The 70th anniversary of the landmark Supreme Court decision Brown v. Board of Education was recognized this week at the Northside Center for Child Development’s annual gala, held on May 9 at the Plaza in Manhattan.
Drs. Kenneth and Mamie Phipps Clark, Northside’s founders, played a crucial role in arguing that racial segregation in public schools was unconstitutional in 1954.
The Clarks were Black psychologists and staunch integrationists; the first Black man and woman to earn doctorates in psychology at Columbia University. In 1946, the couple founded the Northside Center in Harlem. They conducted a groundbreaking experiment, known as the doll tests, to study the racial perceptions of Black children. They concluded that segregation and discrimination was responsible for creating a feeling of inferiority among Black children aged 3 to 7 years old, as well as inhibiting white children’s development.
“Since its inception in 1946, Northside Center for Child Development has been dedicated to providing mental and [physical] health, and education services to children,” U.S. Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) said in a statement. “Dedicated to its mission, Northside Center was the first to introduce innovative programs of its kind to the Harlem community.”
The doll tests became a central part of the Brown v. Board of Ed case 14 years later. By then, the Clarks had turned their focus to fostering mental health resources in New York City public schools for Black and Brown students. In 1962, they established the Harlem Youth Opportunities Unlimited (Haryou), which recruited Black professionals for the education system.
“As we look toward Northside’s next phase, I am filled with excitement,” Dr. Thelma Dye-Homes, Northside’s CEO and president, said during the ceremony. “I remain committed to ensuring that all children, regardless of circumstances, regardless of racism and all the other horrible isms—those things that can steal their self-esteem, soul, and even sometimes their future—(are) given the opportunity to excel, grow pride, and be masters of their future.”
Dye-Homes has been at the helm of Northside for the last 30 years and is retiring later this year. She was honored with the Mamie Award at the gala.
Ariama C. Long photos
“Thank you to the children and families—you are indeed the heart of Northside,” she said. “My heart was captured the first day I walked into the children’s library. I was six months pregnant and saw the children smiling and laughing. I knew then that this was where I wanted to be and I needed to be.”
This year’s other award recipients at the gala included Marva Smalls, global head of inclusion at Paramount and executive vice president of public affairs at Nickelodeon; Racquel Oden, head of wealth and personal banking, HSBC USA; Walter Oden, managing director, Oden Development LLC; Verdun Perry, global head of strategic partners, Blackstone; Adam Sloan, executive, Creative Artists Agency; and Karin Sloan, entrepreneur and education advocate.
Many at the event—and Harlem at large—were moved at hearing about Dye-Homes’s impending retirement.
“Dr. Dye, as the longest-serving president and CEO since Dr. Mamie Clark, you have upheld the vision of the Clarks and have been instrumental in intertwining Northside’s mission with their legacy,” said Councilmember Yusef Salaam in a statement. “Your dedication and commitment to Northside’s cause have been truly inspiring. As we celebrate these significant milestones, let us reaffirm our commitment to the values of diversity, inclusivity, and community that Northside embodies. Let us continue to strive for a better, more inclusive world, for ourselves and our children, following the path paved by the Northside Center and its remarkable leaders.”
Ariama C. Long is a Report for America corps member who writes about politics for the Amsterdam News. Your donation to match our RFA grant helps keep her writing stories like this one; please consider making a tax-deductible gift of any amount today by visiting https://bit.ly/amnews1.