>> NOW, THE JOURNALIST NIKOLE HANNAH-JONES, FOUNDER OF THE 1619 PROJECT, SPENT HER CAREER REPORTING ON INEQUALITY.

SO WHEN IT CAME TIME TO SEND HER OWN CHILD TO SCHOOL, SHE AND HER HUSBAND CHOSE TO LIVE BY WHAT SHE REPORTS.

THEY ENROLLED NAJYA IN A PREDOMINANTLY BLACK AND LATINO SCHOOL IN BROOKLYN.

AND SHE WROTE ABOUT THEIR DECISION IN "THE NEW YORK TIMES" MAGAZINE.

WELL, NOW NAJYA IS A YOUNG ADULT, AND SHE HAS HER OWN THOUGHTS ABOUT THEIR DECISION.

MICHEL MARTIN SPEAKS WITH NIKOLE HANNAH-JONES ABOUT HER CHOICES AND NAJYA'S RESPONSE.

>> THANKS, CHRISTIANE.

NIKOLE HANNAH- JONES, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR JOINING US.

>> THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME.

>> SO FOR PEOPLE WHO AREN'T FAMILIAR WITH YOUR WORK, YOU'VE BEEN WRITING ABOUT RACE, EQUALITY, INEQUALITY FOR SOME TIME NOW, REALLY FOR MUCH OF YOUR CAREER.

SO TEN YEARS AGO, YOU WROTE ABOUT YOURSELF.

YOU TURNED THE LENSED ON YOURSELF AND YOUR FAMILY.

YOU TALKED ABOUT THE DECISION YOU MADE, YOU AND YOUR HUSBAND MADE TO SEND YOUR DAUGHTER NAJYA TO A PREDOMINANTLY BLACK SCHOOL, I GUESS A HIGH POVERTY SCHOOL.

COULD YOU JUST TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT FIRST OF ALL WHAT DROVE THAT DECISION?

>> SO, I MEAN, I WOULD MORE APTLY DESCRIBE THE SCHOOL AS A RACIALLY AND SOCIAL ECONOMICALLY SEGREGATED ELEMENTARY SCHOOL IN NEW YORK CITY IN BROOKLYN.

AND I BEGAN MY JOURNALISTIC CAREER COVERING SCHOOLS IN DURHAM, NORTH CAROLINA.

SO IN MY KIND OF FORMATIVE YEARS AS A JOURNALIST, I WAS WRITING ABOUT SCHOOL SEGREGATION, SCHOOL INEQUALITY, AND REALLY THE FUTILITY OF THINKING THAT WE COULD JUST TEST AND PUT HIGH EXPECTATIONS ON SCHOOLS WHERE NINE OUT OF TEN CHILDREN LIVED IN POVERTY, WHERE THEY OFTEN DIDN'T GET THE BEST AND MOST RIGOROUS INSTRUCTION, AND SO I BEGAN TO REALLY THINK DEEPLY ABOUT NOT JUST THE STRUCTURES OF INEQUALITY, BUT THE CHILDREN WHO WERE IN THESE SCHOOLS WHO HAD BEEN PROMISED THAT EDUCATION WAS GOING TO BE THE GREAT EQUALIZER AND YET WERE IN FACT FACING A SYSTEM OF EDUCATION THAT WAS ONLY CEMENTING THEIR DISADVANTAGE.

SO, YOU KNOW, FAST FORWARD 15 YEARS OR SO, MY DAUGHTER, WE WERE IN NEW YORK.

WE MOVED TO NEW YORK WHEN MY DAUGHTER WAS 1.

MY DAUGHTER WAS 4 YEARS OLD, AND THE MAYOR HAD JUST IMPLEMENTED OUR FIRST CITYWIDE PRE- K, UNIVERSAL PRE-K.

AND WE WERE LOOKING FOR A SCHOOL.

