Our panelists bring decades of experience in the classroom, advocacy organizations and policy. Here are some of the many facts and data points they cite:

• African American students who've had an African American teacher in elementary school are more likely to graduate from high school and enroll in college—13 percent more likely if they’ve had one African American teacher in elementary school, and over 32 percent, more likely to enroll in colleges if they’ve had two. (Johns Hopkins University)
• The majority of kids in the nation's public schools are kids of color, but only 18 percent of our teachers are teachers of color, and only 2 percent of our teachers are African American males. (United States Department of Education)
• Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) prepare 16 percent of all Black teacher candidates. (United States Department of Education)
• Of the attendees in the Be the Change Event, 37 percent had no Black male teachers throughout their K-12 education. Another 54 percent had fewer than 4.

When you get three of the nation's top educators together, the inspiration is nonstop. It's nearly impossible to choose the top quotes (you should definitely watch for yourself). We tried anyway. Here are a few of our favorites.

Tweet them, post them, shout them from the rooftops.

Dr. John King, Jr.

“My main message to all of you is that teaching can be the difference—can be the difference in strengthening our society, expanding opportunity for African American students, and building a better America.”

“If you get through your education and you are unaware of the history of race in America—if you harbor false racist beliefs—that’s a failure of our education system.”

“Having diverse teachers makes it more likely that decisions about school curriculum, about how schools are organized, will reflect our diversity as a country. So, I think we can't get out of the situation we are in as a country if we don't address the diversity of our educator workforce.”

Dr. Precious Symonette

"Teaching is a revolutionary act."

"I'm inspired every single day and motivated by my students because I get to bear witness to them learning and falling in love with writing, and learning how to advocate for themselves, for the people they love, and for the things that matter to them." 

"Black teachers are needed in classrooms, because we have to be there to breathe life into our kids. We have to be there to let them know that they are loved. We have to be there to remind them that they are beautiful, that they are important, that they are worthy and that they are not inferior to any race."

"To my brothers and sisters who are considering joining the teaching profession: Listen, we want you, we need you, we love you, we are here to help you. Come join this noble profession. Come answer the call to be a freedom fighter. Come stand on the just side of history. Come be a part of the solution and not the problem. Become an educator and invest in children, and help the world to become a better place."

Mr. Sharif El-Mekki

"Great teachers don't just impact the students in front of them, they impact those students’ grandchildren and generations to come."

"Teaching is something that shapes nations and communities. It's one of the best ways to uplift the trajectory of our students. We need people who are going into the classrooms to lead. Not just looking at teaching as teaching content, but leading children, leading communities."

"Black students typically have a window into everyone else's lives. They see other people's literature, other people's heroes and quotes plastered on the walls. Black children need to have more mirrors— to see images of themselves leading classrooms, leading schools, leading school boards. And white children need to have more diversity in their curriculum, and what they intake and what they breathe in."

Dr. John King, Jr.

Dr. King is president and CEO of The Education Trust

Listen

• NPR's Mary Louise Kelly talks with Dr. King about the long-term effects of school closures on children in the U.S.

Follow

• @edtrust on Facebook
• @EdTrust on Twitter
• @JohnBKing on Twitter

Dr. Precious Symonette

Dr. Symonette is CEO of the Florida Freedom Writer's Foundation

Watch

• Watch Dr. Symonette and her students speak powerfully about using spoken word to have a voice and to heal. And hear her colleagues discuss the vital influence of a superhero educator.

Learn

• Find out more about the national Freedom Writers Foundation

Mr. Sharif El-Mekki

Mr. El-Mekki is founder and CEO of The Center for Black Educator Development.

Listen

• Afros, Boxers, Handcuffs, and Guns. In this episode of The Moth, Sharif El-Mekki joined Mmachi Dimoriaku for stories about "Culture and Legacy." Listen to his tale about following in the footsteps of his Black Panther father. 
• The 8 Black Hands podcast. Check out this weekly podcast on education equity. 

Read

• "Sharif El-Mekki: Leading With Equity and Justice." And article from The Education Trust.  
• Philly's 7th Ward El-Mekki's blog, where he and others write about equitable education in Philadelphia and beyond. 

Follow

• @CenterBlackED on Twitter and Facebook
• @Phillys7thWard on Twitter and Facebook
• @selmekki on Twitter