Nationwide — Freddie Taylor, the Founder and CEO of City Intellectuals, probably the most acknowledged impartial Black historical past training corporations on this planet, says his firm is now at risk of closing down. The corporate has confronted mounting monetary strain from rising prices of supplies, delivery, promoting, achievement, warehousing, logistics, tariffs, and elevated competitors from scammers and knockoff merchandise which have pushed up promoting prices and siphoned income away from the corporate.
In an try to avoid wasting the corporate, Taylor has launched the Save City Intellectuals marketing campaign, an pressing community-powered effort to stop the corporate from going beneath, stabilize operations, and protect entry to impartial Black historical past training for households, youngsters, colleges, church buildings, and communities.
He started his mission in 2016 with a transparent function: to make Black historical past simpler to study, train, share, and rejoice. Over the previous 10 years, the corporate has delivered greater than 700,000 Black Historical past Flashcards to prospects in all 50 states and 64 international locations, whereas serving greater than 250,000 prospects around the globe.
His firm, City Intellectuals, is understood for making Black historical past accessible and empowering via its well known Black Historical past Flashcards, Sankofa Membership for youngsters, Sankofa Circle for adults, books, stay courses, enjoying playing cards, cultural sources, and group education schemes.
“My firm is at risk, and we’re telling the reality about it,” says Freddie. “This firm has served the group for 10 years, however the prices of doing enterprise have risen dramatically. Transport, supplies, advertisements, achievement, tariffs, and dangerous debt have created a chokehold round our operations. We’d like the group’s assist proper now so we are able to stabilize the corporate, take away the monetary weight, and proceed doing this much-needed work.”
The Save City Intellectuals marketing campaign is asking for 1,000 Defenders to contribute $100 every. In return, Defenders obtain 100 days of entry to both Sankofa Circle, City Intellectuals’ grownup Black historical past training membership, or Sankofa Membership, its youngsters’s Black historical past training program.
The marketing campaign has already gained significant momentum, with 350 Defenders stepping ahead to assist save the corporate. City Intellectuals first raised its emergency purpose of $30,000, which helped the corporate tackle rapid obligations, together with warehouse and achievement prices, guaranteeing that shipments may proceed going out and prospects may obtain their Black historical past merchandise.
Now, City Intellectuals is pushing towards the bigger purpose of 1,000 Defenders. In response to Taylor, reaching the $100,000 purpose would enable the corporate to remove vital dangerous debt, together with revenue-based loans which have been draining money movement and choking profitability.
“The primary $30,000 helped us preserve the doorways open and ensure shipments continued,” Taylor stated. “However the bigger $100,000 purpose is what actually helps us save the corporate. It permits us to take away the dangerous debt that’s strangling our money movement and begin working our method again into profitability. With out that debt, City Intellectuals is in a a lot stronger place to outlive, develop, and serve our group.”
City Intellectuals’ present problem comes at a time when Black historical past training is going through rising strain nationally. With debates round curriculum, DEI, ebook bans, trustworthy historical past, and the function of race in training, Taylor says impartial Black-owned training corporations are extra needed than ever.
“This isn’t nearly saving a enterprise,” Taylor stated. “That is about defending impartial Black historical past training at a time when our historical past, our tradition, our economics, and our future are beneath assault. Black historical past is world historical past. It’s the lacking pages of world historical past. Our individuals want entry to this information in our properties, colleges, church buildings, and communities.”
The following part of City Intellectuals’ plan is to rebuild round membership, digital training, and recurring group assist. The corporate is inserting renewed give attention to Sankofa Circle and Sankofa Membership, which Taylor describes as the muse of City Intellectuals’ future.
“Bodily merchandise like flashcards and books will at all times be a part of what we do,” Taylor stated. “However the way forward for City Intellectuals have to be constructed round membership, training, group, and recurring assist. We’d like our Defenders to not solely assist save the corporate, however to prioritize Black historical past training of their properties.”The Save City Intellectuals marketing campaign is each a fundraiser and a group name to motion.
Supporters can change into Defenders by contributing $100, which gives 100 days of entry to Black historical past courses for adults or youngsters. Contributions of any quantity are additionally being accepted, and each supporter will obtain an invite to City Intellectuals’ personal Juneteenth occasion.
“City Intellectuals has touched a whole lot of 1000’s of individuals around the globe,” Taylor stated. “We now have delivered Black historical past instruments to households in all 50 states and 64 international locations. We now have served greater than 250,000 prospects. We now have helped mother and father train their youngsters. We now have helped adults study what faculty by no means taught them. Now we’d like the group to assist make certain this work doesn’t disappear.”
Freddie Taylor is on the market for interviews on the state of Black historical past training, the challenges going through Black-owned training corporations, why impartial cultural establishments matter, and the Save City Intellectuals marketing campaign.
AboutUrban Intellectuals is a Black-owned training firm dedicated to creating Black historical past straightforward, accessible, and empowering for households, youngsters, adults, colleges, church buildings, and communities. Based by Freddie Taylor, City Intellectuals started its mission in 2016 and has spent the previous 10 years creating academic merchandise, memberships, stay courses, books, flashcards, enjoying playing cards, cultural sources, and studying experiences designed to write down Black individuals again into the pages of world historical past and into the minds of the group. Study extra and/or assist the marketing campaign at UrbanIntellectuals.com
For press inquiries, contact tameko@urbanintellectuals.com or 718-791-2887