AND I HAD DECIDED IN MY OWN HEAD PRETTY EARLY ON THAT IT WAS IMPORTANT FOR US TO LIVE OUR VALUES, THAT I HAD WATCHED THROUGH YEARS AND YEARS OF REPORTING ON SCHOOL SEGREGATION, THOSE WHO ADVOCATED ON BEHALF OF THE KIDS IN THOSE SCHOOLS, THOSE WHO OH POSED SEGREGATION, THOSE WHO WROTE ABOUT THE SYSTEMS OF SEGREGATION, WHEN IT CAME TO THEIR OWN CHOICES FOR THEIR KIDS, THEY ACTUALLY MADE CHOICES THAT BENEFITTED FROM THAT SEGREGATION AND INEQUALITY.

SO I JUST MADE UP MY MIND REALLY EVEN BEFORE I HAD MY OWN CHILD THAT I WAS NOT GOING TO DO THAT WHEN IT CAME TO IT.

SO THAT'S WHY WE CHOSE TO ENROLL OUR DAUGHTER IN THE SCHOOL THAT WE WERE IN, UNDERSTANDING THAT BOTH SEGREGATION IS STRUCTURAL.

IT'S CREATED AND MAINTAINED THROUGH POLICY, BUT THAT DIDN'T ABSOLVE INDIVIDUALS OF THE CHOICES THAT WE MADE FOR OUR OWN KIDS.

I WASN'T PLANNING ON WRITING ABOUT IT.

WHAT HAPPENED WAS AS WE WERE IN THIS SCHOOL, THE SECOND YEAR, OUR SCHOOL BECAME EMBROILED IN ITS OWN INTEGRATION BATTLE.

AND IT MADE KIND OF NATIONAL NEWS BECAUSE BROOKLYN HAS THIS REPUTATION OF COURSE FOR BEING VERY PROGRESSIVE, AND FOLKS ARE LOOK AT THIS PROGRESSIVE CITY WITH THESE PARENTS WHO DON'T WANT INTEGRATION FOR THEIR KIDS.

SO IT REALLY BECAME KIND OF UNAVOIDABLE.

I FELT LIKE I HAD TO WRITE ABOUT IT.

>> SO WHAT WAS THE REACTION?

>> THAT PIECE WAS 10,000 WORDS ON SCHOOL SEGREGATION.

AND I HAD NO IDEA IF PEOPLE WERE GOING TO READ IT, IF IT WAS GOING TO CONNECT WITH PEOPLE.

BUT MY GOD, DID IT EVER.

UP UNTIL THE 1619 PROJECT, I HAD NEVER HAD THAT SORT OF RESPONSE TO ANY OF MY JOURNALISM.

AND NOT ONLY DID PEOPLE RESPOND TO IT, BUT PEOPLE STARTED TO MAKE DIFFERENT CHOICES FOR THEIR KIDS' EDUCATION BASED ON THIS PIECE.

AND WE SAW, YOU KNOW, AN ENTIRE KIND OF RESURGENCE OF INTEGRATION MOVEMENTS BOTH IN NEW YORK CITY AND ACROSS THE COUNTRY.

AND AN ISSUE THAT HAD BEEN KIND OF CONSIDERED SETTLED OR WE HAD GIVEN UP ON IT, WE HAD THROWN OUR HANDS UP, SUDDENLY WAS BEING TALKED ABOUT AGAIN.

THAT TO ME IS JOURNALISM AT THE HEIGHT OF ITS POWER.

>> AS I RECALL, THERE WAS SOME NEGATIVITY AS WELL.

THERE WERE PEOPLE WHO JUST THOUGHT THAT YOU WERE CRAZY.

WHAT ARE YOU DOING?

>> OF COURSE.

I MEAN, I DON'T AN AMBITIOUS WORK WHO DOESN'T HAVE PEOPLE THAT FEEL DIFFERENTLY ABOUT IT.

YOU KNOW, THE SAME RESPONSE THAT I'M HERE TO TALK TO YOU ABOUT TODAY.

>> YEAH.

