Jitu Weusi facts for kids

Jitu Weusi (born Leslie R. Campbell; August 25, 1939 - May 22, 2013) was an American educator and community leader. He worked to improve education and promote Black culture. He was a writer, activist, and mentor. Weusi helped start important groups like the National Black United Front. He also founded the International African Arts Festival. This festival began in 1971.

Weusi, along with Aminisha Black and others, founded The East. This was a cultural and education center in Brooklyn. They also started the Uhuru Sasa School. This school was for students from kindergarten to 12th grade. He helped create the African Street Festival, which became the International African Arts Festival. Weusi was also a co-founder of Black News. He was a founding member of the African American Teachers Association. He also helped create "For My Sweet," a place for cultural events and art in Brooklyn.

Early Life and Education

Jitu Weusi was born Leslie R. Campbell in 1939. He grew up in Brooklyn, New York. His family was working-class. He was born at St. John's Hospital in Brooklyn. He finished P.S. 54 in 1952. As a child, he worked at his cousin's newsstand. He said working there introduced him to jazz music. Men who visited the newsstand often talked about jazz. His cousins took him to his first jazz concert. As a teenager, Weusi worked as a waiter. He worked at the Village Gate in New York City. There, he met famous jazz artists. These included Thelonious Monk and Nina Simone.

He went to Brooklyn Tech High School. He also attended Franklin Lane High School. He earned a basketball scholarship. This allowed him to attend Long Island University. For his college thesis, he wrote about Black Swan Records. This was the first African American recording company. His paper was called "The Rise and Fall of Black Swan Records."

Career as an Educator

In 1962, Weusi began teaching. He worked for the New York City Department of Education. He taught Social Studies at Junior High School (JHS 35). This school was in Bedford–Stuyvesant. In March 1968, he was moved to Junior High School 271. This happened after he took his students to a memorial program for Malcolm X.

In the late 1960s, Weusi left the public school system. He started the Uhuru Sasa Shule. In Swahili, "Uhuru Sasa Shule" means "Freedom Now School." This was the first Black independent private school in New York City. The school aimed to help African American students. It taught them about their heritage and history.

In 1985, he returned to teaching for the NYC Department of Education. He taught in many different schools for three decades. He retired from teaching in 2006.

The 1968 Teachers' Strike

In 1968, Weusi played a big part in a teachers' strike. He worked with other young educators. They wanted local communities to have more control over public schools. This was a major conflict. The United Federation of Teachers disagreed. They wanted teachers who had been fired to get their jobs back. It was a fight between local community rights and teachers' rights.

This strike was one of the biggest in American history. In 1967, very few principals and assistant principals were Black. Most students in areas like Ocean-Hill-Brownsville were Black and Latino. But most teachers were white. During the 1968 strike, over 500 New York City teachers stopped working. The strike lasted 37 days. More than a million students were affected. The strike happened because of efforts to integrate schools. It also involved the idea of community control in school districts. These districts included Ocean Hill, Brooklyn and Brownsville, Brooklyn.

Before the strike, the Brown v. Board decision called for school integration. This was often done through busing students. In New York City, integrating schools faced problems. In Harlem and Ocean Hill-Brownsville, people wanted something different. They asked for local community boards and parent control of schools.

New York City Mayor John Lindsay agreed to "community control" in 1967. This was for Ocean Hill-Brownsville and two other areas. It was a response to white parents' concerns about busing. The schools in this experiment were JHS 35, I.S. 201, and JHS 271. The New York City Board of Education approved this project. It was also supported by the Ford Foundation. These schools had a board of local parents and residents. Weusi said this movement was very important for Brooklyn's history. He said it was a fight to give local communities more power. This led to the Ocean Hill-Brownsville Governing Board. This board served the Black community in central Brooklyn.

Rhody McCoy was in charge of the Ocean Hill-Brownsville project in 1968. He said that the project was hurt by Albert Shanker and the United Federation of Teachers. He believed that society wanted to stop Black and Puerto Rican people from controlling their schools. He also said that many white teachers who were removed were "unfit." He felt they did not believe the children could learn. He argued that community control of schools was a right for every community.

Weusi faced controversy later on. A poem by a young African American student was aired on WBAI radio. This caused a lot of discussion. Weusi was called anti-Jewish because of it. Due to this controversy, Weusi stepped down. He was co-chairman of a group supporting David Dinkins for Mayor of New York City.

African-American Teachers Association

Weusi helped start the African-American Teachers Association. This was in the late 1960s. It was a group separate from the United Federation of Teachers. This association focused on improving education for Black and Hispanic youth in New York City. In 1968, Weusi also helped found the African American Student Association.

The East Cultural Center

In 1969, Weusi, Aminisha Black, and community members started The East. This was a community education and arts group. It was in the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood of Brooklyn. Weusi started it after leaving the New York Public school system. The East was located at 10 Claver Place. It closed in 1986. Many famous artists performed there. These included Max Roach, Roy Ayers, Betty Carter, McCoy Tyner, Pharoah Sanders, and Denzel Washington.

The East was a cultural organization. It was known as a "family" in Brooklyn for people of African descent. The main organizers were called The East Family. It had many different parts. It had a bookstore, a restaurant, and a catering business. It also had a food co-op and a newspaper called Black News. It even had a recording label and a jazz club. The East was one of the first places to promote Kwanzaa in New York.

Pharoah Sanders performed and recorded at The East. He recorded an album called "Live at the East" in 1971. The album was released in 1972.

Later Community Work

In 1999, Weusi helped start The Central Brooklyn Jazz Consortium. He served as its chairperson. This group organizes music festivals and events. It promotes local talent and programs in Brooklyn communities.

The Council of Independent Black Institutions (CIBI) was created in 1972. It grew from five Black Power Conferences held between 1966 and 1970.

In 1976, Weusi and Aminisha Black founded Uhuru Sasa. This happened after the Ocean Hill-Brownsville school battles. These battles were about community control of schools. Aminisha and Weusi met during the Ocean-Hill Brownsville School campaign.

Weusi was the Chair for the National Black United Front. He also led the African-Americans United for Political Power. This group was very important in electing David Dinkins. Dinkins became the first African American mayor of New York City. The National Black United Front was formed in 1980. Early founders included Sam Pinn, Al Vann, Herbert Daughtry, and Weusi.

In 1989, Weusi worked on the mayoral campaign for David Dinkins.

Awards and Recognition

The Brooklyn Community Board 3 voted to rename St. Claver Place. It is now called Jitu Weusi Way.

See also

• Bundy Report
• United Federation of Teachers