S E35: Principal Akbar Cook Wouldn't Let His Babies Get Bullied

This Is Karen Hunter

Knarrative

Empowerment, Africana Studies, Greg Carr, Karen Hunter, History, Education, Society & Culture

4.5 • 888 Ratings

🗓️ 23 April 2019

⏱️ 15 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

"It was about her dignity," was how Akbar Cook, principal of West Side High School in Newark, NJ described how one of his students reacting violently when security guards tried to check her bag. She was homeless and her bag was full of dirty clothes and she didn't want anyone to know. Instead of punishing her, Cook made sure all of his children had access to washing machine and dryer. And it made all the difference.

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Transcript

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0:00.0	This is Karen Hunter and welcome to the hub.
0:02.0	He's a principal at a school in New Jersey, West Side High, and Newark.
0:07.0	There was a lot of bullying going on because several kids will come to school, clothes are dirty,
0:12.0	and this is an age-old problem, actually. because several kids will come to school, clothes are dirty.
0:12.6	And this is an age-old problem, actually.
0:14.6	I have a friend that was talking about this very thing 30 years ago,
0:18.0	coming to school with dirty clothes,
0:19.4	because they didn't have a washing machine,
0:20.9	and poor, and having to wash clothes out in the sink but imagine
0:25.0	being homeless and not having a place to do it and then you have to come to school and
0:27.9	learn and kids are cruel because they have raised by cruel people and they
0:31.9	are raised to not understand and have compassion
0:34.4	for folks that are going through something instead they pile on and that's what
0:37.9	happened at West Side High but it happens all over the country but instead of like
0:41.5	oh I don't know what's happening, having counseling,
0:44.3	figuring some stuff out, having a meeting, calling together all of these things,
0:48.4	this principal decided to do something. He got a grant, put a washing laundry facility at the school, and now kids are just
0:57.8	coming to school clean, smelling good. They got donations coming through the roof.
1:01.2	Let me welcome to the show the principal at
1:02.9	West Side High, Mr Akbar Cook. Welcome to the Karen Hunter show brother.
1:06.7	Welcome. Thank you. Thank you everyone for having me. This is a real feeling. I love it.
1:11.5	No, but let me tell you first first of all, there aren't enough black men teachers.
	...

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