“I WANT TO HELP MY PEOPLE BE FREE"
This article, published in 1976, describes the third graduation of the Oakland Community School. The eight graduates were described as “truly Black and Beautiful,” alluding to the Black Power movement, and the title quote of the article is “I want to help my people be free.” Other elements of the article such as the childrens’ visit to the San Quentin prison and their dreams of pursuing “revolutionary” careers link Oakland Community School to the Black Panther Party and the movement for Black liberation.
The article also emphasizes the sadness students felt at leaving the school’s warm and loving culture and the profound pride and joy expressed by the community. Most of all, the article described the love that both the students and the community felt for the school, posing the question “How many Black and poor children in America actually love the schools they attend?”
In addition, the phrase “The World is Child’s Classroom” was inscribed on rings the graduating students received, highlighting the school’s practice of experiential learning. Furthermore, the Huey P Newton “Outstanding Parent Award” is presented for the first time to a “happy and surprised” parent. At the next graduation, this award is renamed as the “Parent of the Year Award.” In 1997, Huey Newton returned from Cuba and according to Ericka Huggins had a negative impact on the school due to his instability and addiction, which may have been the reason that the award’s name changed.
An interesting contrast can be made between the 1996 and 1997 articles about the OCS graduation: the 1996 article references the Black Power Movement, the Black Panthers, Black liberation, the importance of community oriented careers, and a field trip to San Quentin Prison; in contrast, the 1997 article only mentions the Black Engineers Conference and a field trip to the Afro-American Cultural and Historical Society in San Francisco, and students’ career goals seem more mainstream. The cause for these differences is unclear–perhaps the article was simply written by a different author, or the editors of the Black Panther Newspaper felt that the 1997 article should be more brief. However, the shift in focus could also be posited as a de-radicalization of the Oakland Community School.