what does SoulFolk stand for?
What would it mean to design a Black-centered school in today's political climate?
Launching on Madison's South Side in the 2026-2027 school year, The SoulFolk Saturday School will be a culturally grounded Saturday school for Black high school students in Madison, Wisconsin.
Housed within the Center for Black Excellence and Culture and run by The SoulFolk Collective, a research lab in the Department of African American Studies at UW–Madison, creators of the SoulFolk Saturday School radically imagine a space that prioritizes:
Education—lessons where Black history, literature, and art aren't the additive, but the foundation.
Rapport—Students are free to express all facets and dynamisms of Black identity.
Free food—Families and community members are fed in abundance.
Health—All students have access to free mental and physical wellness services.
Organizing within the community—Teachers and students alike strategize and research for social action and change.
Mississippi Freedom School Convention 1964 by Mark Levy
Inspired by historic Freedom Schools in the United States and Black Saturday Schools in the United Kingdom, The SoulFolk Saturday School will support Black Madison high school students to revolutionize their learning, ensuring that academic tutoring, advising, and coaching are accessible to all.
The SoulFolk Saturday School and The SoulFolk Collective have been ideated and created by Dr. Jessica Lee Stovall with the support of the Department of African American Studies at UW–Madison and eleven research fellows. Stovall taught public school for eleven years before completing her Ph.D. in Race, Inequality, and Language in Education, Curriculum and Teacher Education from Stanford University. The recipient of the 2025 Black Teacher Archive Microgrant from Harvard Graduate School of Education and a subject in the 2018 documentary, America to Me, Stovall hopes The SoulFolk Saturday School will be an embodiment of building a stronger, more connected local community.
Our collective aims to use the Black Freedom School resistance strategies of the past to herald more liberatory futures for all of us, and build a transformative Black community in Wisconsin and beyond.
The University of Wisconsin-Madison has a Black student population of under 3%, and that number dropped in 2024. UW-Madison has the lowest Black student population in the Big Ten.
“The current average score on the ACT for Black students in MMSD is 14.8. If students score below 17 on their ACT, they are forced to take developmental courses in college. The courses would require the students to stay in school longer, lowering the amount of time working in higher paying roles due to the delay in graduating, and forcing them to take out additional loans for the longer time attending college.”
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“The Saturday Freedom School provides a comprehensive and unique site to explore the experienced differences of “traditional” American history classrooms and classrooms specifically formulated to encourage Black life. Dr. Stovall’s research, accomplished teaching, and insightful commitment to community, positions her not only as a great researcher to take on the development of the SFS and development of UW–Madison’s relationship with the Madison community, but as the right researcher. I firmly believe the Saturday Freedom School as outlined by Dr. Stovall and The Center for Black Excellence and Culture will add measurable value to UW–Madison’s relationship with the Madison community and would propel my research as a PhD student.”
—Ziyen Curtis | Curriculum & Instruction Ph.D. and African American Studies M.A. student
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“The Center for Black Excellence and Culture isn’t looking to be just a building. We want it to be a movement that showcases what happens when Black communities collectively dream and create spaces untouched by political erasure or cultural silencing. This is why we need to partner with organizations that will create programming that embodies this vision, and The SoulFolk Saturday School is an exemplary model. I have every confidence that The SoCo Saturday School will positively impact the Black community in Madison. As a community leader and advocate for racial equity, I understand the importance of culturally relevant education and mentorship for students who are navigating educational systems historically structured to limit their success. The SoulFolk Saturday School has designed a holistic model of mentorship and academic support that will not only improve academic and socio-emotional outcomes but also instill resistance and social responsibility. Combining community and elder wisdom with the resources of UW-Madison will create a sustainable pathway from high school to higher education for Black students.”
—Reverend Dr. Alex Gee | Founder and CEO, The Center for Black Excellence and Culture
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“As a member of the Madison-area community and an advocate for educational justice, I believe this proposal holds incredible promise for addressing the systemic challenges Black students face in Madison, and will help pave the way for long-term, transformational change. It is precisely the type of initiative that we need to address these educational gaps.”
—Rosa Thompson | Executive Director, Black Girl Magic Educational Services, Inc.
Support our growth
Your gift helps make the dream of The SoulFolk Saturday School a reality, and we thank you for supporting of our vision of a more equitable future for Madison.
You can also show your support by spreading the word about our goals. A PDF of our fundraising one-pager will soon be uploaded to this webpage.