EDUCATION

as her vibrant school community that, even in the midst of the charter school boom, spans three generations. Decades after opening, Roots Public Charter School continues to serve young people, some whose parents have matriculated through the program. Several alumni are even serving as instructors.

“As long as Washington, D.C. has children of African descent, Roots is here to take care of their psychological, emotional and academic needs. And even with the other races of children, it’s a scientific fact that all races came from an African woman,” said Mama Bernida, principal and founder of Roots Activity Learning Center and Roots Public Charter School, both located in Northwest.

“Our about the genius that’s in our genes and how the enemy can do things to make us not accomplish [our goals],” Mama Bernida added. “African-centered education inculcates children with who we are, where we are and what we must do to liberate ourselves and our community.”

The Establishment Of A Legacy

On Aug. 27, students, parents, alumni and family members will celebrate Mama Bernida’s decades of service during her emeritus and retirement party at Martin’s Crosswinds in Greenbelt, Maryland.

Rashiki Kuykendell, Roots' vice principal who community members know as Mama Rashiki, will take

Mama Bernida's place in the fall. As of July 24, 104 young people are slated to attend Roots Public Charter School around that time.

In 1977, Mama Bernida launched Roots Activity Learning Center on North Capitol Street where infants and preschoolers, including her children, learned foundational songs, games and stories as they participated in activities inspired by the African-centered curricula that she developed.

Nearly a decade before launching Roots Activity Learning Center, Mama Bernida taught in Ohio, and later at Brookland Elementary School in Northeast and Seton Elementary School in Northwest. Though teaching had been a lifelong dream for Mama Bernida, she said she developed her African-centered pedagogy while partici-

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pating in study circles on the campus of Central State University in Wilberforce, Ohio during the 1960s.

In 1999, at the request of parents in the community, Mama Bernida launched the accompanying Roots Public Charter School during what had been the beginning of the District’s charter school movement. She said that move served as an opportunity to provide an independent, African-centered education that children could access at no cost.

From that moment, Roots Public Charter School would operate in tandem with Roots Activity Learning Center, with the former serving students from first to eighth grade and the latter taking in children as young as six weeks old all the way up until four years old.

Soon after opening, Roots Public Charter School received accreditation from the Commissions on Elementary and Secondary Schools of the Middle States Association. It also became accredited by the Commission on International and Trans-Regional Accreditation and the National Association for the Education of Young Children.

As other African-centered public charter schools in the District struggled to keep their doors open, Roots Public Charter School remained in good standing with the D.C. Public Charter School Board and the Office of the State Superintendent of Education, thanks in part to Winifred Wright.

Winifred Wright, a longtime administrator at Roots Public Charter School who's known to all as Mama Winni, entered her role in 2000 at the recommendation of a friend who connected her with Mama Bernida.

Before joining the Roots family, Mama Winni worked at two other public charter schools, one of which she helped launch. Shortly after start- ing at Roots, Mama Winni helped the African-centered public charter school secure its accreditation.

As director of programs and compliance, Mama Winni writes grants and serves as the point of contact for attendance, special education, immunization and enrollment audits. In speaking about the longevity of Roots Public Charter School, Mama Winni said that the consistency of teachers and staff members instills confidence in students and families about the atmosphere and quality of education.

Per Mama Winni, all of the administrators have been working at Roots Public Charter School for more than 20 years. Out of the nine teachers on staff, six have been there for more than a decade.

“Families get accustomed to the teachers,” Mama Winni said. “The main thing that draws parents to this school is that children feel safe. We don’t have bars at the door or metal detectors. We don’t have a high truancy rate with the children coming and going during the school day. The main walkway goes past my desk so the students are monitored.”

Community Members Reflect On Their Roots Experience

Once one walks along Kennedy Street in Northwest and steps up to Roots Public Charter School, they see the U.S. flag and D.C. flag atop the front of the building waving alongside the globally recognized Pan-African flag adopted by the Universal Negro Improvement Association-African Communities League in 1920.

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