Frequently Asked Questions
WHAT IS THE EEAP COALITION?
The Education Equity Action Plan Coalition seeks to create an empowering educational environment for all students, starting with integrating Black Studies into the existing Pre-K through12 curriculum in New York City Public Schools. This is a groundbreaking initiative committed to ensuring the voices, experiences, and legacies of Black students are reflected and celebrated in the public school curriculum for the benefit of every student and improvement of the overall educational system. The landmark $10 million Black Studies program will also provide ongoing professional development for teachers and additional mental health services for students.
WHO IS A PART OF THE EEAP COALITION?
Members of the EEAP Coalition include the Black Education Research Collective (BERC), the United Way of New York City, The Eagle Academy Foundation, the Association of Black Educators of New York, Inc. (ABENY), and Black Edfluencers-United (BE-U), the leadership of the New York City Council’s Black, Latino and Asian Caucus (B-L-A-C).
WHY WAS THE EEAP COALITION CREATED?
Educators and community leaders have been fighting for a Black Studies to be integrated into the curriculum for more than half a century. However, the COVID-19 Pandemic, the resulting global shutdown, and the racial and social unrest that followed in 2020 exposed the lack of access to high-quality educational materials and a prevalent feeling of being marginalized.
When we exclude the contributions of African Americans and the impact of the Black diaspora on this country, we are preventing our youth from receiving the comprehensive, high-quality, well-rounded education that they deserve.
Black history is American history, and the Education Equity Action Plan Coalition is the first step toward achieving racial equity and inclusion in our educational system.
WHAT WILL THE BLACK STUDIES CURRICULUM INCLUDE?
The Black Studies curriculum will blend information about early African civilizations, the continuum of the Black experience in America, the contributions and achievements of African-diaspora peoples and their impact on the modern world, into the existing math, science, language arts, and social studies curriculum.
This is not Critical Race Theory, which is a post-college level course that looks at how our legal system and criminal justice system have been unfair to people of color.
Creating an integrated curriculum that better reflects the student body will help all students better understand the role of race and how it impacts the world.
We believe in Learning from Our Legacy; Leading for the Future.