P.S. 67, The Charles A. Dorsey Community School

1827 - present

PS 67, a K-5 elementary school, has a storied history. It was created in 1827 as a free black school by the First African Wesleyan Methodist Episcopal Church, after New York State abolished slavery. In 1845, the Brooklyn Public School system took control of the institution, and as a segregated school it was renamed Colored School No. 1. In 1887, its name was changed to Public School 67. Throughout its history, the school has had four locations. The school has long been a site of racial contention, as many black families in the 1880’s were unsure of the prospect of integration, viewing the school as a place for black self-determination and community. With its transition to a district school in the 90’s, district boundaries caused the school to become predominantly white. In current times, the PS 67 building is enveloped by the Ingersoll public housing building, located at 51 St Edwards Street, where it moved in 1923. The school now shares its space with Community Roots Charter school, a K-8 school founded in 2006. While the students at both schools often engage in arts and gardening activities together, the schools are markedly different. PS 67 is under-enrolled, with only 167 students. It is ninety percent black, made up mostly of students living in poverty, and subject to district curriculum. Community Roots is a progressive, racially and economically diverse school, with 464 students.

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Details

Category
School
Instructional Level
Elementary/Grammar School
Audience
Children
Founder(s)
First African Wesleyan Methodist Episcopal Church
Corporate Body
New York City Board of Education
Tags
gentrification, multipleuses, race, segregation, poverty

Location

  • 51 St Edwards St, Brooklyn, NY 11205, USA
    1923 - present
  • 95 N Elliott Pl, Brooklyn, NY 11205, USA
    c. 1883 - 1923
  • 176 Ashland Pl, Brooklyn, NY 11201, USA
    c. 1847 - c. 1883
  • 120 Nassau St, Brooklyn, NY 11201, United States
    1827 - c. 1847

Archival Collections

References

  1. Anderson, Noel. “Hood Politics: Charter Schools, Race and Gentrification in Fort Greene.” In The World in Brooklyn: Gentrification, Immigration, and Ethnic Politics in a Global City, edited by Judith DeSena and Timothy Shortell. Lanham: Lexington Books, 2012. https://search-ebscohost-com.ezproxy.cul.columbia.edu/login.aspx?direct=true&db=nlebk&AN=446106&site=ehost-live&scope=site.
  2. “City Schools Open Ten New Buildings: President Ryan Predicts a Record Enrolment of Probably 950,000 Pupils.” The New York Times, September 11, 1923. https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1923/09/11/106006309.html?pageNumber=19.
  3. Kafka, Judith and Cici Matheny. “Racial Integration, White Appropriation, and School Choice: The Demise of the Colored Schools of Late Nineteenth Century Brooklyn.” Journal of Urban History, vol. 48(1) (2022): 35–62. https://doi.org/10.1177/0096144220933229.
  4. Morrone, Francis. Fort Greene, Clinton Hill: neighborhood & architectural history guide. Brooklyn Historical Society, 2010: 9-10.
  5. New York State Education Department. Community Roots Charter School Data. 2023-24. https://data.nysed.gov/profile.php?instid=800000059312
  6. Swan, Robert J.  “250 Years Of Black Brooklyn.” New York Amsterdam News (1962-), June 26, 1976. ProQuest Historical Newspapers.
  7. “Opened with Becoming Ceremony.” Brooklyn Eagle, November 23, 1883. Brooklyn Public Library Archive.
  8. New York State Education Department. PS 67 Charles A Dorsey Data. 2023-24. https://data.nysed.gov/profile.php?instid=800000045545