A View from The East
Black Cultural Nationalism and Education in New York City, Second Edition

Cloth $29.95s    |    978-0-8156-3206-1    |    2009

With fresh insight and great detail, Kwasi B. Konadu excavates the legacy of The East, exploring the confluence of cultural nationalism, education, economic self-sufficiency, and the arts during the Black Power period.

Description
In 1969, The East, a cultural and educational center for people of African ancestry, was founded by dedicated educators and progressive activists who came of age during the era of the Black Power movement. Although Brooklyn was the physical home of The East organization, its influence emanated throughout New York City and beyond, touching individuals and groups in the United States, the Caribbean, Africa, and Asia.

A View from The East represents a second edition of the previously published Truth Crushed to Earth Will Rise Again by providing expanded archival research and a contextualizing of the organization within the African American civil rights and black power movements. At the heart of The East was Uhuru Sasa Shule, an independent African-centered school whose curriculum and pedagogy were rooted in Kawaida philosophy and concepts of education for self-reliance. In addition, The East became a center for the arts. On weekends, it served as a literary salon and hosted concerts by black musicians. Many of the great jazz artists and poets performed there, as it became a well-known and highly sought-after venue. With fresh insight and great detail, Kwasi B. Konadu excavates the legacy of The East, exploring the confluence of cultural nationalism, education, economic self-sufficiency, and the arts during the Black Power period. Drawing on extensive interviews and primary research, Konadu vividly brings to life the people and events that shaped this remarkable institution and outlines the rich lessons it provides for future community building organizations.

Author
Kwasi B. Konadu is an assistant professor of history at the Center for Ethnic Studies, City University of New York. He has written numerous articles on black nationalism and African American history.

6 x 9, 232 pages, 16 black-and-white photographs, appendixes, notes, bibliography, index

First edition published by Africa World Press in 2005 as Truth Crushed to the Earth Will Rise Again!: The East Organization and the Principles and Practices of Black Nationalist Development.