In the book forward of In The Chasm: The Life and Death of a Great Experiment in Ghetto Education, by Robert Campbell, published in 1974, civil rights activist James Baldwin observed:
“When the experimental schools began, only a handful of people, outside of the people directly involved, believed the experiment could possibly succeed. And the experiment was discontinued after three years, not because it failed, but because it did not fail.”
Baldwin pushes back on the idea that Community Control “failed,” shedding light on his own experiences as a Black New York City public high school student who constantly felt undermined, as well as the empowerment he saw first hand of children experiencing schooling in the Harlem Demonstration District. He also touches on the history of segregation in education, especially in the North, and the revolutionary part Community Control played in countering systemic oppression.
Though Community Control faced significant obstacles and ultimately came to an end, its achievements left a lasting impact on New York City. The movement's advancements in bilingual education, culturally relevant pedagogy, and increased access to higher education are just a few of its enduring legacies. Stephen Brier, a professor in the City University of New York Graduate Center’s Ph.D. Program in Urban Education, highlights that Community Control efforts informed the pushes of students across the city to rally for open admissions to the Board of Higher Education at City University of New York for all New York City high school graduates. The open admissions process led to increased access for poor and working class students of all demographics to have access to higher education, leading to record numbers of enrollment to CUNY post 1970.
As a whole, Community Control serves as a reminder that inequality in public education has been contested, and that meaningful change can emerge when marginalized communities assert their rights against entrenched structural forces. The success of the movement in empowering New Yorkers of color threatened the centralized power structures that sought to maintain the status quo of educational inequality. Given the marginalization of Asian Americans in political histories,
Its legacy reminds us that the fight for educational justice is not merely about access—it’s about the responsibility to dismantle systemic barriers and create systems that uplift and empower all students, which must be guided by the practice of solidarity. As we confront persistent segregation and inequity in schools today, we are challenged to carry forward its vision in demanding both the rights and the responsibilities necessary to build a more just and equitable future for education.
This documentary highlights a student production of Fiddler on the Roof at JHS 275 in Ocean Hill-Brownsville. Directed by Richard Piro, the production offers insight into the tensions between the Black and Jewish communities during the community control movement, with a focus on the students and their families themselves.
This documentary explores the history of The East, a pan-African cultural organization founded in 1969 by teens and young adults in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn. It documents the fight for self-determination and the influence of Community Control, bilingual education, and Rhody McCoy’s leadership.
Hosted at the Center for Brooklyn History, this event features Monifa Edwards and Charles Isaacs reflecting on the 1969 Ocean Hill-Brownsville Teachers Strike, and the effects of Community Control in their lives and school experiences.
This panel session presents reflections from students and educators on how the movement reshaped education in New York City, especially around equity, justice, and empowerment through local governance.