Iris Morales Leads Political Education Class
Born in 1948, Iris Morales was the child of Puerto Rican migrants to New York.
Black people
Denise Oliver
Denise Oliver, born in Brooklyn in 1947, grew up in Queens.
I.S. 55 Graduation Speech
Please note: This is work in progress. Please keep that in mind as you read.
On the Way to School - Community Control, Some Observations, excerpt
Preston Wilcox was a human rights activist and professor at Columbia University who supported Black studies on college campuses and community control for K-12 schools.
¿Le gustaria que sus niños[…]?
Like many Puerto Rican parents in the South Bronx, Evelina López Antonetty was frustrated that so many Spanish-speaking children were not learning to read.
Evelina Antonetty and United Bronx Parents Protest School Lunch
In 1969, parents in the South Bronx were concerned about what their children ate at school.
We Demand
Student protesters at City College (CCNY) explained why they organized a strike on their campus and what changes they wanted to achieve.
Community Control is Not Decentralization
New York State’s 1969 decentralization law drew strong opposition from many Black and Puerto Rican New Yorkers who had been advocating for community control.
Fifteen Demands of Black and Puerto Rican Students
Please note: This is work in progress. Please keep that in mind as you read.
Viva Harlem U!
Although City College, where Audre Lorde taught, was in the predominantly Black and Latinx community of Harlem, there were very few Black or Latinx students who attended.
Community Control March
During the 1968 teacher strike, community control advocates continued to participate in leading local school districts and arguing for self-determination in education.
Parents Speaking on Ocean Hill-Brownsville
This video captures New York City parents speaking of their desires for community control of their children’s schools.
“600” Schools, Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow, excerpts
Organizing in the early 1960s by the Citywide Committee on Integration and by Reverend Milton Galamison had increased public attention to the “600” schools.
Operation Shut Down Flier
Civil rights organizers in Lowndes County, Mississippi, chose the image of a black panther as their symbol.
Black Panther Party letter about Operation Shut Down
The Black Panther Party’s Harlem Branch, founded in 1966, defined Black Power as “having the right to self-determination or the power to decide what should go down in our community,” and “being the decision makers, the policy makers.
Real Message of the Moynihan Report
No single civil rights organization represents all Black Americans.
The Controversial Moynihan Report
The Black press provided a space for Black thinkers to challenge ideas that were getting attention in white newspapers and other media.
The 1965 Boycott on Film
The 1965 boycott targeted segregation in New York City’s junior high schools and “600” schools.
90% Boycott Hits Problem School
In the fall of 1964, months after the massive February 1964 boycott, Reverend Milton Galamison and the Citywide Committee on Integration launched another boycott.
The Negro Family: The Case for National Action, excerpt
The Negro Family: A Case for National Action (excerpt) Daniel Patrick Moynihan Office of Policy Planning and Research United States Department of Labor March 1965