Kai de la Cruz
Project: Schools as Sites of Power
“Schools as Sites of Power” is a public education workshop series rooted in the history of the 1968 New York City Teachers’ strike and the movement for black community control of schools. The series will explore how black communities have utilized education within the struggle for self-determination and dignity. Adult participants will engage with this history through an accessible presentation and guided discussions, including a dedicated working group for parents to reflect on their experiences and imagine alternative models for schooling and accountability. The programming aimed at children will offer space for storytelling and creative reflection on their own school experiences, with the aim of nurturing their voices as part of the future of education in Bed-Stuy. All participants will receive free educational materials, including a printed publication that outlines key historical moments and frames collective questions for action today. This project fosters intergenerational dialogue, uplifts Bed-Stuy’s radical legacy, and brings neighbors together to think critically and collectively about the politics of public education. It builds toward a vision of schools not as isolated institutions, but as shared spaces of community power.
Bio:
Kai de la Cruz (she/her) is a student, researcher, and community educator based in Bed-Stuy. She is currently pursuing a B.A. in Africana, Puerto Rican, and Latino Studies at Hunter College and a Graduate Certificate in Labor Studies at the CUNY School of Labor and Urban Studies. Her work is centered on labor, law, and Black political thought. Her current research traces the history and afterlife of the 1968 Ocean Hill-Brownsville teachers’ strike, with particular attention to the politics of community control and the role of Black working-class women in education struggles.