Newark Activists Decry Attempts To ‘Stifle’ Black History In Schools
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NEWARK, NJ — Black history courses are being revised to benefit a “white supremacist narrative.” Books are being banned, and historical figures and events are being removed from school curriculums. And according to longtime activist Lawrence Hamm, the troubling trend now includes a famous figure from Newark’s own past: Amiri Baraka.
Baraka – an iconic poet who was heavily involved in the Black Arts movement of the 1960s and 70s – was initially included in a draft of the College Board’s course framework for advance placement (AP) African American studies last year. But when the final version was released last week on the heels of heavy criticism from Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and other conservatives, Baraka was among the Black activists missing from the document, TAP Into Newark reported.
The apparent snubbing saw harsh criticism from Newark Mayor Ras Baraka – the late poet’s son – who said “taking him out of history is ridiculous and speaks directly to the kind of poisonous environment these people in Florida are creating.”
Two local activists who were recently honored by the city during its annual Black History Month flag raising event – Hamm and high school teacher Bashir Muhammad Ptah Akinyele – have also criticized the board’s omission of Baraka.
Hamm, a former U.S. Senate candidate, said he plans to discuss the issue when he appears as the guest speaker at Mount Zion Baptist Church’s Black History Month celebration on Sunday, Feb. 19.
The program will be both in-person and virtual. It is free and open to the public. For more information, contact mountzion15@aol.com or 973-482-1915.
“During my presentation, I will discuss of African American resistance to racial oppression,” Hamm said. “I will also discuss current attempts to stifle, prevent and even criminalize the teaching of Black history today.”
“Black history courses are being revised to benefit a white supremacist narrative,” he added. “Books are being banned and certain historical figures and events are being removed from the curriculum.”
In addition, the group Hamm helped to found, the People’s Organization for Progress, will hold a march and rally to “Protest the Ban on Black History.” It will begin at 11 a.m. on Saturday, Feb. 25 at the Lincoln Memorial Statue, 12 Springfield Avenue in Newark.
Hamm said more than 500 bills have been introduced in state legislatures nationwide that would have a negative impact on the teaching of Black history – all “under the guise of prohibiting the teaching of critical race theory.” It’s a viewpoint that many of his fellow activists also share.
“I am outraged that the College Board capitulated to the likes of Florida’s Governor Ron DeSantis,” said Akinyele, who teaches history and Africana studies at Weequahic High School in Newark.
The teaching of Black history is still viewed as a “threat to the system,” Akinyele wrote in a recent op-ed on Patch.
“The power structure constantly works to take out historical figures and events in Black History that don’t speak or teach to white hegemony,” he argued.
BLACK HISTORY IN NEW JERSEY SCHOOLS
However, there is change on the horizon when it comes to teaching Black history on the state level, officials say.
On Tuesday, Gov. Phil Murphy announced the expansion of advanced placement African American studies classes in New Jersey during a visit to Science Park High School in Newark.
Appearing alongside Baraka and other officials, the governor said that the AP African American Studies class – which is currently in its first stage of a two-year pilot program across the country – will be taught in 26 New Jersey high schools during the 2023-2024 academic year.
Currently, the class is offered in one New Jersey school out of 60 nationwide.
“The expansion of AP African American studies in New Jersey will grant our students the opportunity to learn about the innumerable ways in which Black Americans have shaped and strengthened our country,” Murphy said. “As governors like Florida’s Ron DeSantis prioritize political culture wars ahead of academic success, New Jersey will proudly teach our kids that Black history is American history.”
Angelica Allen-McMillan, the state’s acting commissioner of education, pointed out that Black history has been enshrined in statewide social studies standards since the 1990s, and was codified in law with the passage of the 2002 Amistad legislation that requires New Jersey schools to incorporate African American history into their social studies curriculum.
The Amistad Law has become a rallying cry in the Newark Public School District, where six schools will offer the AP African American studies class in 2023-2024.
“The study of African-American history is integral in a child’s educational upbringing, as it ensures that they learn a complete picture of what makes America, ‘America,’” Baraka said.
“This country cannot afford to teach a revisionist history because doing so will only ensure that we repeat the mistakes of the past,” the mayor added.
For Alnazir Blackman, whose classroom provided the backdrop for Tuesday’s news conference, teaching Black history has been an “honor.”
“I am certain the ancestors would be pleased to know that we have come to a place in our journey worthy of an AP course,” Blackman said.
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The article Newark Activists Decry Attempts To ‘Stifle’ Black History In Schools appeared first on Newark Patch.