Newark Teacher Fights Youth Violence With Black History, 'Self-Esteem'

NEWARK, NJ — The devastating cost of shootings and other deadly violence is something that Bashir Muhammad Ptah Akinyele knows all too well.

Akinyele, a history and Africana studies teacher at Weequahic High School in Newark, has seen more than 40 students fall victim to “senseless community violence” over nearly three decades in the classroom.

Newark officials and police have been fighting back against the violence – partly by treating it as a “public health issue.” And that approach, which includes working with local community groups to address the problem at its root levels, is paying off, they say. Read More: Newark Saw Less Homicides And Violent Crime In 2022, Officials Say

Akinyele is one of the local activists who have been partnering with the city. It’s nothing new for the longtime advocate, who helps to run a Black studies group called the Association for the Study of Classical African Civilizations in Newark. And education is an underestimated tool that can be leveraged in the name of peace, he contends.

In short, Newark’s youth need to learn more reasons to be proud of their heritage – and it just may lead to a change in their worldviews.

“History, especially Black history, has been severely distorted by systemic racism,” Akinyele said. “Leaving humanity blinded by a fabricated racial myth that Black people were born inferior to every race of people on planet Earth. This thinking handicapped the cultivation of equality in all human beings. However, courageous historians have been able to resurrect, rescue, and reconstruct our heritage to point to the pathway of empowerment and liberation.”

Recently, Akinyele has been focusing his efforts on a new afterschool program called the “Ptahhotep Academy-Brick City Peace Collective Knowledge of Self Course.”

According to Akinyele, the goal of the program is to reduce crime and violence in the city by “rebuilding self-esteem and cultural purpose” for young people. Using a lens of Black history, the course attempts to help students “develop a positive consciousness” about the contributions that people of African descent have made to world civilization, America, democracy, religion and liberation movements. Read More: Newark Afterschool Program Uses Lens Of Black History To Empower Youth

Here are some things they’ve been studying, he says:

Who is the Original Man – “We examine Black people as progenitors of humanity in Africa, and to the world; by reading scientific and history texts to correctly find the central ideas to text dependent questions.”

Social Media Violence – “We examine the root causes of conflict from social media. The participants find peaceful and de-escalation strategies to reduce senseless violence on the internet.”

School Violence – “We examine the root causes of conflict in schools and classrooms. The participants find peaceful and de-escalation strategies to reduce senseless violence in our educational institutions.”

The academy is seeking new students ages 15 to 24 for its next cohort. Interested participants can contact Sharif Amenhotep at (973) 280-8351 or Sharif512@yahoo.com.

• See Related: 'Peace Walk' Against Gun Violence Unites Thousands In Newark
• See Related: Newark Teacher: Here's Why I Greet My Students With 'Hotep'
• See Related: Newark Activists Decry Attempts To 'Stifle' Black History In Schools

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