110th Commemoration of Samuel Battle

Join Strategies for Justice as we commemorate the 110th Anniversary of Samuel J. Battle.

Strategies for Justice, founded on the narratives of Moses P. Cobb and Samuel J. Battle, want to take this time to recognize the officers who, like Battle, continue to carve a pathway to justice through mentorship and community consciousness.

Joining us will be special guest, Harlem Historian Jacob Morris. 

Long a very effective Education Activist and Public Historian, Jacob was the originator and lead plaintiff of the Class-Action Lawsuit vs. the Board of Education in conjunction with the Office of Civil Rights of the U.S. Department of Education in 1998 that successfully ended the exclusion of the Reading & Math scores of Special Education students in NYC, which as we know disproportionately affected Black & Hispanic boys.

Author of several influential short works, among which are: Parent Empowerment: What Difference Does It Make?, Asthma & Education: A Parent's Guide and Under-Achievement: Roots and Remedies. He developed the C.R.E.A.T.E program at ASPIRA of New York and was also Director of the Parent Studies Institute at the Graduate School of Education and Psychology at Touro College. He also designed the widely respected "Cost of Your Choice" Dropout Prevention Poster. About ten years ago Jacob became aware of the  crisis in the shortage of Lifeguards that had lasted for more than 20 years here in NYC, which was negatively affecting our Quality of Life every summer; and was instrumental in the establishment of the relationship between the Public School Athletic League and the NYC Department of Parks that led to the hiring of over a 150 extra lifeguards annually in the following years from PSAL Swim Team members.

A scholar of New York City's critical role in the Underground Railroad, Jacob is currently leading the effort to revive the Harlem Historical Society. No one in New York City has been responsible for the co-naming of more major throughfares honoring great African-Americans of historical significance than Jacob. Among those he has successfully honored have been - Frederick Douglass Landing, Abolitionist Place in Brooklyn, Paul Robeson Boulevard, W.E.B. Dubois Avenue, A.Philip Randolph Boulevard, Matthew Henson Plaza, Samuel J. Battle Plaza, Thurgood Marshall Blvd., Madame CJ & ALelia Walker Place, and Moses P. Cobb Way.