Poor and working-class families, Black and white, saw clearly what was at stake: the future of their children’s education. Public schools had been significantly expanded during Reconstruction, and they were now under threat. In response, Black voters and white working people — farmers, laborers, veterans — formed the Readjuster coalition. Virginia’s public school system — now ranked among the strongest in the country — still benefits from the foundational reforms won by that movement. Too often, the struggles of poor white families are rendered invisible, while Black poverty is hyper-visible but rarely treated with empathy.