>> I CERTAINLY SAW SOME OF THAT BACK THEN YOU KNOW, THE SAME ARGUMENTS, WHY WOULD YOU SACRIFICE YOUR CHILD FOR AN IDEA?

YOU'RE EXPERIMENTING WITH YOUR CHILD FOR AN IDEA.

THERE WAS DEFINITELY SOME OF THAT.

IT WASN'T MOST OF THE RESPONSE, BUT THAT WAS THE RESPONSE, OF COURSE.

>> IN YOUR LATEST PIECE, YOU BRING US UP TO DATE ON WHAT HAS HAPPENED IN THOSE TEN YEARS.

>> UH- HUH.

>> BOTH STRUCTURALLY AND WITH YOUR DAUGHTER'S EDUCATION.

HOW WOULD YOU SUMMARIZE THE EXPERIENCE THAT YOU HAD THAT YOU WROTE ABOUT IN YOUR SECOND PIECE?

>> IT WAS A HARROWING EXPERIENCE.

MY DAUGHTER AND ALL THE OTHER CHILDREN IN THE SCHOOLS WHERE SHE ATTENDED EXPERIENCED EXACTLY WHAT I HAD DOCUMENTED THROUGHOUT MY ENTIRE CAREER.

AS I SAY IN THE PIECE, WE DIDN'T GO INTO THIS WITH NAIVETE, AND YET STILL MANAGED TO FEEL CRUSHED BY THE SYSTEMS OF INEQUALITY THAT CREATED THESE TYPE OF SCHOOLS IN THE FIRST PLACE.

>> YOU WRITE ABOUT THIS DEVASTATING MOMENT WHEN SHE WAS IN THE FOURTH GRADE.

YOU GET HER MATH WORK BACK AND YOU DISCOVER THAT ALMOST EVERY ANSWER IS WRONG.

AND THEN THE TEACHER, PART OF THE REASON IT'S WRONG IS THE TEACHER HADN'T BEEN CHECKING IT.

AND YOU AND YOUR HUSBAND CONSIDER PULLING HER OUT THEN, BUT INSTEAD YOU FOUGHT FOR HELP FOR THE WHOLE CLASS.

THIS KIND OF PATTERN REPLICATED ITSELF THROUGHOUT SOME OF THE ADMINISTRATORS WERE UNRESPONSIVE.

SOME OF THE TEACHERS WERE INCOMPETENT.

THERE WERE CLASSES SHE WAS IN WITH WHERE THE TEACHER'S OWN ATTENDANCE WAS SPORADIC.

IT'S ONE THING AFTER ANOTHER.

AND YOUR DAUGHTER AT ONE POINT STARTS LOOKING UP THE SCORES AND HOW THE SCHOOL IS VIEWED AND WHAT THE STATISTICS ARE.

AND SHE SAYS YOU PUT ME IN A BAD SCHOOL.

>> UH-HUH.

>> WOULD YOU JUST DESCRIBE, IF YOU WOULDN'T MIND, WHAT THAT WAS LIKE FOR YOU.

>> IT WAS A RECKONING I KNEW WAS GOING TO COME.

I MEAN THAT'S --I, AGAIN, IF ANYBODY IS CLEAR-EYED ABOUT WHAT WE WERE GOING TO BE FACING, IT'S SOMEONE WHO HAS BEEN IN THESE SCHOOLS FOR 20 YEARS AND HAS DOCUMENTED THEM.

I ALWAYS KNEW THAT MY DAUGHTER WAS GOING TO ONE DAY ASK US ABOUT OUR CHOICES.

NOW I ALSO HOPED HAVING BEEN IN MY HOUSEHOLD AND UNDERSTOOD OUR VALUES THAT MAYBE SHE MIGHT UNDERSTAND WHY WE MADE THE CHOICES, BUT SHE DIDN'T.

SHE WAS 12 YEARS OLD, AND 12-YEAR-OLDS CENTER THEMSELVES AS THEY SHOULD.

AND SHE STRONGLY DISAGREED.

