Chad School Collection

Collection

Identifier: MG NWK Chad-(Main)

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

This collection contains publications, letters, clippings, and the 1968 Certificate of Incorporation of the Black Youth Organization. Publications include newsletters, brochures, and booklets providing information about The Chad School and The Chad Science Academy. Letters are addressed to a Co-Ordinator of the Black Youth Organization and mention the organization. Newspaper clippings discuss the schools’ successes and later problems.

This collection is organized in four series:

Series I: Black Youth Organization, 1968
Series I includes one document, the 1968 Certificate of Incorporation of the Black Youth Organization.

Series II: Publications, 1986-2003
Bulk dates: 1992-1995, 2000
Series II includes newsletters, booklets, and a brochure providing information about The Chad School Foundation, which encompassed The Chad School and The Chad Science Academy. Notably, these publications include News from Chad and a booklet celebrating the 30th anniversary of The Chad School, which contains curricula, testing statistics, and a timeline of the history of the Black Youth Organization and its schools.

Series III: Clippings, 2000-2005
Bulk dates: 2000, 2005
Series III includes two newspaper clippings from the early 2000s which describe the successes of The Chad School as well as the foundation’s funding troubles.

Series IV: Letters, 1968-1969
Series IV includes three letters to Pierre Christopher Embrey (1948-), Coordinator of the Black Youth Organization, from his sister Janice M. Embrey (c. 1951-). These letters offer a glimpse into the lives of people involved with the Black Youth Organization and The Chad School.

Dates

1968 - 2005
Majority of material found within 1968 - 1969
Majority of material found within 1992 - 1995
Majority of material found within 2000

Conditions Governing Use

Researchers wishing to publish, reproduce, or reprint materials from this collection must obtain permission.

Biographical / Historical

In 1969, The Chad School was co-founded by W. Leon Moore (1936-2011), Clifton Carter, and Betty Hinnant James. The school was a division of the nonprofit Black Youth Organization (BYO), which was incorporated in 1968 with the aim of providing Newark’s students of color with “more meaningful educational opportunities.” One of the donors of this collection, Pierre Christopher Embrey, was a coordinator for the BYO. The BYO facilitated The Chad Experience, a six week pilot program of 90 children in the summer of 1969, followed by the official opening of the school on January 20th, 1970. Students originally met in a row house on Clinton Avenue in Newark, which eventually grew to six row houses. When the number of students exceeded the capacity of these houses, the BYO renovated the former St. Antonitius School on South 9th Street, opening in 1986. The Chad Science Academy, the first high school of science in the United States to be established and managed by African Americans, opened in September 1992. In 1991, The Chad School Foundation was created to raise money for both schools. The Chad Schools educated thousands of students from Newark and surrounding communities (primarily Irvington and East Orange) over 35 years before closing in 2005. The Chad School Foundation still exists, awarding scholarships to students and grants to organizations in the Greater Newark Metropolitan Area each year.

Extent

0.209 Linear Feet (1 Box) : 1 Half Hollinger Box

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Abstract

The Chad School Collection consists of various materials related to The Chad School and The Chad Science Academy, which are part of the Chad School Foundation, a division of the Black Youth Organization (BYO) in Newark.