History of Black Education

This dissertation frames the Black Panthers' Oakland Community School (OCS) as a convergence of Black self-determination/Black Power, Black education history, and curriculum studies. Drawing from widely-cited archives, rarely-cited archives, oral history, periodicals, and secondary source material, the proposed study extends the OCS narrative by tracing its curricular trajectory and highlighting the voices of students, parents, and staff. It considers how the school’s history provides examples of educational practices—such as restorative justice and culturally relevant pedagogy—that would not become named or popularized in mainstream education until much later, asserting that histories of this sort can inform educational endeavors in the present. Moreover, this work considers the OCS’ unique history and pedagogical possibilities.

Completed May 2013, this chapter (published 2015) condensed my 1,000-page tenure portfolio and 168-page tenure research project at Malcolm X College. Although publications are not required at high-level teaching institutions, such as City Colleges of Chicago, editor Rita Kiki Edozie asked me to submit a chapter in 30-days following my thought provoking questions for the book panel at National Council for Black Studies in Indianapolis, March 2013.