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H I S T O R Y

The Urban Assembly Academy of History and Citizenship for Young Men (UAAHC) is the brainchild of the founders Jonathan Foy, Kamau Ptah and Richard Kahan, president of the Urban Assembly. The impetus of their vision stems from Jonathan and Kamau's experiences with the small school model/movement, urban education and successful work with adolescent males.

The core members of the planning team that Jonathan and Kamau assembled consisted of members that were former colleagues of theirs at the Study Center for Law and Peace (SCL&P), a mini-school that was housed in Adam Clayton Powell Junior High School-JHS 43, located in Harlem.

Jonathan and Kamau met in 1996 while working as history teachers at the SCL&P. During this phase of their journey, they honed their teaching craft in the fields of history, law, and citizenship. As teachers and leaders of extra-curricular activities, including an award-winning Mock Trial team and a city championship basketball team, they grew to share a deep understanding of the academic and emotional needs of the students they served. Their undying need and desire to be strong role models for the young men that they were responsible for became their primary focus. They conversed at great length about one day "doing something big" that would have a great impact on the socialization and maturation of young men.

Upon their successful tenure at SCL&P, Kamau and Jonathan eventually went their own ways—taking on new challenges in the field of education. Kamau went on to cultivate the minds of underserved college-bound students in the capacity of Director of Nassau Community College's GEAR UP and Liberty Partnerships Program, and Jonathan went on to plant the seed of his legacy at Spring Valley High School. Kamau formulated his own Rites of Passage program, maintaining his purpose and devotion to the art and discipline of holistic teaching, learning and character development. After four successful years at Spring Valley High School as a Dean and History teacher, Jonathan decided to embark on his quest to become a principal. His acceptance in The Leadership Academy's Aspiring Principals Program set the framework for him to reconnect with Kamau and revisit the "something big" conversation.

The UAAHC planning team (Kenneth Hale, PH.D, Naoimi Barber, Daniel Phillip, Lashaune Stitt, Monica White and Diane Garcia) assembled after an introductory meeting that articulated the mission and vision. Initially, Jonathan and Kamau reached out to individuals that they felt personally connected to and whom they knew would be dedicated to their mission. Everyone that was elicited for involvement had either been a former colleague of Jonathan or Kamau, a former student, a former classmate, professional mentor, or a member of the Harlem community that was concerned with the current state of education. Each individual that sat at the table had a unique insight to the problems in the educational system and the steps necessary to remedy them. With the vision declared, and a team of civic-minded individuals, the "labor of love" for the formation of UAAHC began.

The UAAHC Planning Team officially began our quest in late October 2003. Through long hours of writing, re-writing, meeting with potential partners, visiting small schools, developing relationships with partners and preparing for interviews/presentations, we were approved as one of 60 small schools on March 2004.

With the sacred motto—"retrieve the past in order to create the future", UAAHC is well on its way to establishing an educational experience that fosters excellence.

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