Tag: suburbs

After graduating from college I returned home to pursue other career goals as did many of my friends from high school. It was during the fall of that year that an article appeared in one of the local New York City (NYC) newspapers listing the worst fifty schools in New York State. This rating included NYC public schools, the largest school district in the United States, along with all the schools in the various towns and hamlets throughout the state. If one were to tally the number of schools in this region it would be in the 1,000s. Based on the high rate of crime in the inner city due to the crack epidemic at the time, I expected all fifty schools to be located in the poorest neighborhoods within the five boroughs of NYC, but that was not the case. 

As expected, the first forty-seven schools did come out of underserved neighborhoods. When I reached the bottom three schools on the list my jaw dropped in shock. Numbers forty-eight and forty-nine, a middle school and high school from the same district were sports rivals to my school district and were located not more than two miles down the road. So you must gather by now that I was devastated when I read number fifty. Smacking me in the face with an open hand was my high school alma mater, which at that time encompassed both a junior high school and high school. How could these three suburban schools be among the mix of the worst city schools? In full disclosure, these two areas were also considered underserved, but not on the level of some of the city schools. In addition, we were also weathering a storm from the crack crisis. Our reputation preceded us among other parts of Long Island and our neighbor Queens, still I never imagined how critically the criminal element impacted the education system.  

A better quality of life was one of the very reasons why many black people moved from the boroughs to the suburbs during the sixties and seventies. Included in that dream of home ownership, fresh air and space for your children to play was the alleged quality of the suburban schools. So how did this happen? When did the sale of the Brooklyn Bridge factor into the purchase of a home? It would be years later that I would learn about the steering tactics and redlining procedures used specifically on these two neighborhoods, but at that moment I was clueless.

UJIMA = Collective work and responsibility. To build and maintain our community together and to make our community’s problems our problems and to solve them together. (Kwanzaa principle #3)

Unsure of the exact details of who called whom first, but my good friend and former classmate also read the article and we shared our disbelief over the phone. Like my family and many of a number of our classmates, my friend’s family also transitioned from Brooklyn during the 70’s. After expressing our frustration, we began to brainstorm about what we could do to initiate a change and everything steam rolled from there.

We brought in a third friend, a Bronx transplant, and our collaborative efforts began to take shape. The three of us were the core base, then we began soliciting help from other classmates and a few associates. Once a solid team was formed we realized none of us had teaching experience. Therefore, we felt it was necessary to bring in some wisdom. Our mentor and advisor was a retired school counselor and emerging elder in the community. Along with our independent research, she advised us on which educational curriculum needed to be included in our mission and how to administer it. After several meetings we finally settled on the obvious subjects, reading and math along with the history of our ancestors to raise self-esteem and chess to build concentration and critical thinking skills.

The curriculum was the first thing to be solidified. The logistics of day, time, and location were next. We also could not move forward without an appropriate name. This was the hardest obstacle that we faced. We did not want to be an average Joe extra-curricular activity. Our name needed to symbolize who we were as a people and the mission we were trying to achieve.

Everyone was tasked with the initiative to come up with a name. A few attractive names were thrown into the pot, but none of them resonated with the full support of the team. Finally, my initial collaborator called me one night with great news. She attended a cultural event and met one of the curators. She told him about our mission and the problems we were having picking a name. Understanding the dilemma and the importance of what we were trying to accomplish, he immediately came up with a name. Fluent in Swahili, the gentleman christened our organization in one word, Kepaheru (Keh-pa-her-roo), which means “coming into the light.” I loved it, as did everyone else. It was a unanimous decision that Kepaheru would be the name. Once the name was solidified we acquired a tax identification number for charitable donations. The final logistical move was to find a location.

The team consisted of about ten members plus our advisor. A few of us on the team had attended the same elementary school and we felt that its location would be an ideal spot. We contacted our beloved elementary school principal, who remembered us all by name, to set up a meeting. After hearing about our project he was more than willing to not only open the school for us every Saturday from 9:00AM to 12:00PM, but he also pledged to help recruit students to fill the thirty open slots. It was a done deal. We had everything we needed to start our educational enhancement program.

