This future and many other possibilities are attainable with you at the centre. The young person of this story could be your child, niece or nephew, cousin, friend or you. Keep hope and unity alive, protect and empower each other and fortify our children for the road ahead. The stories that encompass this book are acts of resistance, defiance and triumph from Black individuals who, like you, are navigating societies that have continually maligned or hindered our progress.

Despite this, we are illuminating the path towards higher educational attainment and specifically the PhD. The strength, courage and wisdom shown here is within every one of us and has allowed us to push forward irrespective of the barriers placed in our way. We ask you to dream big, aspire for greater and invest in our children's educational journeys. We have no deficit and therefore no inferiority. Racism is the principal poison that continues to curtail our advancement within the UK and globally. One antidote to this is the liberty that can be found through education. Knowledge is power and has the ability to change the lives of many.

As we fight and change the status quo from within, pushing away various obstacles, we ask you to meet us at the door. Our knowledge is powerful, our contributions matter and our scholarship is valuable in cementing our own histories, realising our individual and collective success and shaping our own futures. Let us do this hand in hand.