Wilcox, Preston, 1923-2006

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From 1958 to 1964, Preston Wilcox worked as a tenant organizer and later as director of the East Harlem Project; as a program consultant to the East Harlem Summer Festival, a United Neighborhood Houses initiative designed to prevent juvenile delinquency; and as a consultant and catalyst for the Massive Economic Neighborhood Development (MEND), an anti-poverty program in East Harlem. He also participated as a social researcher in the Princeton University six week summer studies program for junior high school students that led to the nationally-funded Upward Bound Program.

Known as "the father of school decentralization" in New York City, and "the leading theoretician of the community control movement," Wilcox was at the forefront of the campaigns at Intermediate School 201 in Harlem and later in the Ocean-Brownsville school district, for parent participation in curriculum development and in the hiring of school supervisors and teachers. A prolific writer, he authored in the period between 1963 and 1973 some 200 articles, position papers and essays on public education and community empowerment, published in professional journals and as chapters in books. He also taught courses in social work theory and community organization at Columbia University's School of Social Work between 1963 and 1968, and at Atlanta University, Medgar Evers College and other institutions of higher learning in the 1970s.

Wilcox founded Afram Associates in 1968 as a public service agency to provide technical assistance to community groups in the areas of education, economic development and consumer rights. Between 1970 and 1975, Afram operated a parent-implemented program in education, funded by the Follow Through Program Division of Compensatory Education of the U.S. Office of Education, at eight Afram-affiliated sites in Arkansas, Massachusetts, Illinois, Michigan, New York, New Jersey and the District of Columbia. Afram also operated a farm experiment, Afram Farm, in upstate New York, as a campsite and recreational center for urban-bound families and groups, and as a conference and rural educational research and study center. In later years, Afram evolved into a one-person alternative clearinghouse compiling and disseminating information relevant to the Black community. An admirer of Malcolm X, Wilcox kept an informal network of Malcolm X followers and former associates: the Malcolm X Lovers Network.

From the description of Preston Wilcox papers, 1940-2005. (New York Public Library). WorldCat record id: 233594671

Preston R. Wilcox had a multi-faceted career as a social worker, community activist, social analyst, and urban education consultant. Born in Youngstown, Ohio in 1923, he attended Youngstown College, Morehouse College, City University of New York, New York University, and Columbia University.

From 1958 until 1963, Wilcox was employed at the East Harlem Project, joint community service of the James Weldon Johnson Community Center and Union Settlement. Among his other positions he served as Staff Associate, Education Affiliate of the Bedford-Stuyvesant D & S Corporation in Brooklyn, Assistant Professor of Social Work (Community Organization) at Columbia University School of Social Work, and Chief Consultant of I.S. 201 Complex Community Education Center in Harlem, where he planned for the development and operation of four community education centers. Wilcox has authored articles dealing with public education and community organization in the ghetto.

From the description of Preston Wilcox manuscripts, 1965-1968. (New York Public Library). WorldCat record id: 122533834

From 1958 to 1964, Preston Wilcox worked as a tenant organizer and later as director of the East Harlem Project; as a program consultant to the East Harlem Summer Festival, a United Neighborhood Houses initiative designed to prevent juvenile delinquency; and as a consultant and catalyst for the Massive Economic Neighborhood Development (MEND), an anti-poverty program in East Harlem. He also participated as a social researcher in the Princeton University six week summer studies program for junior high school students that led to the nationally-funded Upward Bound Program.

Known as "the father of school decentralization" in New York City, and "the leading theoretician of the community control movement," Wilcox was at the forefront of the campaigns at Intermediate School 201 in Harlem and later in the Ocean-Brownsville school district, for parent participation in curriculum development and in the hiring of school supervisors and teachers. A prolific writer, he authored in the period between 1963 and 1973 some 200 articles, position papers and essays on public education and community empowerment, published in professional journals and as chapters in books. He also taught courses in social work theory and community organization at Columbia University's School of Social Work between 1963 and 1968, and at Atlanta University, Medgar Evers College and other institutions of higher learning in the 1970s.

