About three people organize the school’s day-to-day operations, while community members contribute specialized instruction in subjects such as photojournalism, dance and Swahili.
“The ways that we are teaching are trying to get back to these roots of how African people learn,” he says. “How are they gaining knowledge? How are they spreading that knowledge to other folks? That is kind of really the model that we utilize.”
The academy is a private school and receives no state funding, which McGowan says gives it autonomy over its curriculum but can create funding challenges.
He added that the organization behind the school joined Community Movement Builders, a member-based collective of residents and activists serving Black working-class and poor Black communities. The organization helps pay the school’s rent.
Students of different ages learn together in one room, with activities adjusted to their levels. The school also has shifted from its original K-through-8 plan to serving kindergarten through sixth grade. McGowan says the change followed students’ feedback that they wanted to attend a larger middle school with more peers their age.
Licreeia Bunn says her 11-year-old son, Caleb, has been at the school for about three years. Bunn says she began homeschooling him after he was unable to attend public school because he did not have all the required vaccinations. After a year of homeschooling, she discovered Malcolm X Academy through McGowan.
She says her son initially was disappointed because he wanted to return to public school, but as he became more involved with Malcolm X Academy, he grew to enjoy school again. His favorite activities include music, self-defense and working on the farm.
Bunn also praises McGowan and his family for supporting Caleb beyond the classroom. As a single mother who works, she says McGowan volunteers to help with school transportation and Caleb’s baseball practices and games. She appreciates how the school is community-driven.
“Whatever it is that I need help with with my kid, Jordan and his family are there to do that,” she says.
Organizers hope the Sacramento school can serve as a blueprint for similar academies elsewhere. McGowan says the group is preparing to launch full-time schools in Atlanta, Dallas, Los Angeles and Delaware.