The presented materialist anti-racist approach to language activism, links Joshua Fishman’s pioneering work on language activism with critical race theory and the current materialist turn in applied linguistics. This approach places language policy within wider attempts to dismantle racial and economic disparities. Employing the case study of bilingual education programs in the U.S., this article indicates the importance of reckoning with the divers non-linguistic factors that play a role in terms of access to education and students' experiences. A failure to do so may lead bilingual education programs to unintentionally add to the marginalization of minoritized communities.