For decades, we’ve celebrated integration as the climax of the Civil Rights Movement. Images of school children walking hand-in-hand and lunch counters filled with courageous protestors have become symbols of progress. And while desegregation was necessary, righting centuries of injustice, it came with a price we didn’t fully understand at the time. That price was the dismantling of Black economic ecosystems. When We Were Forced In, We Were Shut Out Before integration, Black

Our history doesn't begin in slavery, nor is it confined to systemic oppression. We are not merely survivors of history; we're the authors.