was the vision of Jacksonville native Cameron Frazier. Frazier told News 4 Jax, the school is “for us and by us.”
“It’ll be an option for all families to know that their kids are going to receive an education in which they see they’re reflected in,” Frazier told the outlet. “Every county in the United States needs this,” he added. “Black kids specifically are missing out on a cultural experience in some places. And we are receiving an education that we’re not reflected in. And I believe every child deserves that.”
The elementary school will serve kindergarten through fifth grade students and is focusing on students from communities of color in the Jacksonville area. The school also will also feature an HBCU theme to get better connected with their education, while also reflecting the experience of having teachers who care. The theme also seeks to celebrate HBCUs’ historical legacy.
“I believe that’s the missing piece missing the schools,” Frazier said. “There’s so much power that comes from those schools, those institutions,” he said, adding that HBCUs’ track record of producing the most Black professionals doesn’t get highlighted enough.
More than 100 kindergarten students have already enrolled in the school, with the school’s location set to be released later in April.
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