Howard Eagle

"Socially and economically, my family background reminds me of the fact that some historians, scholars and intellectuals argue that the United States of America has never really had a true peasantry class (with the outstanding exception of the numerous centuries in which institutionalized slavery existed). It is truly amazing that anyone, especially those who consider themselves as being scholars, could possibly put forth this type of erroneous and fundamentally flawed argument. I can't imagine what overall socioeconomic condition the scholars think was produced among subsequent generations of semi-enslaved people (even after institutionalized slavery was so-called legally abolished), but I can tell you (without consulting a single history book) that the above referenced theories are indeed incorrect. As a matter of fact, many direct descendants of the peasantry class, created during times of institutionalized slavery, are today members of the so-called permanent underclass. The majority of those who escape that fate--- are either extremely lucky, blessed, or both."

Howard Eagle
Howard Eagle was born and raised in the segregated small town of Apopka, Florida. In 1968, his family moved to the Rochester area. The family lived and worked as migrant farm workers on Heberlee's Farm in Penfield, New York. Howard describes the farm as one that was at least two miles long and half a mile wide. Howard's family lived in a three-room shack, behind Heberlee's barn. "When we first moved there in 1968, the place still had an outdoor toilet! When I was in high school, this make-shift house that we had called home --- was heated by a coal-burning, pot-bellied stove!" he comments.

Howard graduated from Penfield High School in 1972. He furthered his education by earning a bachelors in Political Science and Masters in Education at SUNY Brockport. Howard began his teaching career in the Rush Henrietta School District as a substitute teacher. He then went on to become At Risk counselor in the Rochester City School District. Since 1987, he has worked as a secondary Social Studies teacher in the Rochester City Schools. In addition, he also teaches a course at SUNY Brockport titled "Culture of the African American Child."

Howard has served on numerous committees and organization with the common themes of African American culture and improving the public education system. Some of these committees include the School-Based Planning Team, the Parent and Community Advisory Committee, and the Superintedent's Strategic Planning Committee on Parental Involvement. He is the co-founder of the Citizens United for Real Education (C.U.R.E.). In 1999, Howard co-directed a theatrical production at James Madison School about the life and times of Malcom X.

Currently, he is a member of A.R.M (Anti-Racism Movement) and serves on the Advisory Council for the Rochester City School District's African and African-American Studies Department.

In April 2001, Howard received New York African Studies Association's Outstanding Teacher Award. He has been recognized multiple times by the Rochester City School district for showing leadership and involvement in the community. In 1982, He became the first person to win the Urban League and Liggett Group Inc. National Essay contest twice (he won previously in 1980). Throughout his career, Howard has published more than 80 articles in local newspapers, magazines, and college campus publications focusing on socioeconomic and public educational issues. Publications that have featured Howard's work include Rochester's Democrat and Chronicle, Times Union, City, Pride of Rochester, Challenger, Frederick Douglass Voice, Minority Reporter; About Time Magazine, Education Week Magazine; Monroe Community College and S.U.N.Y. Brockport campus newspapers; and Indymedia of Rochester.

Howard is married and lives in Rochester. He has four children