In an attack on both bipartisan legislation and State Sen. Jesse Hamilton (D-Central Brooklyn), a non-profit public education advocacy organization today slammed Hamilton’s legislation that would start the process of mandating inclusion of black history in New York State’s K-12 curriculum.
The measure (S. 5454) establishes a 13-member commission that includes representatives from the governor’s office and chancellor’s from both the city and state education departments that will “develop and recommend curriculum that incorporates the achievements made by African-Americans as part of New York’s education curriculum including the woman’s abolitionist movement, the Harlem Renaissance, the Buffalo antislavery movement and the the suffrage of African-American Long Islanders.
The bill passed the senate last year and is expected to pass the senate this year. Assemblywoman Diana C. Richardson (D-Crown Heights, Prospect Lefferts Gardens, Flatbush) is sponsoring the measure on the assembly side of the aisle.
But the Alliance for Quality Education (AQE), which sources say were responsible for torpedoing the bill in the assembly last year, has embarked on an unusually vicious campaign to stop the bill again this year. This includes a Facebook and other social media campaign with the hashtag #FakeBlackHistoryBill.
“We find the bill very problematic,” said AQE Legislative Director Jamine Gripper. “The AQE along with the Coalition for Educational Justice have been working for over a year to increase culturally responsive education in schools.”
Gripper said this includes incorporating more diversity in the teacher ranks, getting current teachers better trained in diversity issues and getting more state funding to purchase culturally diverse text books.
All Hamilton’s bill does is establish a commission and previous studies have shown that no one adheres to recommendations, she said.
Gripper did acknowledge that part of the problem they have is with Hamilton personally and his membership in the senate’s Independent Democratic Conference (IDC), which has a coalition ruling majority with senate Republicans.
“We find the IDC to be very problematic. They continuously stand in the way of getting things done from education funding to criminal justice issues,” said Gripper, admitting their opposition to the bill is a little of being in opposition to Hamilton, the IDC and the bill itself.
“We are calling him [Hamilton] out for being a fake Democrat. He is misleading to both parents and the community,” she said,
But Hamilton, one of Brooklyn’s most active lawmakers – particularly in the black part of his district, is infuriated that the AQE has politicized the bill. It comes as his office is getting an increasing amount of hate and racist correspondence from both the progressive wing of the Democratic Party and extreme right-wing conservatives.
“As a black man who has dedicated his life to advancing the history and needs of my brothers and sisters it is absolutely disgusting for AQE to attack me for advancing a bill to further African-American history and education. My bill has broad support in both houses, and for AQE and (AQE Executive Director) Bill Easton to launch racist attacks is shameful,” said Hamilton.
Among the co-sponsors on Hamilton’s bill is Sen. Velmanette Mongomery (D-Bedford-Stuyvesant, Fort Greene, Clinton Hill, Boerum Hill) a longtime mainstream Democrat and fierce advocate on black inclusion in education. Additionally the measure has broad support among black elected officials in Brooklyn and around the state as well as from a number of black churches and black advocacy organizations including Rev. Al. Sharpton’s National Action Network (NAN).
“This [the AQE opposition to the bill] is nothing but a cheap shot on Jesse and the IDC,” said NAN Spokesperson Rev. Kevin McCall. “This is not a new bill. It passed the senate with white Republicans. You can’t get the bill passed with black Democrats in the assembly alone. They [AQE] have to stop playing petty politics. This is a step in the right direction and we invite people to come to the table – to put politics aside and get this passed. If they [AQE] see something wrong with this let us sit down and talk about it.”
Richardson said she remains proud to have sponsored the measure and is willing to work with anyone and everyone to help get it across the finish line.
“It is long overdue for our academic institutions to incorporate culturally relevant curriculum when teaching our youth. Black and Brown students perform better when we know from whence we came; we succeed when we see ourselves in the history of this nation. And all New Yorkers benefit from the thorough knowledge of our rich, diverse, and often complicated past,” said Richardson.
“I am proud to be the Assembly sponsor of this bill, and like most of the work we do, I believe we can go further and do more. I will work with everyone to achieve the best outcome possible and to advance a robust effort to improve the education of our kids,” she added.
