Newark Residents Will Rally To Support Amistad Bill

NEWARK, NJ — A rally in support of the Amistad Bill – an effort to infuse African American history into New Jersey’s public schools – will take place in Newark on Monday, Oct. 14.

According to a news release from organizers, the People’s Organization for Progress (POP), the rally will kick off at 1 p.m. at the Lincoln Monument in Newark.

The POP offered the following background about the law's importance:

“The Amistad Bill is a legal mandate that became law in 2002 under the Irvington based leadership for former Assemblyman William Payne and former Assemblyman Craig Stanley. The bill calls for the infusion of African American History into the curriculum of all New Jersey’s public schools, an incredible to educate people out of their racism.”

According to the POP:

“The Amistad Mission faced a recent derailment when the NJ Department of Education (DEP) denied its highly lauded Summer Institute for Teachers, a professional development retraining vehicle, was denied a much anticipated retraining trip to Jamestown, Virginia in August as a part of the Jamestown 400 proceedings, honoring the beginning of representative government and observing the horrendous beginnings of American Slavery. Over 100 committed NJ teachers were all set to participate in Symposiums featuring some of the most highly regarded scholars in the world on these epic aspects of the country’s history that would have netted each participant 47 Continued Education Units. DEP officials said that the funding that was to be allocated for the excursion did not allow for such trainings out of state.”

“It’s was like they went before a bad judge who was out of touch with these times,” said Lawrence Hamm, POP founding chairman. “The Amistad Commission and those teachers deserved more respect and appreciation than that.”

• See related article: Funds For NJ Black History Program 'Blocked,' Newark Group Claims

Hamm will also participate in a forum on Wednesday, Oct. 16 at the Newark Public Library examining the meaning of Jamestown for New Jersey’s history and social condition. He will be joined on the panel by the Amistad Commission’s executive director, Stephanie James Harris.

The forum is sponsored by Newark Communities for Accountable Policing and will take place at 6 p.m.

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