This past February, Newark’s Marion P. Thomas Charter School (MPTCS) celebrated “Black History is Our History” month, culminating in a speech by Newark Mayor Ras Baraka who shouted out Superintendent Angela N. Mincy for creating an academic haven where Black and Hispanic students are “happy and proud” of their history, heritage, and culture. It is for this reason that MPTCS is known in Newark as “the Village,” a reflection of the way educators and students create a supportive community and a nod to the African proverb, “it takes a village to raise a child.”

This is also why Mincy, a Newark native, is committed to “reimagining” education for the 1,400 students pre-kindergarten-twelfth grade who attend MPTCS, the largest Black-led charter school in New Jersey. Part of this initiative is a community-wide effort to visually depict the school’s values through a new crest. The final product features the mythic Sankofa bird, a West African symbol of the wisdom of learning from the past to ensure a strong future. During a recent interview, Mincy explained why she and her team are committed to establishing a culture that frames education as rooted in the history of the African and Latin American diaspora while inculcating lifelong learners who successfully fly forward, just like the Sankofa bird.  She explains, “we are teaching our scholars to use knowledge from the past to inform, inspire, build a successful future, and give back to the community.”

MPTCS is also rooted in the history of Newark, the brain-child of Rev. Dr. Charles E. Thomas of the New Hope Baptist Church who envisioned  a school run “by the community, for the community.” It later merged with a school founded by St. James AME Church. (The school is named for Rev. Thomas’s wife, Marion P.)

This public charter is just as focused on the future as the past, partnering with multiple organizations to infuse MPTCS’s curricula and extracurricular offerings with culturally-responsive pedagogy. STEAM Urban helps create “brave, collective, and collaborative spaces.” The  Institute of Music for Children builds optimism and opportunities. McCloud Cares and Medical Doctors Fostering Awareness in Medical Education “help children dream big.” Members of the Divine 9, the nine Black fraternities and sororities that play a big role in Historically Black Colleges and Universities, spend time with students to foster racial uplift, community service, academic excellence, and social justice. Parents benefit too, through Parent University, STEM Community Day, Family Literacy Night, and ESL classes for adults.

Mincy has spent the last thirty years educating Newark students. Before arriving at MPTCS, she was a teacher, counselor, and administrator at Newark Public Schools, most recently serving as principal of the traditional district’s top magnet school, Science Park. Yet it was time for a change: “I had outgrown my space and needed to expand my reach, to branch out,” she said. Overseeing the education of  students at MPTCS was the challenge she’d been waiting for. “Newark has given me so much and I love this city. I will never stop fighting for kids.” 

In “reimagining” what education looks like, Mincy is mindful of the struggles of her students, especially after Covid-19 school disruptions which raised the stakes in Newark where schools were closed for over a year. “Covid changed all of us,” she said. Students, especially those of color from low-income households, became disengaged from school, leading to chronic absenteeism and precipitous drops in academic proficiency. Indeed, a recent national survey found that just 48% of middle school and high school students feel motivated to go to school, and only 52% feel they do something interesting every day. 

“We have to think about experiences they will enjoy and hook them, shake it up, think outside the box,” she explained.  “That’s the reimaging, creating a space where they can lay down.” Rigor, she laughs, is rigor mortis. Instead, she and her staff work to build culturally-rich, well thought-out experiences. 

This is necessary, Mincy says, because of  the influence of social media on her students:

“All day our kids are collecting images of racism, of crime, against people who look like them. We have to make sure they don’t see this as a self-fulfilling prophecy and defy that deficit mindset. I want our scholars to see themselves as leaders and celebrate diversity. Our schools are filled with positive images. We celebrate Black and Hispanic history and emphasize our core values.”

School leaders instill that pride, she says, by “putting out calls to the community to come celebrate our scholars,” like Mayor Baraka’s visit. She is laser-focused on adhering to the 2022-2027  five-pronged strategic plan that embodies Newark excellence, promotes academic achievement, nurtures a positive climate, cultivates powerful partnerships, and drives towards sustainability.

All those values are reflected in five images that comprise MPTCS’s new crest. The Sankofa bird looks backwards into the past while flying into the future. The Tree of Knowledge signifies lifelong learning rooted in a rich cultural heritage. The Torch embodies fire, passion, and leadership, prompting scholars to be trailblazers. The Tiger symbolizes balancing strength, boldness, resilience, compassion, and strong character.  Finally, a Village Banner draped across the crest reminds students, “it takes a village to raise a child.” 

This collective will among students, teachers, administrators and parents to elevate both the past and the future, says Mincy, is the engine that drives the Village.