In early 1997, when charter schools were being introduced into the Chicago Public Schools, five individuals came together to establish a free Afrocentric school. Betty Shabazz International School was founded in 1998 by Robert J. Dale, Anthony Daniels-Hallsi, Carol D. Lee, Haki Madhubuti, and Soyini Walton.
Betty Shabazz International Charter School teaches a traditional core curriculum, but it also fills the void left by the exit of art and music from Chicago Public Schools. Its full arts and humanities program keeps its young studentsmotivated, and serves as a prime example of the benefits of Art in Education.
Many individuals have been a part of Betty Shabazz International Charter School, including students, teachers, administrators, and founders.
The cover of this issue highlights two such individuals. The portrait is that of Dr. Makita Kepheru, who was one of the original teachers of Betty Shabazz. Mama Makita, as she was affectionately called, went on to become the principal and ultimately the Chief Instructional Officer for the entire network, which consists of the Betty Shabazz Academy and the Barbara A. Sizemore Academy. Mama Makita passed on October 23, 2024, and that brings us to another individual who is a part of Betty Shabazz International Charter School.
Oscar Lester is the artist who painted the beautiful portrait of Mama Makita that appears on our cover of this December issue of the South Side Drive Magazine.
Not only is Lester a gifted artist, he is currently the assistant principal as well as the art teacher for the Betty Shabazz campus. Lester was born and raised in Chicago and is a graduate of Lane Tech High School. He received his Master’s degree in Urban Education from Northeastern University Center for Inner City Studies after serving in the U.S. Army.
Lester is not only a visual artist, but he is also a spoken word artist, and he provided a sample of one of his spoken word pieces for our South Side Drive readers to enjoy:
“When I peep, the technique through which my peeps speak
I get weak, start catching feelings, and thinking about our seeds.
How I watch my brothers break their backs to provide for their shorty’s needs
‘cause that’s love from a life force, brought into being by your very own seed
Love can make the baddest brother beg, borrow, steal or bleed
I’ve seen love make brothers plead, ‘Baby, please, would you just let me see my kid?’
Love will let you overlook all those dirty deeds she did
Love will make you love another man’s child, as if it were your own
With love comes responsibility, especially if you’re grown
Love will help you understand that if he’s a child and you’re a man
Then automatically off top you become his teacher
I’m trying to reach ya
Whether you’re a poet or a pedophile, a pimp or a preacher
What he sees you do is what he’ll begin to do
So, who do you think taught these kids all about killing?
And who do you think taught them the art of drug dealing?
And who do you think taught them to treat their sisters just like whores?
And who do you think told them it’s alright to destroy what’s yours?
The same ones who set it off, those are the same ones who have to squash it
This is our dirty laundry, so it’s our responsibility to wash it
I live for what I die for and I die for what I love
So now I’m living for the future
Catch me bleeding; grab a suture
Patch me up and send me back out to the battleground
Even if I’m not around
I’ll pistol whip a punk for mistreating my shorty
And I know it ain’t sporty
Or clever, or cool
To act a fool
I know it ain’t fly
For a cat to be claiming that he ain’t no G
But still claiming that he’s ready to die
But on everything I love, I got much love for all of my
All of your
All of our
Children.
As for visual art, Lester emphasizes that it is just one component of the many perspectives that Betty Shabazz International Charter School embraces. There is African drum and dance; music; as well as STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math). There is the Makerspace Lab, where children learn to fabricate from three-dimensional printers. “In other words,” Lester says, “We try to reach all of the creative outlets possible with our young people. And I think that for a lot of our students, that is one of the main motivators that keep them coming to school every day.”
