Many people say having a well qualified and well educated teacher is the basis for good learning. However this is not the only thing that determines a teacher being able to successfully teach students, and for students to best learn from teachers.We all know that school is a hard environment due to external forces from the classroom, but one thing you may not know is that representation inside of schools can make or break a kids willpower to want to just show up. If a student of color attends a school where he/she is the only, or one of the few students who is of a minority group fitting in can be extremely difficult. Having similar faces, or having people with shared experiences/backgrounds can make one more comfortable in environments that may not be so welcoming.
We all know that there are a disproportionate number of white teachers to African American teachers in schools.
So given that there are not many African American teachers teaching students the likelihood of a student of color getting taught by someone who looks like them is very limited. Put that on top of a society that portrays African Americans as nothing more than criminals, lazy people, or people who are not capable of having success, the confidence for African American students in schools is already diminished. 
Without a successful role model that is not an athlete or rapper, it is easy to see why a lot of African American students feel out of place in an educational space.
Comfort, and support are necessary factors when trying to be successful. White teachers are just not able to relate to students of color the way another person of color would be able to. Given that, a white teacher may not notice that a student of color is going through difficult things outside of school, and won’t be able to offer their support. Also if a student of color is having a rough time focusing or doing work in the classroom, many of the times, a white teacher will label the student of color as a trouble child, or having behavioral issues. A very small portion of the time will they decide to investigate and see how they can be of use to the child. If students of color were able to see more teachers who represent them, and they are able to connect on a level more than just education, we could see students of color begin to thrive in schools, as well as potentially close the gap between Black and white students.