SHE FELT SHE DESERVED A BETTER EDUCATION THAN SHE RECEIVED, AND SHE DIDN'T UNDERSTAND HOW WE COULD HAVE RESOURCES AND NOT GIVE HER THAT.

AND SO, OF COURSE THE PIECE IS VERY HONESTLY GRAPPLING WITH THAT TRUTH THAT WE MADE CHOICES THAT WE FELT WERE FOR THE COLLECTIVE AND COMMON GOOD.

WE TRIED TO LIVE OUR VALUES, AND THAT MY DAUGHTER BORE A COST FOR THAT, AND THAT SHE CONFRONTED US ABOUT BEARING A COST FOR THAT.

>> SO FAST FORWARD, YOU SAID LOOK, YOU AND YOUR HUSBAND MADE THE DECISION FOR HER EARLIER SCHOOL YEARS.

BUT FOR HIGH SCHOOL YOU LET HER CHOOSE.

AND SHE CHOSE A VERY DIFFERENT EXPERIENCE.

SHE CHOSE A COMPETITIVE I GUESS A SELECTIVE SCHOOL WHERE THE DEMOGRAPHICS ARE VERY DIFFERENT.

AND WHAT WAS THAT LIKE FOR HER?

>> YOU KNOW, 12, IF ANYBODY HAS PARENTED A TEENAGER, YOU KNOW THAT THAT'S THE AGE WHERE THEY REALLY TRY TO SEEK AUTONOMY FROM THEIR PARENTS.

THEY WANT TO CREATE THEIR OWN IDENTITIES, THEIR OWN VALUE SYSTEMS.

THEY OFTEN TELL YOU EVERYTHING THAT YOU'VE DONE IS WRONG.

SO SHE WAS CREATING THAT IDENTITY.

THOSE ARE YOUR VALUES, BUT THIS IS WHAT I WANT.

AND I HAD TO RESPECT THAT.

I FELT SHE WAS OLD ENOUGH THAT SHE COULD PICK WHAT SHE SAW FOR HERSELF.

SO SHE WENT ON A PROCESS OF DISCOVERY.

SHE RESEARCHED SCHOOLS, AND YEAH, SHE CHOSE A SCHOOL THAT WAS OPPOSITE IN EVERY WAY OF WHAT SHE HAD EXPERIENCED PRE-K THROUGH EIGHTH GRADE.

AND INITIALLY IT WAS A STRUGGLE FOR HER.

THIS WAS A SCHOOL THAT HAD A BLACK MINORITY IN THE SCHOOL WHERE A LOT OF KIDS ARE WEALTHIER THAN SHE IS.

AND CULTURALLY, IT WAS HARD, AND ACADEMICALLY, IT WAS HARD.

SHE HAD NOT RECEIVED THE SAME ACADEMIC PREPARATION AS MANY OF HER CLASSMATES.

SHE WAS GETTING LOTS OF HOMEWORK FOR THE FIRST TIME.

SHE HADN'T REALLY DEVELOPED STUDY SKILLS.

SINCE THEN I'VE TALKED TO LATT OF HIGH SCHOOL EDUCATORS WHO SAY THAT'S VERY COMMON FOR NINTH GRADERS IN GENERAL, NOT JUST NINTH GRADERS WHO HAVE COME OUT OF HIGHER POVERTY SCHOOLS.

SO SHE HAD SOME CATCHING UP TO DO.

AND SHE HAD SOME CULTURAL ADJUSTMENTS TO MAKE.

AND IN FACT, WITHIN THE FIRST FEW WEEKS, SHE TOLD ME SHE WANTED TO TRANSFER OUT OF THE SCHOOL, THAT CULTURALLY, SHE JUST DIDN'T FEEL LIKE AS BLACK GIRL THAT SHE FIT IN THE SCHOOL.

SHE WANTED TO GO TO A SELECTIVE HIGH ACHIEVING BLACK HIGH SCHOOL IN BROOKLYN.

