Bashir Muhammad Ptah Akinyele, Community Contributor

Bashir Muhammad Ptah Akinyele was born in Newark, NJ on January 23, 1969. He grew up in predominately African American communities of Newark and East Orange, NJ. He graduated from Newark Tech HS in 1987. He then went on to matriculate at Essex County College (E.C.C) as a student on a track scholarship. His first year and a half at E.C.C, he struggled academically. He could run extremely fast, but he had no serious interest in college. He figured out to himself that after his scholarship runs out, he would leave school and join the US Marines. Two things happened in his life that would forever change his life to propel him to become a straight “A” student, graduate from E.C.C, graduate from Seton Hall University with honors, study at Columbia University’s Graduate school, become a 30-year educator, and a 30 year community activist! He met two African centered Black men. One named Dr. Lenworth Gunther, a history professor at E.C.C.. The other named Edward Haleem Riley, a student at E.C.C and a member of the Nation of Islam. Both Black men were able to redevelop his Eurocentric consciousness into an African centered consciousness, inspire him to become a teacher, and a committed community activist in the African / African American community for Black liberation, and an advocate for human rights for all people. Bashir Muhammad Ptah Akinyele is a history and Africana Studies teacher at Weequahic High School in Newark, NJ. He is also a member of ASCAC's (the Association for Study of Classical African Civilizations) Study Group Chapter in Newark, NJ. (https://ascac.org/). The Association for the Study of Classical African Civilizations (ASCAC) is an independent study group organization founded in 1984 by Drs. John Henrik Clark, Jacob H. Carruthers, Yosef Ben-Jochannan, Rhkty Amen, and Maulana Karenga (https://ascac.org/). It is devoted to the rescue, reconstruction, and restoration of Afrikan history and culture. But most importantly, ASCAC helps Black people develop an Afrcan centered world view for Black liberation.