Remembering Harlem Prep and Multicultural Education in the Long Struggle for Justice

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Notes

1 After 1974, the school was unable to secure private funding to stay open, and was forced to merge with the New York City Board of Education. From 1974 to 1981, the school remained part of the city system, but due to the rigid bureaucracy of the system, racial resentment from school board leaders, and other issues, the school steadily declined in enrollment. Under the New York City Board of Education, Harlem Prep was unable to fully implement its multicultural philosophy, and ultimately, ceased to be the same institution. In 1981, with low enrollment, the school officially closed and the remaining students were sent to a nearby school.

2 This paper is part of nearly eight years of research on Harlem Prep, from 2012 to 2020. Since there have been no scholarly accounts (or even acknowledgements in popular culture), I engaged in a wide process of visiting six different archives across the country that had school reports, budgets, curricula, grant proposals, letters, and other miscellanea related to the school’s independent existence from 1967 to 1974. Since Harlem Prep was funded in part by businesses and philanthropies, the archival collections of these organizations contained thousands of pages of documents on Harlem Prep which I reviewed. I also examined over 200 newspaper articles about the school, as well. Most notably, over the eight years, I personally conducted (and recorded) over 30 oral history interviews with Harlem Prep alumni, including students and staff, and spoke with dozens more off the record. In these interviews, which often ranged from 30 minutes to up to two hours, I asked alumni to share with me their personal stories and experiences at the school, with pointed questions about what it was like to be a student and other teaching-related questions. These interviews were essential in helping to understand the school’s multicultural philosophy. I am particularly grateful to all the alumni who so generously shared with me their cherished memories of their Harlem Prep experience.

3 The Ethnic Heritage Studies Act was added to language of the landmark 1965 Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) as part of the Title IX amendment, providing $70 million for grants related to ethnic studies curricula at all levels of education. This federal legislation, although not widely known, was important in advancing the implementation of ethnic studies programs throughout the country.