Birmingham — It happens everyday at the beginning of school at Legacy Prep Charter School — a daily affirmation that students said with vigor and pride. “I am beautiful. I am capable,” recited the second graders in the Freedom Riders Class. “I love who am on the inside and out.” There is a sense of empowerment…

Birmingham’s educational landscape changed forever in August, when Legacy Prep, the area’s first and Alabama’s third public charter school, opened its doors to 130 students in Kindergarten, first, and second grades. The school, located in west Birmingham in the Daniel Payne Community Plaza, has been more than three years in the making.