Emergence of the Black Private School

Yuliya Aleshina

Emergence of the Black Private School

This is an LA Times article from June 26, 1980. The article is about the emergence of black private schools in the Los Angeles area. These schools are alternatives for many families and educators who view the public school system as a failure. The concern stems from the fact that areas where people of color are the majority are also the ones with the lowest performing and least funded public schools. According to the article people in the black community desperately look for alternatives to public schools, but private schools become an option only for those who can afford it.

There are a couple of different perspectives on the emergence of black private schools. Some of the founders of the private schools voice their outrage at the inadequacy of public education for their communities, and say that they cannot wait idly for the public school system to get better. Dr. Anyim Palmer, the founder of the Marcus Garvey Private School and an outspoken critic of the public school system, says, "If it's [the problem of public schools] is ever solved, it will be solved by the black community because the majority community lacks the will, the interest and the sincerity. The schools are eliminating all these young people as competitors in society. Most of these public school students are going to end up in prison, on drugs or on welfare. People say the schools are failing. If you accept the premise this is a racist society, then they are not failing. They are doing their job." Many of the proponents of black private schools argue that they must provide an alternative to public education now and not let entire generations be victims of the inequitable public school system.

On the other hand, people such as Alfred S. Moore oppose the spread of black private schools. They argue on the grounds that "children from middle income homes generally make it no matter what the school". So while middle-class families can afford alternative education such as sending their children to private schools, it leaves public schools with kids of the lowest income bracket to fend for themselves.