The history of the movement for school integration spans several decades, even going back further than Brown vs. Board of Education.

 

History of Real Integration

We recommend this interactive timeline from our partners at the Education Justice Research and Organizing Collaborative, which begins in 1874 and continues to be updated. No matter where or when you look, young people have always been leading the fight for equality in our schools.

IntegrateNYC began when young people in NYC saw the need to continue this fight. Today, as students continue to attend segregated schools, they are still writing the history of the movement.

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Reviving the Student Movement for Integration

Sarah Camiscoli, an English as a second language teacher at the Bronx school, co-founded IntegrateNYC4Me (now IntegrateNYC) in the 2014-15 academic year after hearing that some students were concerned about resource allocation across schools.

Read the full article

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— September 2014
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New York State Support for Integration

The New York State Education Department (NYSED) announces the Socioeconomic Integration Pilot Program (SIPP), funding 25 districts across New York State to develop integration plans.

”NewRead about the SIPP program”
— December 2014
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Testifying at the New York City Council

Student advocate from IntegrateNYC speaks to the Committee on Education of the New York City Council about how segregation impacts her school community.

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— January 2015
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The 6 Train Exchange

Students from District 7 and District 2 worked on a week long school-to-school exchange and collaborative mural project in the 2014-2015 school year. They explored the impact of separation and segregation together as schools with dramatically different student bodies by race and class. They called it “The 6 Train Exchange” because they are only separated by several stops on the 6 train.

five”
— May 2015
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New York City Council Support For Integration

The New York City Council Passes the School Diversity Accountability Act, a law requiring diversity data to be produced annually by the department of education.

Councilwoman
Read about the School Diversity Accountability Act”
— December 2015
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Integration Roundtable

IntegrateNYC student advocates from around the city attended a roundtable hosted by NYC Council Members Brad Lander (District 39) and Ritchie Torres (District 15) with organizers, administrators, and academics working in different neighborhoods and city-wide and at all levels of the school system pursuing a variety of strategies.

About”
— February 2016
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Yellow Bus Exchange

Students and teachers from District 22 and District 7 came together to ask two pressing questions from two different sides the city:

”What would it look like to integrate NYC high schools? And what do we need to make it happen?”

Two”
— April 2016
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DOE announces Diversity in Admissions Pilot

Seven NYC elementary schools participated in a pilot program to increase socio-economic and racial diversity at their schools. In 2014, the DOE had given permission to use factors like family income or English language status in admissions. As a result, students were substantially more diverse.

children”
— May 2016
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Students Not Suspects

In the 2015-2016 school year, middle and high school students from District 15 collaborated to investigate the history of segregation, the possibility of integration, and the significance of the existence of a metal detector in the front of their building.

a”
— May 2016
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Inaugural City-Wide Youth Council on School Integration

IntegrateNYC launched the first City-Wide Youth Council on School Integration this September. Students from 10 different districts met to build a movement together. They created a hashtag #makeAmericaInteGREAT to spread their message about school integration. To date, the hashtag has received over 200,000 impressions. As it continued, this is where we developed the 5Rs of Real Integration!

Click here to learn about our 5Rs of Real Integration

about”
— May 2016
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Presentation at the U.S. Department of Education

IntegrateNYC was invited to speak in Washington D.C. as part of a Listening Session hosted by the U.S. Departments of Education, Housing and Urban Development, and Transportation. The goal of the session was to bring together policy makers with researchers, advocates, and local actors around the Stronger Together grants proposed by the Obama Administration. Hebh Jamal and Amina Fofana stood up and spoke to the need for integrated enrollment, equitable resources, and strong relationships in all schools.

Hebh”
— June 2016
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INYC Featured on BRIC

Students from IntegrateNYC spoke to BRIC TV about their experiences in segregated educational environments, and proposed ideas on how to fix this problem.

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— November 2016
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Hebh Jamal and Angela Davis Speak at Beyond the Bars

The Beyond the Bars Conference is an annual event that brings together a trans-disciplinary group to advance the work of ending mass incarceration and mass criminalization and building a just and safe society. IntegrateNYC’s Hebh Jamal was invited to speak alongside Angela Davis at the event’s evening session “Building the Movement.”

Hebh
Watch the plenary (start at 1:50:50) ”
— March 2017
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Teach Us All Premier and Panel at SXSWedu

The SXSWedu Conference & Festival in Austin premiered Teach Us All, a documentary showing the current state of school segregation.

The screening was followed by a panel featuring IntegrateNYC’s Hebh Jamal and Sarah Camisoli as the innovative work of IntegrateNYC is captured in the film.

Hebh
Stream Teach Us All on Netflix”
— March 2017
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First Student Led Rally for School Integration Since 1964


Students of IntegrateNYC organized a rally that took place on the steps of City Hall. Students and adult allies protested to demand school integration in New York City, as well as a role in the process.

Dozens”
— May 2017
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The DOE Releases a Diversity Plan

After growing demands for school integration, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio announces the “Equity and Excellence for All: Diversity in New York City Public Schools”.


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— June 2017
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Students Testify at City Hall for Integration

On Dec. 7th 2017, the city council’s education committee held its first hearing on school diversity since the plan was released. Students from IntegrateNYC and other programs such as TeensTakeCharge testified in favor of school integration.

Seven”
— December 2017
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IntegrateNYC is Invited to New York City’s School Diversity Advisory Group

New York City’s School Diversity Advisory Group (SDAG) evaluate’s the city’s current proposals and recommend ways to promote integration. Student’s from IntegrateNYC were invited to serve in the advisory group.

A”
— January 2018
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#StillNotEqual Teach-In

Student’s gathered for a teach-in about school segregation and how it still exists showing how schools are #StillNotEqual. That day, we also held a rally in the steps of the Department of Education.

Click here to read about Still Not Equal

Dozens”
— May 2018
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We Sued the City for School Sports Equity

As a part of the Fair Play Coalition, we filed a class-action lawsuit to the State Supreme Court to fight the racial inequity in the sports programs of New York public schools.

Click here to read about it

two”
— June 2018
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Mayor Approves D15 Middle School Diversity Plan

IntegrateNYC’s Middle Schoolers helped author a D15 middle school diversity plan. With this came the launch of our D15 Middle School Youth Council to hold the city accountable.

Click here to read about the Diversity Plan

Mayor”
— September 2018
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#RetireSegregation

IntegrateNYC launches our Retire Segregation campaign in honor of the 65th anniversary of Brown v. Board of Education. Students created their own newspaper and handed it out to at the Times Square event.

Click here to read about Retire Segregation

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— May 2019
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Mayor Approves SDAG Recommendations

On June 10th, 2019 Mayor Bill de Blasio and Schools Chancellor Richard A. Carranza announced that the City will adopt the vast majority of the preliminary recommendations made by the School Diversity Advisory Group.

Click here to read the Mayor’s announcement

Schools”
— June 2019
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2020: Covid 19 Pandemic Begins & Chancellor Resigns

In 2022 Mayor-Elect Adams and Chancellor Banks double down on segregated G&T programing and publicly announce disinterest in school integration. IntegrateNYC’s final campaigns (2021-2024) continue on the Campaigns page.

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— Today