TandemEd facilitates Black communities to create campaigns that highlight their positive racial identity and self-defined educational purpose. This article examines the leadership of the initial implementation phase of the TandemEd community initiative in relationship with the Pittsburgh Public Schools (PPS), focusing primarily on the interactions with the superintendent and executive director of the superintendent's office. The results included ongoing support from PPS as TandemEd formed a citywide steering committee of highly community legitimated persons, executed a leadership and campaign academy for thirty-five Pittsburgh youth, and facilitated the design and delivery of various cable television commercials on identity and purpose in the Greater Pittsburgh region. It utilized the organizational framework established in "Reframing Organizations" by Lee Bolman and Terrence Deal (1991). The implication is that while a relationship with a public school district at the onset of TandemEd city entry is of value, more excellent value is found in establishing a strong community-legitimated effort and intersecting with the district more deeply in later implementation phases. Additionally, there is transformative value for school and district leaders to be responsive to Black community leadership of education.