AND I WOULDN'T ALLOW HER TO DO THAT.

I FELT SHE HAD MADE HER CHOICE.

SHE HAD DONE THE RESEARCH, AND SHE ALSO WAS GOING TO NEED TO HAVE THIS EXPERIENCE, THAT ALL OF THESE EXPERIENCES ARE LEARNING EXPERIENCES.

THEY BUILD RESILIENCE.

SO SHE STAYED.

WE WERE ABLE TO GET HER THE ACADEMIC HELP SHE NEEDED TO CATCH UP.

NOW SHE'S IN HER JUNIOR YEAR, AND SHE'S ABSOLUTELY THRIVING THERE.

AND SHE TOLD ME THIS SCHOOL WAS THE RIGHT CHOICE FOR HER.

AND THAT I HAVE TO AGREE IT WAS THE RIGHT CHOICE FOR HER.

IT WASN'T THE CHOICE I WOULD HAVE MADE FOR HER, BUT IT WAS THE RIGHT CHOICE FOR HER.

>> I HAVE TO SAY SHE IS HER MOTHER'S DAUGHTER, BECAUSE SHE MADE UP HER MIND AND SHE PURSUED IT.

>> SHE DID.

>> HOW DO YOU UNDERSTAND WHY HER SCHOOL, HER INITIAL SCHOOLING EXPERIENCE WAS AS INADEQUATE AS IT TURNED OUT TO BE?

WHAT IS YOUR UNDERSTANDING OF WHY IT IS THAT THE SYSTEM REMAINS THE WAY IT IS?

>> WE CLEARLY DO NOT VALUE EDUCATION AND EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES AS A SOCIETY FOR BLACK CHILDREN, AND ESPECIALLY POOR BLACK CHILDREN LIKE WE DO FOR OTHERS.

SO THERE'S CLEARLY NOTHING WRONG WITH BLACK KIDS BEING IN SCHOOL TOGETHER.

THERE IS NOTHING INHERENT ABOUT SITTING NEXT TO WHITE CHILDREN THAT MAKES BLACK KIDS SMART.

WHAT IT DOES, THOUGH, GIVES THEM ACCESS TO THE RESOURCES WE GUARANTEE FOR THOSE KIDS AND THAT WE WON'T FOR OUR OWN KIDS.

SO WHAT WE HAVE SEEN IS YEAH, WE HAVE MADE TREMENDOUS PROGRESS IN MANY ASPECTS OF CIVIL RIGHTS SINCE BROWN V BOARD WAS DECIDED, SINCE THE 1960s.

BUT THE ONE -- THE TWO AREAS ACTUALLY THAT WE'VE MADE THE LEAST PROGRESS IS HOUSING AND SCHOOLS.

IF YOU ACTUALLY LOOK AT THE NEIGHBORHOODS THAT THE AVERAGE BLACK PERSON STILL LIVES IN AND THE SCHOOLS THAT THE TYPICAL BLACK STUDENT ATTENDS, THEY REMAIN THE MOST SEGREGATED GROUP OF PEOPLE IN THIS COUNTRY BOTH ECONOMICALLY AND RACIALLY.

SO THAT'S WHY WE SEE WHAT WE'RE SEEING IN SCHOOLS.

THAT'S WHY THE DEMAND FOR INTEGRATION HAS REALLY ALWAYS BEEN ABOUT WE DON'T VALUE BLACK CHILDREN ENOUGH TO RESOURCE THEM.

SO I'M GRATEFUL THAT YOU'RE ASKING THIS QUESTION BECAUSE I REALLY CAME INTO THIS INTERVIEW DETERMINED LIKE NOT TO GO THROUGH MY PARENTING CHOICES.

THERE IS 8,000 WORDS IN AN ESSAY.

IF PEOPLE WANT TO UNDERSTAND WHY WE MADE THE CHOICES WE MADE, MY CHILD IS ONE CHILD.

