Where:

Since 2005, the New Jersey Amistad Commission has provided up to ten $5,000 awards to recognize the exemplary practices of teachers in New Jersey schools that take a systematic approach to including the contributions of African-Americans into their lesson plans. The teachers were selected by the Commission for innovative strategies that infuse African-American history into the school’s curriculum; promote high student achievement; address specific educational needs of students and the Core Curriculum Content Standards, according to the criteria.

The 2007-2008 Amistad Exemplary Award winners are:

Constance Escher
John Witherspoon Middle School
Princeton, New Jersey

Joshua L. Rosenbaum
Sojourner Truth Middle School
East Orange, New Jersey

Catherine Wishart
Samuel T. Busansky Elementary School
Pemberton, New Jersey

This year's honorable mention awardees are:

Bobby Akbar
Franklin Elementary School
Rahway, New Jersey, and

Jennifer Hanselman and Stacey Saravay,
Lead Developers
Mountain Park School
Berkeley Heights, New Jersey

Dr. Karen Jackson-Weaver, Executive Director of the New Jersey Amistad Commission, saluted the educators for the significance of their work and its impact on education.

"Our winners realize the extreme importance of implementing and infusing African-American history everyday which the Amistad mandate dictates, and not relegating it to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s birthday or Black History Month," said Weaver. “This paradigm enables educators to transform the psyche and consciousness of their students while embracing historical truths about the people of the African Diaspora and their rich contributions to American society." 

Established by the Amistad Act passed in 2002, the Commission was created to help better incorporate black history in New Jersey classrooms. Members work to increase student's knowledge of the African slave trade, slavery in America and black American's contributions to U.S. history.