Crowns Begins Another Successful School Year!

By: Nia Lundkvist 

The 2025–2026 academic year has officially begun for all of our partner districts! This year, we are working with San Francisco Unified, Seattle Public Schools, and Lancaster School District to implement Crowns Curriculum classrooms throughout their respective districts.

The Crowns Curriculum is a culturally grounded course designed to engage, encourage, and empower young Black men by deepening their connection to African history, Black culture, and self‑identity. Rooted in cultural pride and belonging, the curriculum equips Kings with the tools to navigate life’s challenges, explore their purpose, and become positive forces in their classrooms, schools, and communities.

Over the past month, members of the KOO team traveled to San Francisco, Seattle, and Lancaster to provide our annual summer training for Crowns Curriculum facilitators. Gathering KOO staff, district leaders, and facilitators, we focused on best practices for implementing Crowns Curriculum in their respective districts, as well as rituals, philosophy, and engagement strategies rooted in Pan-Africanist tradition.

These trainings not only prepare facilitators to create the best environment for their Kings, but also allow them to reflect on how they are implementing these practices for themselves so they can show up as models and facilitate from experience, not from script. These sessions challenge even our most experienced facilitators to expand their toolbox each year, while simultaneously supporting our newest facilitators in acclimating to KOO culture.

“This summer training is one of the highlights of my job,” shared Nia Lundkvist, the architect of Crowns Curriculum. “Each district has their own special energy, passion, discipline, and enthusiasm they bring to the work, so it is always a joy to come together in person each year to cultivate and reignite it all for the upcoming school year.”

As the school year begins, they now get to integrate what they learned over the summer into their classrooms, creating an environment that affirms the beauty, brilliance, and innate greatness of our Black boys and men.