“A Living, Breathing, Curriculum”: Harlem Prep and the Power of Cultural Relevance, 1967–1974

Abstract

This chapter explores the history of Harlem Prep, an independent, community-based high school that educated and sent to college many hundreds of students originally “pushed out” of education from 1967 to 1974. During these years, the school not only became a cherished Black community institution in the neighborhood of Harlem, but its distinct multicultural curriculum served as a catalyst for students’ academic achievements. This chapter specifically focuses on that multicultural curriculum, paying special attention to teachers’ culturally relevant pedagogy, students’ diverse course selection, and the school’s broader programming. Ultimately, by engaging in a microhistory of Harlem Prep’s curriculum during this dynamic era, historians of education can better understand the ever-important role that curriculum plays in a school’s educational mission and activists’ long-standing struggle for freedom.