WE SHARED THE PERSONAL STORY OF THIS ONE CHILD TO ILLUMINATE THE DEVASTATING EFFECTS OF DEVASTATION AND INEQUALITY THAT SCHOOL CHILDREN EVERY DAY WHO REMAIN FACELESS IN THE DISCOURSE EXPERIENCE.

THERE WERE 300 OTHER KIDS IN MY DAUGHTER'S SCHOOLS WHO SUFFERED THE SAME OR WORSE EDUCATION AS MY DAUGHTER DID.

SO I TELL THE STORY OF NAJYA SO THAT WE CAN CARE ABOUT ALL THOSE KIDS, SO WE CAN SEE ALL OF THOSE KIDS, RIGHT.

MY PRIVILEGED CHILD SAYS TO ME I NEVER GOT THE EDUCATION THAT I WANTED.

AND I'M LIKE WHEN SHE SAYS THAT, SHE IS SPEAKING FOR ALL THOSE OTHER KIDS.

WE'RE ARGUING ABOUT WHY WOULD I CHOOSE TO PUT MY CHILD IN THAT SCHOOL.

WHAT WE NEED TO BE ARGUING ABOUT IS WHY DO WE ALLOW THAT EDUCATION FOR ALL THOSE KIDS IN THAT SCHOOL WHEN WE HAVE THE RESOURCES TO DO BETTER.

>> WHY ARE YOU SO CONVINCED THAT IT'S RACE AS OPPOSED TO POVERTY THAT'S THE DRIVER HERE?

BECAUSE I THINK SOME PEOPLE MIGHT ARGUE THAT POOR WHITE KIDS ARE GETTING AN EQUALLY RAW DEAL IN THESE UNDERRESOURCED SCHOOLS.

SO THAT'S MY QUESTION TO YOU.

IS IT REALLY ABOUT RACE OR IS IT REALLY ABOUT POVERTY?

>> THIS IS EASY FOR ME TO ANSWER.

IT'S BOTH.

SO POVERTY IN AMERICA IS RACIALIZED.

THE EXPERIENCE OF POVERTY IN AMERICA IS NOT THE SAME BASED ON YOUR RACE.

AND HOW DO WE KNOW THIS?

SO WE CAN LOOK AT THE DATA.

THE TYPICAL LOW INCOME WHITE STUDENT ACTUALLY ATTENDS A MIDDLE CLASS SCHOOL.

THE TYPICAL LOW INCOME WHITE PERSON IN AMERICA ACTUALLY LIVES IN A NEIGHBORHOOD OF HIGHER INCOME THAN THEY HAVE.

NOW THE OPPOSITE IS TRUE FOR BLACK FOLKS.

THE TYPICAL MIDDLE CLASS BLACK PERSON, BLACK FAMILY LIVES IN A LOWER INCOME NEIGHBORHOOD, INCOME LOWER THAN THEIR INCOME.

AND THE TYPICAL MIDDLE CLASS BLACK STUDENT ACTUALLY ATTENDS A HIGH POVERTY SCHOOL.

SO THIS IS HOW WE KNOW THAT IT'S NOT SIMPLY ABOUT THE INCOME OF THE FAMILY.

IT'S ABOUT THE RACE AND THE INCOME OF THE FAMILY.

AND ONE EXERCISE THAT I OFTEN ASK PEOPLE TO DO WHEN WE THINK ABOUT THIS, IF I WANT TO THINK ABOUT AN AREA OF WHITE CONCENTRATED POVERTY, WE ALWAYS NAME THE SAME PLACE, APPALACHIA.

>> RIGHT.

>> IF I WANT TO TALK ABOUT AN AREA OF CONCENTRATED BLACK POVERTY, I CAN GIVE YOU AN ENDLESS NUMBER OF CITIES.

EVERY CITY, RIGHT.

MOST RURAL AREAS.

SO IT IS TRUE THAT LOWER INCOME STUDENTS IN GENERAL ARE NOT RECEIVING THE SAME QUALITY OF EDUCATION AS HIGHER INCOME PEOPLE.

