Bashir Muhammad Ptah Akinyele, Community Contributor

Bashir Muhammad Ptah Akinyele was born in Newark, NJ on January 23, 1969. He grew up in predominately African American communities of Newark and East Orange, NJ. Akinyele graduated from Newark Tech High School in 1987. After completing high school, Akinyele attended Essex County College (ECC), Seton Hall University (SHU), and Teachers College-Columbia University. But the inspiration behind his interests in education, teaching history, and community activism were from two pro-black conscious men named professor Dr. Lenworth Gunther and the other named Ed Haleem Riley at ECC.

For over 30 years, Akinyele has committed himself to classroom teaching and community activism.

Bashir Muhammad Ptah Akinyele is currently a history and Africana Studies teacher at Weequahic High School in Newark, NJ. He is also a member of ASCAC's (the Association for Study of Classical African Civilizations) Study Group Chapter in Newark, NJ. (https://ascac.org/). The Association for the Study of Classical African Civilizations (ASCAC) is an independent study group organization founded in 1984 by Drs. John Henrik Clark, Jacob H. Carruthers, Yosef Ben-Jochannan, Leonard Jeffries, Asa Hilliard, Rhkty Amen, and Maulana Karenga (https://ascac.org/). ASCAC is devoted to the rescue, reconstruction, and restoration of African history and culture. But most importantly, ASCAC helps Black people develop a liberated mind for social justice activism.

Akinyele belongs to the Muslim community in New Jersey.

He is also a member of the Newark Anti-Violence Coalition (NAVC). Through this organization, Akinyele fights for peace from senseless communty violence plaguing Black and Brown neighborhoods in the city.