His name is Malcolm Xavier Combs. Yet he was allegedly pulled out of class, berated, and told by a school administrator at his school— Christ the King High School in Queens, NY — that he can’t have “Malcolm X” on his...
Search Results For - Malcolm X
“…and watch your back.” That is the last thing my great aunt Maryam would say to any of her children, nephews, or nieces before parting. Her birthday was last week and I have been thinking about her often. Maryam El-Mekki...
On Friday, May 19 many Black communities celebrated Malcolm X’s birthday. A few years ago, Toure wrote an important piece entitled, We Need A Malcolm X Day. In the TIME article, Toure writes: “I wonder if there’ll ever be...
I have noticed that folks love to use quotes like Malcolm X’s famous line. He implored Black people to stop at nothing in the pursuit of freedom and justice. A lot of folks cringed when they heard him say it then. Now, though...
After the protests… “The Battle for the Soul of the Nation” was the tagline of the Biden-Harris campaign. In many ways it was a battle between the status quo of structural inequality and the promise of a new beginning...
Modeling Behavior, Consistency, Collective Accountability, and Relationship building You can’t hate the roots of a tree and not hate the tree.—Malcolm X Being a principal is a rewarding profession. It is also one of the...
The recent “Fresh Prince of Bel Air” reunion show had me in my feelings. It was great to see the cast again and it was cool to see that Will Smith and Janet Hubert ended their 25+ years feud. My wife and I decided...
There are many phrases used in education circles; the phrase reading is fundamental must be one of the most used. I used to scoff at the phrase as a child. Sadly, it wasn’t until college where I actually believed...
In the 1930s, the incomparable Billie Holiday sang about the horror of Black lynchings—the strange fruit hanging from Southern trees, the blood on the leaves that flows from the savage anti-Blackness at the root. Nearly a...

You claim that you want diverse teachers, but you don’t want to interrogate how race, power, and mindsets work in your school.
I was a principal at Mastery Charter School-Shoemaker in Philadelphia for many years. We took to heart the concept of windows and mirrors, decorating our walls with images and quotes from popular heroes; Malcolm X, Dr. King, Rosa...