Wilcox founded Afram Associates in 1968 as a public service agency to provide technical assistance to community groups in the areas of education, economic development and consumer rights. Between 1970 and 1975, Afram operated a parent-implemented program in education, funded by the Follow Through Program Division of Compensatory Education of the U.S. Office of Education, at eight Afram-affiliated sites in Arkansas, Massachusetts, Illinois, Michigan, New York, New Jersey and the District of Columbia. Afram also operated a farm experiment, Afram Farm, in upstate New York, as a campsite and recreational center for urban-bound families and groups, and as a conference and rural educational research and study center. In later years, Afram evolved into a one-person alternative clearinghouse compiling and disseminating information relevant to the Black community. An admirer of Malcolm X, Wilcox kept an informal network of Malcolm X followers and former associates: the Malcolm X Lovers Network.

From the guide to the Preston Wilcox papers, 1940-2005, (The New York Public Library. Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, Manuscripts, Archives and Rare Books Division.)

Archival Resources
Role Title Holding Repository
creatorOf Wilcox, Preston, 1923-2006. Preston Wilcox papers, 1940-2005. New York Public Library System, NYPL
creatorOf Preston Wilcox papers, 1940-2005 Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture. Rare Books, Manuscripts, and Archives Section
creatorOf Wilcox, Preston. Preston Wilcox manuscripts, 1965-1968. New York Public Library System, NYPL
Role Title Holding Repository
Relation Name
associatedWith AFRAM Associates. corporateBody
associatedWith AFRAM Farm (Dundee, N.Y.) corporateBody
associatedWith Carmichael, Stokely. person
associatedWith East Harlem North Special Improvements Project. corporateBody
associatedWith East Harlem Project. corporateBody
associatedWith Ferguson, Herman Benjamin. person
associatedWith Haskins, Kenneth, 1923-1994. person
associatedWith Innis, Roy, 1934- person
associatedWith Intermediate School 201 Complex Community Education Center (New York, N.Y.) corporateBody
associatedWith Intermediate School 201 (New York, N.Y.) corporateBody
associatedWith International Conference on Black Power, 1968: Philadelphia) corporateBody
associatedWith Jeffries, Leonard. person
associatedWith Malcolm X Lovers Network (Harlem, N.Y.) corporateBody
associatedWith Massive Economic Neighborhood Development. corporateBody
associatedWith Nihon Kokusai Kōryū Sentā. corporateBody
associatedWith Ocean Hill-Brownsville Demonstration School District (New York, N.Y.) corporateBody
associatedWith Princeton University. Princeton Summer Studies Program. corporateBody
associatedWith Princeton University. Summer Institute. corporateBody
associatedWith United Neighborhood Houses of New York. corporateBody
associatedWith Wilcox, Preston corporateBody
associatedWith Wilcox, Preston. corporateBody
associatedWith Windom, Alice, 1936- person
associatedWith X, Malcolm, 1925-1965. person
Place Name Admin Code Country
Nigeria
Harlem (New York, N.Y.)
United States
East Harlem (New York, N.Y.)
East Harlem (New York, N.Y.)
New York (State)--New York
New York (State)--New York
Subject
Education
Education
African American authors
African American educators
African American political activists
African Americans
African Americans
African Americans
African Americans
African American social workers
Black author
Black nationalism
Black power
Children with social disabilities
Community and school
Community and school
Community centers
Community centers
Community development consultants
Community development consultants
Community development, Urban
Community development, Urban
Community organization
Community organization
Education, Urban
Educators
Election monitoring
Election monitoring
Human services
Human services
Inner cities
Inner cities
School children
School children
School management and organization
School management and organization
School management and organization
Schools
Schools
Segregation in education
Segregation in education
Social settlements
Social settlements
Social group work
Social group work
Social service
Social service
Social work education
Urban poor
Urban poor
Urban renewal
Urban renewal
Urban schools
Occupation
Activity

Person

Birth 1923

Death 2006

Information

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