TURN (Teachers Undoing Racism Now), an independent group of the Montclair Public Schools teachers who promote anti-racism, developed and purchased placards “Amistad in the Classroom: How will you make a difference,” to call attention to the need for teachers to meet the state’s Amistad Mandate.
The mandate requires the integration of the history and contributions of African-Americans and the descendants of the African Diaspora.
Rodney Jackson, Renaissance Social Studies teacher and TURN co-founder, and Marcos Vargas, the district’s Director of Humanities, ceremoniously put up these first posters in Montclair High School in order to lend awareness and display the district’s partnership with TURN in supporting both the mandate and the placards. All 11 schools will have these placards hung prominently.