Get on the Bus
"The Bookmobile is to announce that the Black Studies curriculum is on its way!" pronounced Grace Bonilla, President of United Way of New York City, which is a member of the Education Equity Action Plan Coalition (EEAPC).
The Black Studies Bookmobile’s first stop was at CUNY's York College, in Jamaica, Queens. Inside the college auditorium, Dr. Shango Blake, President of Black Edfluencers United (BE-U), another EEAPC member organization, spoke to a crowd full of students and their caregivers. Outside, organizers from other EEAPC organizations bustled around the bus, setting up tables of books and learning aids that preK-8 students could take home as a promise to build a summer of learning. A 360-degree revolving photo booth encouraged people to frame themselves with "Black Studies: An Education for You and Me."
All of this led people onto the bus, where community members could explore a model home library and engage with a series of exhibits drawn directly from the new Black Studies curriculum. Looking out over the scene, Dr. Blake emphasized that the goal of the curriculum is to “bring people together, debunk myths, and educate the community,” and that the Black Studies Bookmobile was an effort to engage the grassroots in this process.
Two days later, the buzz was palpable on the corner of 125th and Frederick Douglass Boulevard in Harlem. It was Juneteenth, now a federally recognized holiday, and Lynnette Nicholas had brought her daughter to the Bookmobile. Stepping off the bus, she emphasized the importance of not simply distributing books but also giving people "an experience that is memorable."
Inside the bus, visitors could engage with a model home library, add their name to an activity while imagining what it would sound like as an instrument played for the whole world to hear, and learn about African symbols and civilizations while reflecting on what kinds of traditions their own families continue. Harlem residents could see themselves in the story of the Great Migration, when their neighborhood magnetized more African Americans than anywhere else in the world. They also saw the Amsterdam News, still headquartered in Harlem, as part of the exhibit on the free Black press. Inspired by the bus, Harlemite Michael Williams spoke of how it is "so very important for young people to see themselves represented because it opens up their mindset, their spirit....when you see yourself represented it gives you an opportunity to dream."
Later that week, when the Bookmobile parked on the corner of Fordham Road and the Grand Concourse in the Bronx, Cameron Williams, a sixth grader, was all smiles as he held two books of his own choice in his arms. When asked about his experience, he said without hesitation that it's important for everyone to "learn about the struggles and dreams of Black people."
His neighbor, Felicia Wilson, a parent and Department of Education pre-K employee, was aflame after getting on the bus. Echoing many other attendees, she wished that the bus could go to her neighborhood, and she emphasized the need for more parents to know about and then demand that the curriculum be taught at their children's schools. She wanted the Bookmobile at community events because "The books are fantastic...this is American history." As Wilson conjured up ideas for how to spread the word, she echoed Adrian Straker, president-elect of the Association of Black Educators of New York (ABENY, Inc.) and EEAPC member, who encouraged attendees to make this their interest and support local elected officials so their demands could be heard on all levels.
On the day the Bookmobile came to Bedford-Stuyvesant, the forecast was for torrential rain but the sun decided to rule the day instead. Tompkins Avenue Open Streets, in the heart of Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, was the grand finale of a tour with stops in all boroughs of New York City. Rashad Smith and Chris Hall, friends since their days together at an HBCU, brought their young children through the veritable museum on wheels. Hall described the experience as "amazing and inspiring," commenting how he wished that it were available to the community where he grew up in southern Queens. His face lit up when he found out that's where the Bookmobile's tour had begun.
Community partnership was a key ingredient in the success of the Bookmobile block party in Bedford-Stuyvesant where the Bridge Street Development Corporation (BSDC), a local non-profit, spearheads the open streets initiative. Oma Holloway, BSDC Chief Operating Officer, commented on how the end of June is dedicated to schools. BSDC coordinated with libraries and welcomed the EEAPC in order to encourage a summer of learning for students in Central Brooklyn.
Bilal Hinson, a resident of Prospect Lefferts Garden, had brought his children to the Bookmobile and felt “encouraged, optimistic, and ecstatic.” Hinson and his family joined hundreds of others on the block in Bed-Stuy to dance along with the DJ, cheer on the Brooklyn Union marching band and sisters of Delta Sigma Theta, and stroll the local Black-owned booths and businesses. In the midst of the celebration, Hinson reflected on the loss of learning many children experience over the summers as well as during the pandemic. Emphasizing education, he spoke of how important it is for children “to know who they are and what their ancestors accomplished…. historically, when we came here, they took education from us, but they can’t take this from us.”
The event was set to end at 4:00 pm but the line to get on the bus kept growing until 4:30. Nothing, it seemed, could stop the energy from flowing in and out of the Black Studies: An Education for Me + You Bookmobile.
