Strength through Diversity: Harlem Prep and the Rise of Multiculturalism - Hardcover

Goldenberg, Barry M.

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1978823401 ISBN 13: 9781978823402

Publisher: Rutgers University Press, 2025

Synopsis

For nearly seven years, from 1967 to 1974, many hundreds of bright, college-going youth—most of whom had previously been labeled as high school “dropouts”—would proudly celebrate their graduation from Harlem Prep, a small educational experiment that grew to become a nationally renowned, cherished community institution in the iconic Black neighborhood of Harlem. Operating in a repurposed supermarket that used blackboards as classroom dividers, the school’s unique multicultural philosophy inspired all who stepped foot inside. This philosophy, exemplified by the school’s motto of “unity through diversity,” shaped the school’s ethos, fostered student achievement, and, most of all, made Harlem Prep distinct from any other educational institution, past or present. In Strength through Diversity, Barry M. Goldenberg shares the history of this one-of-a-kind multicultural institution from its rise to its apex and decline, revealing the collective stories of hope, struggle, and love from administrators, teachers, community members, and students. Using history as a blueprint, Goldenberg illustrates the untapped potential of multicultural education in the ongoing quest for educational equity.

About this title

About the Author

BARRY M. GOLDENBERG is a lecturer in the Education Sciences and MAT + Credential programs in the School of Education at the University of California, Irvine. He is the author of Generations of Giving: The History of the Cleveland H. Dodge Foundation (2017).

Edition details

• Publisher: Rutgers University Press
• Publication date: 2025
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1978823401
• ISBN 13: 9781978823402
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 294