Columbus Africentric Early College: Building the Black identity through art and culture

This article examines the Columbus Africentric Early College public school from multiple perspectives, including that of the founder, the architect and a graduate of the school, to better understand the school’s cultural impact. A thematic analysis of those viewpoints, coupled with the philosophical framework outlined in the Kaiwada theory, will provide a theoretical and practical context of effective teaching–learning environments. Furthermore, this article will analyse Columbus Africentric Early College as a physical and virtual space where formal and informal learning occurs through responsive education. Responsive education is a term used to describe the type of education that is sensitive, aware and critical of the lived experiences and societal influences that affect students and their respective communities. Columbus Africentric Early College, founded by Charles Tennant, opened its doors in 1996 in downtown Columbus, Ohio, and recently relocated to a 55-acre, $45-million ‘urban campus’ created by Nigerian architect Kay Onwuke. Columbus Africentric Early College is guided by the African spiritual principles and value systems of Maat and Nguzo Saba, which are reinforced through the school’s teaching, art and architecture that is designed for the transmission of culture. Columbus Africentric Early College is the nation’s only public Africentric school and provides a proven curricular model that implements culturally relevant and responsive pedagogy manifested through a non-western and non-Eurocentric perspective.