LeadTrac Photography: Newark Students Protest for Better Education

Newark Students Protest for Better Education

Nicauris Veras, Junior, Shabazz High School leads the charge for a quality education.

First let me clarify, this is not a news story. This week’s blog is based on a protest march I photographed last June, but never actually posted. The Newark Student’s Union had staged a number of sit-ins and student walkouts throughout the 2014-15 school year demanding the removal of Cami Anderson, as superintendent of the Newark public school system. Anderson, a friend of former Newark Mayor and current U.S. Senator Cory Booker, was appointed to the position, by Gov. Chris Christie in 2011, to oversee a school system that has been under state control for more than 20 years. Obviously, this is no longer a news story, six-months after the fact; however, the ultimate goal of Newark Public school autonomy is still relevant, and the battle, ongoing, in that respect, the post may not be news; however, it’s pertinent. I believe these images should be seen, and the subject broached, so I’m giving you some

Newark high school students from throughout the city pack the City Hall steps and demanded the state appointed School Superintendent step down.

background as a reference. Without getting into this too deeply, several of Cami Anderson’s initiatives, which led to multiple school closings, numerous teacher layoffs, and many students being forced to attend schools far outside of their neighborhood; proved very unpopular with the city’s parents and students. Anderson came under attack, but still had the support of both the Booker Administration and Governor Christie. Ms. Anderson’s position became more untenable when Senator Booker (D, NJ) went to Washington and Raz Baraka, a former high school principal, was elected Newark’s new Mayor. Baraka had campaigned hard on the issue of returning control of the Newark school system to the city.

Approximately 1,000 students from high schools all over the city participated in the walkout.

Last spring, the Newark Student’s Union, in cooperation with NJ Communities, staged a student walkout. Approximately 1,000 students from Barringer, Central, Eastside, Shabazz, Technology, Arts, Science, Weequahic, Westside and University high school, walked out of their classes and descended on City Hall demanding her removal from the position she had held for four years. The students, armed with chant sheets and energy bars, passionately, but peacefully voiced their displeasure with her tenure and called for her dismissal. The students marched from City Hall to the Peter W. Rodino Federal Office Building, a block away, before moving onto the intersection of Miller Street and McCarter Highway; where they sat on the road, tying up traffic and blocking the route to the New Jersey Turnpike for a time, before dispersing shortly before rush hour.

After leaving City Hall, outraged students head to the Peter Rodino Federal Building.

Student protests, or student activism, if you insist, are not a new phenomenon; American students have used protests and demonstrations to express their displeasure with various conditions for at least the last 80 years. In the 1930’s The American Youth Congress, with the support of Eleanor Roosevelt, called out against war and racial discrimination, and demanded more youth programs. They were also fervently against the draft. The women’s suffrage movement, at the turn of the last century, the civil rights demonstrations of the 50’s and 60’s, the Anti- war demonstrations of the late 60’s and early 70’s, and the still ongoing battle for gay rights are all part of America’s proud tradition of dissention and students have always been in the thick of it. America’s belief in dissention and speaking out is older than America itself; after all wasn’t the Revolutionary War the largest, most violent and most direct statement of dissention in American history? Yes, yes, yes, some would insist it was the Civil War, but, for right now, climb down from your soapbox; we’ll save that argument for another posting.

Jose Leonardo, Vice President, Newark Students Union Fires up the crowd

Perhaps the most infamous incident in recent memory concerning student activism dates back to1970. In May of that tumultuous year, Iowa State troopers massacred four anti-war demonstrators and wounded nine more at Kent State University. However, instead of frightening and demoralizing the students; it galvanized them forming the scattered, individual fingers among them into one unified fist and that fist descended on the National Guard Armory demanding justice for those killed.

American students have a long and proud history of speaking out against the Status quo.

Most recently, black football players at the University of Missouri, supported ongoing anti-discrimination demonstrations, by refusing to play until the ouster of, University President, Timothy M. Wolfe, because of his failure to deal with racial tensions on campus. The protesting players, in turn, garnered the support of their coaches and many of their white teammates, eventually leading to Wolfe’s resignation.

Shabazz High School student leads a chant.

For her part, Anderson, who did eventually step down, believes the attacks on her and her programs were politically motivated, she told New York Times reporter, Kate Zernike, the debate had lost its focus and become an ideological minefield. Anderson, right or wrong, became a casualty of a nationwide debate on the best way to improve the public education system, a system that was once the world standard, but, is now, routinely mediocre. Meanwhile, the battle for local school autonomy rages on unabated.

Newark students desperately and forcefully demanded better educational opportunities.

As for the students, while it was fairly apparent they were being schooled on the organization and etiquette of protesting by others far more experienced than themselves; the printed chant sheets and the energy bar distribution was a dead giveaway; however, the outrage, the passion, and the determination to have a voice in their own future belonged to the students, exclusively. Did the students have all the facts?

Probably not; should the students have a voice or should they adhere to the old adage, “if you are not old enough to vote, you are not old enough to have an opinion”? Not a chance. This is their future at stake here, and they will be the ones who will have to deal with the consequences of our mistakes and misdeeds; and without a quality education they will forever be, stuck climbing the mountain of life wearing lead lined shoes and the albatross of our political posturing and manipulation hanging from their necks. Kahlil Gibran could not have stated it more accurately or succinctly than in his seminal work, “The Prophet”, when he wrote You may give your children your love, but not your thoughts, you may house their bodies, but not their souls, you may strive to be like them, but seek not to make them like you, for life goes not backward, nor tarries with yesterday.