Lloyd Lindley Jr. confronts an uncomfortable truth: our education system, in its current form, is rigged. Not just against students, but against entire communities. Education has long been touted as the great equalizer, but how can it be, when some children enter school with every possible advantage, and others enter with none? When two schools, just miles apart, are worlds apart in opportunity, what does that say about the fairness of our system?This issue matters because it is a ticking time bomb. The future of our economy, society, and democracy is being shaped in classrooms where equity is often an afterthought. Students in underfunded schools—most of whom are Black, Brown, and low-income—are systematically denied the tools they need to succeed, not because they lack the potential, but because the system is designed to fail them. If we do not address this now, we are perpetuating cycles of inequality that will echo for generations. This isn’t just an issue we can discuss; it’s one we must solve. Now. Lloyd Lindley Jr. is a nonprofit leader and PhD student in Educational Leadership committed to dismantling the systemic inequities baked into public education. A member of The PhD Project and recipient of the Alpha Kappa Alpha South Region Community Leader Award, Lloyd speaks from both lived experience and scholarly insight. Raised in an under-resourced community, Lloyd has seen how the zip code you’re born into can determine your educational outcomes. He’s mentored students who couldn’t read, who lacked even the basics, and who were left behind by a system that was never built for them. His TEDx talk, “The Education System is Rigged,” is a call to action—for equity, for justice, and for rebuilding a system that works for every child. Attendees can expect to walk away inspired to take action, armed with both data and heart-centered insight to advocate for real, systemic change. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx