In a way, this project was a form of activism for me. In the beginning of the year, I myself did not think twice about the concept of school choice. I believed that it was a positive option for students and families, because that is often all I heard. However, both this project and the Urban Education class exposed me to the world of reality, and pushed me to ask questions that I never thought to ask—often questions that the system doesn’t want me to ask. Despite the need and my desire to further explore and discover whether or not the appearance and the reality coincides in other areas, I chose school choice because the concept seamlessly became so embedded in the mainstream ideology about educational improvements. That being said, below are my four key take-aways:

1. Ask questions: On the surface, the concept of school choice may appear to provide equal and better opportunities to all students, especially students of Color in under-enrolled or underperforming schools in urban neighborhoods provided with a chance to attend a charter school; however, an in depth exploration of how charter schools are formed and functions reveal that the concept of school choice implicitly perpetuates structural racism. The dominant discourse surrounding school choice fails to acknowledge the negative impacts of school closure on students and families of Color, to account for why the underperforming or failing schools came to be that way, to recognize those running charter schools lack connection to the communities affected by their decisions, and to incorporate different social and cultural identities beyond the perceived norms of white middle-class children. All in all, to see school closing as a positive change towards providing more charter schools in isolation to its real impact, how it came to be, or who is in charge, is not only myopic but also severely misses the underlying Whiteness logic of contemporary racism that are at the root of the problem. The concept for choice oversimplifies the success or failure to social mobility, underestimating the need to recognize other important ways such choice values fall short in other aspects of life. Ultimately, I want to encourage everyone to ask the hard questions, because I know for a fact that my perspective and knowledge significantly changed afterwards. 
2. Ignorance is not malice: As frustrating it is, it is important to acknowledge that ignorance is not malice; that urban school closure and proliferation of privately managed charter schools were not purposefully constructed in a malicious way. People who speak positively about school choice or privately managed charter schools may not know that a public school had to close for the charter school to open or the real, negative impact of school closure on communities—disproportionally affecting Black and Latino/a communities. We cannot forget to keep this in mind: Ignorance is not malice. 
3. Try to see both the duck and the rabbit: We live in a very fast-paced capitalistic society where it is often hard to find time to try to see something from a different perspective. But it is SO important to view each concepts and policies from different points of view, from a different person’s shoes, because suddenly, you might see the rabbit rather than the duck. We must all try to see both the duck and the rabbit in all things in our lives beyond the concept of school choice. 
4. Be hopeful and do your part: It is disheartening and infuriating once you realize how messed up and unequal this world is, even in the case of school choice. Beneath the surface of the positive framework of school choice lies the ugly truth that disproportionally affects low-income, minority members of the community. However, we all must remain hopeful. As you saw from the ten grassroots organizations, there are people out there who care, who are wiling to devote their time and energy for a change. As cliche as it sounds, we must all do our part to make a difference: engage in conversations, challenge the dominate discourse, help bring the marginalized voices and thoughts into the center, and be hopeful.