Deep in the heart of public-school education wars rage on, and few warriors come to fight for the people. Yet, there is one small band of freedom fighters bringing sanity to the village. The live 8 Black Hands podcast at SXSW EDU will uplift the plight of the 17 million plus Black & Brown students in public education. We know that two of the issues that crush our children’s aspirations the most are the negative mindsets about and low expectations for Black and Latino children. We will share our insights and experiences that can address some of these entrenched and pervasive mindsets that lead to negative outcomes.