BUT IN THE PUBLIC SYSTEM, WE'RE ACTUALLY NOT SEEING THESE HIGH CONCENTRATIONS OF WHITE POVERTY.

THOSE KIDS ARE ACTUALLY GETTING A PRETTY TYPICAL EDUCATION WITH THEIR HIGHER INCOME WHITE COUNTERPARTS.

THAT IS NOT THE CASE FOR BLACK STUDENTS OF ALMOST ANY INCOME OTHER THAN UPPER INCOME.

>> SO NOW THAT YOU'VE WRITTEN YOUR SECOND PIECE, ALSO AN ENORMOUS REACTION TO THAT.

>> YES.

>> WHERE ARE WE?

I KNOW YOU GOT A HUGE REACTION TO YOUR PIECE, BUT DO YOU SEE ANY REACTION TO THE POINT THAT YOU WERE TRYING TO MAKE?

>> SO HERE WE ARE IN NEW YORK CITY.

ONE OF THE MOST DIVERSE AND PROGRESSIVE CITIES IN THE COUNTRY, BUT ALSO HAPPENS TO BE ONE OF THE MOST SEGREGATED AND UNEQUAL BOTH RACIALLY AND ECONOMICALLY CITIES AND SCHOOL DISTRICTS.

WE HAVE A SOCIALIST --A DEMOCRATIC CIALIST AS OUR MAYOR.

HE RAN ON TRYING TO REFORM SOME OF THE THINGS THAT HAVE CAUSED SO MUCH SEGREGATION IN THE SCHOOLS.

HE SAYS HE IS HERE TO CHANGE THE CONDITIONS, THE MATERIAL CONDITIONS OF THE WORKING CLASS.

SO NOW IT'S TIME TO SEE WHAT WILL BE THE RESPONSE.

WE HAVE TO HAVE DIFFERENT POLICY.

WE HAVE TO HAVE A POLICY OF INTEGRATION AND EQUALITY THAT IS NOT ABOUT LANGUAGE, THAT IS NOT ABOUT RHETORIC, BUT IS ABOUT THE CHILDREN WHO ARE IN THESE SCHOOLS EVERY SINGLE DAY EXPERIENCING WHAT MY DAUGHTER EXPERIENCED, BUT THEY DON'T HAVE PARENTS WHO CAN PULL THEM OUT, WHO CAN PAY FOR PRIVATE TUTORING.

SO I HOPE THAT THIS PIECE, WHICH HAS GONE VIRAL IN EVERY WAY THAT A PIECE CAN GO VIRAL, THAT HAS PROVOKED A LOT OF OUTRAGE ABOUT ME AND MY HUSBAND AND ALSO ABOUT THE SYSTEM, THAT THIS WILL LEAD TO ANOTHER GALVANIZING MOMENT WHERE WE DEMAND MORE OF OUR LEADERS SO THAT WE CAN PRODUCE MORE FOR OUR CHILDREN.

WHETHER WE WANT TO BELIEVE IT OR NOT, THEY ARE ALL OF OUR CHILDREN, AND OUR SOCIETY BEARS THE IMPACT OF CHILDREN WHO ARE NOT ALLOWED TO TRANSCEND THEIR CIRCUMSTANCES AND TO LIVE UP TO THEIR HIGHEST AMBITION.

WE CAN DO BETTER, RIGHT.

I MEAN, THIS WAS THE ARGUMENT OF MY FIRST ESSAY.

IT'S BEEN THE ARGUMENT OF ALL OF MY REPORTING ON THIS.

NOTHING IS NATURAL ABOUT THESE SYSTEMS OF INEQUALITY.

WE CHOOSE THEM.

WE STRUCTURE THEM IN.

SO WHAT THAT MEANS WE CAN STRUCTURE THEM OUT, IF WE CHOOSE THAT.

>> NIKOLE HANNAH-JONES, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR TALK WITH ME.

>> THANK YOU.