A nation will be measured by how it treats the vulnerable. Governors who aspire to lead this country will be measured the same way. As pastors in Illinois and Pennsylvania, we urge Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker and Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro to answer this urgent call to action. Black and brown families need access to schools that are safe, effective and able to unlock the God-given potential in their children.

These two governors both seem to want to run for president. They also both stand at a defining crossroads on education. The current test is not Iowa or New Hampshire. The test is Chicago and Philadelphia, where Black and brown students are falling behind through no fault of their own.

In Philadelphia, only 11% of Black fourth graders are proficient in reading and 9% are proficient in math, according to the 2024 Nation’s Report Card. In Chicago, Black eighth graders are barely doing better in reading, and struggling just as bad at math, the 2024 Report Card shows. These numbers are not talking points. They are warnings. If a child cannot read well, they struggle to learn everything else. If a child cannot do basic math, they struggle to manage money and build stability. We are not just talking about test scores — we are talking about futures.

In our churches, we do what we can. We have respectively started an after-school learning center and a summer enrichment program. We have seen children grow, regain confidence and begin to dream again. Some have already gone on to college and well-paying jobs. Yet between us, we have reached fewer than 100 children. Meanwhile, tens of thousands of Black and brown students need help now.

That is why school choice scholarships matter. They are not a luxury for the wealthy. They are a lifeline for families who are doing their best but are trapped by ZIP code and income. When a scholarship helps a child move to a school that fits their needs — whether that is a faith-based school, a specialized program or a safer environment — it does more than change a report card. It changes a trajectory. And it sends a clear message to parents: “We see you. We hear you. You have choices.”

In Illinois, Pritzker had an opportunity to show that kind of leadership when the state’s tax-credit scholarship program, Invest in Kids, neared expiration in 2023. The program helped low-income students afford private school, and many of the recipients were Black or Hispanic. Families wanted it. Communities supported it. For many children, it was the difference between staying stuck and moving forward.

Yet the program was allowed to die. Pritzker cannot say he fought for Black and brown children after watching a proven program disappear without a fight. Leadership is not commentary after the fact. Leadership is using influence before the door slams shut.

In Pennsylvania, Shapiro campaigned on supporting Lifeline Scholarships for low-income students assigned to the lowest-performing public schools. But when that legislation reached his desk in 2023, he vetoed it. That was a choice. A choice that hurts thousands of students trapped in underperforming schools.

We are not writing this simply to criticize. We are telling our governors plainly: There is still time to lead. There is still time to choose courage over calculation. There is still time to stand with the families who are trying to do right by their children. Scholarship programs are not an attack on public education; they are an acknowledgment that children get only one childhood and one shot at a strong foundation. When a system is failing, leaders do not defend the system — they defend the child.

Pritzker and Shapiro want to be leaders for this nation. Then lead here first. Lead where it is hardest. Lead where the political cost is real. Lead for the children who cannot hire lobbyists, cannot wait for the next commission and cannot afford another generation of promises.

We are ready to help these governors make the right decision. We are ready to bring the voices of parents, pastors and community leaders to the table — not to shame them, but to strengthen them. We are ready to work with their administrations on education freedom policies that are transparent, accountable and targeted to the families who need it most. But we cannot pretend that inaction is compassion or that ambition is the same as leadership.

The question before both governors is simple: Will they fight for Black and brown students with the urgency their situation demands? Will they stand with “the least of these” when it requires real political will? Will they choose a legacy of courage over a record of caution?

Families in our churches and communities are watching. And yes — history is, too.

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Bishop Corey Person is senior pastor at Presence Church in Chicago Heights. The Rev. Joshua C. Robertson is senior pastor of The Rock Church in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, and founder and CEO of Black Pastors United for Education.

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