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In 1970, in Oakland, David Hilliard created the idea for the first full time liberation day school. This school, and its attendant dormitories in Oakland and Berkeley, was simply called the Children’s House. This school concept, directed by Majeda Smith and a team of BPP members became the way in which sons and daughters of BPP members were educated. Staff and instructors were Black Panther Party members.
In 1971 this school moved into a large building in Berkeley and then to the Fruitvale area of Oakland. The Children’s House was eventually renamed the Intercommunal Youth Institute (IYI). Under the leadership of Brenda Bay, the IYI served BPP families and a few nearby families in the Fruitvale area, maintaining a day school program and dormitory with 50 children, for two years.
In September of 1973 Oakland Community School (OCS) opened its doors at 6118 East 14thStreet (now called International Boulevard) in East Oakland. Starting with 90 children, the school’s enrollment quickly blossomed to 150 and maintained a daunting waiting list. From that time until 1982 the school, directed by Ericka Huggins and Donna Howell, was a community focal point for the conscious development of all of the innate intelligences of the young child. Serving the extended community and its children, the educators and staff of the OCS represented a mixture of individuals: Black Panther Party members, former Oakland, San Francisco and Berkeley Unified School District teachers, as well as new teachers looking for an innovative and culturally rich learning environment to work in.
Students of the Oakland Community School.
Photo: Donald Cunningham
