Nationwide — Freddie Taylor, the Founder and CEO of Urban Intellectuals, one of the most recognized independent Black history education companies in the world, is now in danger of closing. The company has faced mounting financial pressure from rising costs of materials, shipping, advertising, fulfillment, warehousing, logistics, tariffs, and increased competition from scammers and knockoff products that have driven up advertising costs and siphoned revenue away from the company.
In an attempt to save the company, Taylor has launched the Save Urban Intellectuals campaign, an urgent community-powered effort to prevent the company from going under, stabilize operations, and preserve access to independent Black history education for families, children, schools, churches, and communities.
He began his mission in 2016 with a clear purpose: to make Black history easier to learn, teach, share, and celebrate. Over the past 10 years, the company has delivered more than 700,000 Black History Flashcards to customers in all 50 states and 64 countries, while serving more than 250,000 customers around the world.
His company, Urban Intellectuals, is known for making Black history accessible and empowering through its widely recognized Black History Flashcards, Sankofa Club for children, Sankofa Circle for adults, books, live classes, playing cards, cultural resources, and community education programs.
“My company is in danger, and we are telling the truth about it,” says Freddie. “This company has served the community for 10 years, but the costs of doing business have risen dramatically. Shipping, materials, ads, fulfillment, tariffs, and bad debt have created a chokehold around our operations. We need the community’s help right now so we can stabilize the company, remove the financial weight, and continue doing this much-needed work.”
The Save Urban Intellectuals campaign is calling for 1,000 Defenders to contribute $100 each. In return, Defenders receive 100 days of access to either Sankofa Circle, Urban Intellectuals’ adult Black history education membership, or Sankofa Club, its children’s Black history education program.
The campaign has already gained meaningful momentum, with 350 Defenders stepping forward to help save the company. Urban Intellectuals first raised its emergency goal of $30,000, which helped the company address immediate obligations, including warehouse and fulfillment costs, ensuring that shipments could continue going out and customers could receive their Black history products.
Now, Urban Intellectuals is pushing toward the larger goal of 1,000 Defenders. According to Taylor, reaching the $100,000 goal would allow the company to eliminate significant bad debt, including revenue-based loans that have been draining cash flow and choking profitability.
“The first $30,000 helped us keep the doors open and make sure shipments continued,” Taylor said. “But the larger $100,000 goal is what truly helps us save the company. It allows us to remove the bad debt that is strangling our cash flow and start working our way back into profitability. Without that debt, Urban Intellectuals is in a much stronger position to survive, grow, and serve our community.”
Urban Intellectuals’ current challenge comes at a time when Black history education is facing growing pressure nationally. With debates around curriculum, DEI, book bans, honest history, and the role of race in education, Taylor says independent Black-owned education companies are more necessary than ever.
“This is not just about saving a business,” Taylor said. “This is about protecting independent Black history education at a time when our history, our culture, our economics, and our future are under attack. Black history is world history. It is the missing pages of world history. Our people need access to this knowledge in our homes, schools, churches, and communities.”
The next phase of Urban Intellectuals’ plan is to rebuild around membership, digital education, and recurring community support. The company is placing renewed focus on Sankofa Circle and Sankofa Club, which Taylor describes as the foundation of Urban Intellectuals’ future.
“Physical products like flashcards and books will always be part of what we do,” Taylor said. “But the future of Urban Intellectuals must be built around membership, education, community, and recurring support. We need our Defenders to not only help save the company, but to prioritize Black history education in their homes.”
The Save Urban Intellectuals campaign is both a fundraiser and a community call to action.
Supporters can become Defenders by contributing $100, which provides 100 days of access to Black history classes for adults or children. Contributions of any amount are also being accepted, and every supporter will receive an invitation to Urban Intellectuals’ private Juneteenth event.
“Urban Intellectuals has touched hundreds of thousands of people around the world,” Taylor said. “We have delivered Black history tools to families in all 50 states and 64 countries. We have served more than 250,000 customers. We have helped parents teach their children. We have helped adults learn what school never taught them. Now we need the community to help make sure this work does not disappear.”
Freddie Taylor is available for interviews on the state of Black history education, the challenges facing Black-owned education companies, why independent cultural institutions matter, and the Save Urban Intellectuals campaign.
About
Urban Intellectuals is a Black-owned education company committed to making Black history easy, accessible, and empowering for families, children, adults, schools, churches, and communities. Founded by Freddie Taylor, Urban Intellectuals began its mission in 2016 and has spent the past 10 years creating educational products, memberships, live classes, books, flashcards, playing cards, cultural resources, and learning experiences designed to write Black people back into the pages of world history and into the minds of the community. Learn more and/or support the campaign at UrbanIntellectuals.com
For press inquiries, contact tameko@urbanintellectuals.com or 718-791-2887