Microschools, HillmanTok, and Black Churches: Fighting Disinformation with Community-Driven Education

As the new administration rolls out a wave of executive orders that threaten hard-fought gains in education, federal recognition of affinity groups, and DEI initiatives, Black communities are once again taking education into their own hands. In the face of curriculum restrictions, book bans, and attacks on racial equity, we are witnessing a surge in community-led education initiatives. These efforts aren’t new; they are part of a long tradition of Black resistance to institutional erasure.

From the way Black stories are mismanaged and misrepresented in media and on stage to the right-wing political erasure of Black contributions from school curricula, these forces have sparked urgent and creative approaches to keeping Black communities informed. The rise of HillmanTok University, microschools, and Black churches stepping in to teach history are not isolated trends—they are interconnected movements, reflecting Black America’s enduring commitment to preserving and passing down knowledge on its own terms.

Reclaiming Education: Three Interwoven Movements

The push to create alternative educational spaces is not simply a rejection of public schooling, but a response to a larger interrogation of education and public discourse. The mainstream education system has often served as a battleground where Black history is either distorted, sanitized, or omitted altogether. Whether in the form of digital learning platforms, localized microschools, or church-led education initiatives, Black communities are ensuring that their knowledge and histories are not erased, but expanded and sustained.

HillmanTok University: Digital Learning as Resistance

Social media has emerged as a powerful space for learning, and HillmanTok University, led by Black scholars like Dr. Barlow, leverages TikTok as a tool for mass education. Black educators share syllabi, reading lists, and real-time lessons on subjects ranging from Black history to financial literacy, sidestepping traditional academic gatekeeping and making learning accessible to anyone with an internet connection.

HillmanTok represents a form of knowledge-sharing resistance against both disinformation and institutional exclusion. In an era where books are being banned and curricula are being rewritten to diminish the role of race and racism in American history, Black scholars are taking to digital spaces to ensure that accurate and expansive education remains available. However, like microschools, this movement faces challenges of sustainability, as it lacks institutional funding and relies on the voluntary labor of educators.

Microschools: Localized, Culturally Affirming Education

Microschools, such as Abundance Educational Institute in Mississippi, are part of a growing movement that provides culturally responsive education outside of traditional public school systems. Established by educators and parents who see value in smaller, more community-driven learning spaces, these schools prioritize Black history, identity, and personalized instruction without the constraints of standardized testing and politically influenced curricula.

While microschools offer safe and affirming environments, they also operate without the structural stability of traditional schools, facing significant financial challenges. Yet, their growth signals a strong demand for control over Black education—a demand that mirrors historical movements such as Freedom Schools and independent Black educational institutions of the past.

Black Churches: Returning to Their Role as Educational Centers

Black churches have historically been anchors of education in Black communities, from literacy campaigns during slavery to their leadership in the Civil Rights Movement’s Freedom Schools. Today, they are once again stepping in where public schools are failing to provide comprehensive Black history education.

In Florida, where restrictive policies have sought to erase key elements of Black history from public school curricula, over 200 Black churches have organized independent Black history classes. Faith-based organizations like Faith in Florida are providing pastors with history toolkits to ensure that Black children and adults alike have access to the full scope of their past. These churches are fulfilling a historical responsibility to counter erasure while reinforcing intergenerational knowledge transmission.

The Broader Impact: Responding to Educational Censorship

Black communities are not abandoning public schools but responding to a shifting political and ideological landscapethat has made mainstream education increasingly unreliable in teaching the full breadth of Black history and culture. These movements exist alongside longstanding concerns about who controls public narratives and how Black knowledge is framed.

• Public school curricula are being sanitized and rewritten to diminish Black contributions and the role of systemic racism in American history.

• Book bans and restrictions on critical race theory threaten access to accurate historical accounts, limiting what students can learn in public classrooms.

• Hollywood and mainstream media continue to distort, co-opt, or erase Black narratives, reinforcing the need for independent educational and cultural spaces.

  
  

HillmanTok, microschools, and Black church-led history classes are creative interventions against these forces, demonstrating that Black communities will always find ways to preserve, celebrate, and pass down their history, even when official institutions fail them.

For now, these alternative education spaces serve as powerful and necessary responses to the exclusion of Black voices in public education and media. They are not just reactions—they are acts of self-determination and community care.The challenge ahead is ensuring that these interventions not only persist but also push back against systemic efforts to diminish Black knowledge and identity.