While my reflections on public intellectuals include people from both inside
and outside of the United States (Paulo Freire for the latter and George S. Counts,
W. E. B. Du Bois, and Carter G. Woodson for the former) and my examples are
taken from both Brazil and the United States, I cannot pretend to speak for all
nations and all times. The reader needs to do what she or he always does—ask
whether the reflections, examples, and arguments I offer here fit your reality and
your society. Context counts and it counts even more when we think critically
about education.