A new charter school is planned for Duluth by members of the city’s African-American community, which makes up about 3 percent of the city’s population, according to the Duluth News Tribune.

The school is registered as a nonprofit organization with the Minnesota Secretary of State’s office as the Family Freedom Academy. A middle school, it is expected to open its doors in 2019 and serve up to 100 students in grades six through eight.

The community spirit fostered by the past few years worth of Family Freedom Center weekends has helped support the pursuit of a school. There, dozens of people, sometimes dozens upon dozens, meet Friday night and all day Saturday for communal meals, activities, testimonial-style sharing and workshops on everything from history to camping. Elders are referred to as kings and queens and have the honor of eating first, while children, parents, singles and couples commiserate and learn together.

Meanwhile, Duluth’s school district is in a financial crisis and some blame it on funding for another charter school, Duluth Edison.