1968 New York City teachers' strike

Jan 30, 2025

In 1968, New York City was rocked by a teachers' strike sparked by a fierce battle over school control. The tension between predominantly white educators and the Black and Latino community seeking influence in their schools brought significant unrest. Eyewitness accounts reveal the chaos and challenges faced by participants, alongside grassroots efforts for educational reform. This conflict highlighted systemic inequities and empowered local parents to advocate for community-controlled education, shaping future discussions on racial equality and accountability in the schooling system.

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ANECDOTE

School Atmosphere During Strikes

Monifa Edwards, a 14-year-old student, recalls the chaotic atmosphere surrounding her school during the strikes.
She remembers being jostled and pulled through crowds, highlighting the tense environment.

INSIGHT

Ocean Hill-Brownsville: A Symbol of Struggle

Ocean Hill-Brownsville became a focal point in the struggle for community control over schools.
The dispute centered on whether local communities or mainly white city officials should have decision-making power.

INSIGHT

Poor School Conditions

Monifa Edwards describes the poor conditions in her school, including outdated books and apathetic teachers.
This highlights the low quality of education that fueled the demand for community control.

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A series of unprecedented teachers’ strikes temporarily shut most of New York’s schools in the late 1960s, provoked by an ongoing dispute over whether parents could have a say in the running of their children’s schools.

‘Community control’ over the city’s schools was a divisive issue at the time, part of the civil rights and Black Power movement, in the USA.

Linda Mannheim spoke to Monifa Edwards, who was a pupil at a school in the district of Ocean Hill-Brownsville, a name that became synonymous with the struggle over who controlled the local schools: the communities or the mainly white city officials.

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Eye-witness accounts brought to life by archive. Witness History is for those fascinated by the past. We take you to the events that have shaped our world through the eyes of the people who were there. For nine minutes every day, we take you back in time and all over the world, to examine wars, coups, scientific discoveries, cultural moments and much more.

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(Photo: The Ocean Hill-Brownsville Governing Board and supporters march over the Brooklyn Bridge in March 1969. Credit: David Fenton)