Opening day took place sometime between March and April. It came with a lot of anxiety and joy among the team. To see all of the bright little faces was sheer delight. We beamed with excitement as we welcomed the pupils whose ages ranged between eight and fourteen. A few of them were relatives of team members. All of whom have shared personal accounts of how Kepaheru positively impacted their lives.

With the help of our principal we had access to three classrooms and the copier machine. The setup was more than we could have asked for. That is why we were devastated when we learned that we would not have access the following school term. Our former principal was retiring. Once again, the community came through and the Catholic middle school that sat on the next corner, picked up the slack and let us use their space for the remainder of the program.

Kepaheru, was a grassroots organization that sprung to life off the seeds of inspiration of two, 22 year olds. Neither of them had experience or the how to, but they had the desire and along with the help of friends and a caring community, they figured it out. With volunteer ingenuity and a willingness to succeed, it only took about three or four months from concept to reality.

Though the program broke ground and was successful for three consecutive years, it failed to have the foresight to grow beyond its foundation. First and foremost, we never entertained the idea of moving beyond a Saturday morning educational enhancement program. This was our goal and we achieved it. If I am completely honest, setting a long-term goal never even came up in discussion. Where we could have recruited others to pass the torch and bring new ideas into the program to keep rejuvenating, we allowed it to fade out. Kepaheru was our version of an immediate Band-aid solution to the education problem. We were satisfied that we made a contribution and our job was done.

Reflecting back on what was taking place in our lives at that time, here is my personal assessment as to why it never occurred to us to think bigger:

1. First, we were all chasing our own dreams of corporate dominance. At the time we couldn’t see or grasp what the ancestors were placing on our shoulders to carry. This was right before charter schools hit the scene. We could have set the standard for independent schools not only in our community but similarly situated communities around the country. This is most significant today as the current state of divisiveness in the United States threatens to erase the factual history of black people in this country and their contributions globally.

2. Second, as children of the 70’s and 80’s it had been so ingrained into the fabric of our well being to acquire wealth from the social structure in place that we were unable to see how we could have created our own financial independence. We were all creating safe spaces from which we could piggy back and carry us through retirement.

Ujamaa (Cooperative Economics) – To build and maintain our own stores, shops and other businesses and to profit from them together. Kwanzaa principle # 4

Looking at the career paths of our team members today, from a business perspective we had all the makings of creating a great school and a lot of other entities in our community. One member had a degree in finance, there was a burgeoning lawyer and paralegal on tap, engineers, a human resources executive, an insurance underwriter and a bilingual team member. Of course hiring the right teaching staff factors prominently. We could have started with the pool of classmates that set out on that path and have gone on to have illustrious careers. I would be remiss if I did not mention the team member who, after his experience with Kepaheru, shifted gears from engineering to teaching. He not only enjoys being a teacher, but he goes all out for his students and other children around him. He is one of the best teachers that I have ever met.  In addition, I too willfully committed to the challenge of complimenting my already acquired law degree and became a teacher for several years. All I can say is that it was an absolute honor to serve communities of color in that capacity. It was hard work, but the most rewarding of my diverse career.

In summation, it was a leap of faith between my friend and I to even think that we could make a difference at all, let alone set out and pull it off. Our group served its purpose in helping our community in a time of need. By drawing on our collective intelligence, know-how, and creativity we pulled together something beneficial that proved to uplift instead of tear down. None of us can be faulted with not straying away from our individual goals. That was expected of us at that time. It just saddens me to think that had the veils been removed from our eyes then, we would have been able to see how our coming together (unity), was just the base for creating something greater. We focused so much on creating our individual life vests to stay afloat that we couldn’t see that water wasn’t our enemy, air was, and the lack of options to breathe in the air of self-determination suffocated the greatest collective potential within us.

Umoja (Unity) – To strive for and maintain unity in the family, community, nation and race. Kwanzaa principle #1

Kujichagulia (Self Determination) – To define ourselves, name ourselves, create for ourselves, and speak for ourselves. Kwanzaa principle #2

Nia (Purpose) – To make our collective vocation the building and developing of our community in order to restore our people to their traditional greatness. Kwanzaa principle #5

Kuumba (Creativity) – To do always as much as we can to leave our community more beautiful and beneficial than we inherited it. Kwanzaa principle #6

Imani (Faith) – To believe with all our hearts in our people and the righteousness and victory of our struggle. Kwanzaa principle #7