Harlem Youth Opportunities Unlimited
Encyclopedia
Harlem Youth Opportunities Unlimited, more commonly called HARYOU, was a social activism organization founded by Dr. Kenneth Clark in 1962 and directed by Cyril DeGrasse Tyson (father of astrophysicist Neil DeGrasse Tyson
, and founding member of the 100 Black Men of America
). The group worked to increase opportunities in education and employment for young blacks in Harlem
. It also was designed to teach residents of Harlem how to work with governmental agencies to meet their demands.
administration provided $110 million to back educational changes recommended by HARYOU. These plans included recruiting educational experts to reorganize Harlem schools, providing preschool programs and after-school remedial education, and employment programs for dropouts.
After the Harlem riots in the summer of 1964, HARYOU published a report detailing causes of the unrest and recommending solutions. They, together with several other organizations, received federal funding for Project Uplift
, intended to prevent riots from happening again.
HARYOU merged with Associated Community Teams (ACT), under the aegis of Congressman Adam Clayton Powell, Jr.
. The combined entity took the name HARYOU-ACT.
Neil deGrasse Tyson
Neil deGrasse Tyson is an American astrophysicist, a science communicator, the Frederick P. Rose Director of the Hayden Planetarium at the Rose Center for Earth and Space, and a Research Associate in the Department of Astrophysics at the American Museum of Natural History...
, and founding member of the 100 Black Men of America
100 Black Men of America
100 Black Men Of America is a men's civic organization and service club whose stated goal is to educate and empower African American children and teens. As of 2009 the organization has 110 chapters and over 10,000 members in different cities in the United States and throughout the world...
). The group worked to increase opportunities in education and employment for young blacks in Harlem
Harlem
Harlem is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Manhattan, which since the 1920s has been a major African-American residential, cultural and business center. Originally a Dutch village, formally organized in 1658, it is named after the city of Haarlem in the Netherlands...
. It also was designed to teach residents of Harlem how to work with governmental agencies to meet their demands.
History
Formed in 1962, HARYOU achieved national prominence quickly. In 1964 the JohnsonLyndon B. Johnson
Lyndon Baines Johnson , often referred to as LBJ, was the 36th President of the United States after his service as the 37th Vice President of the United States...
administration provided $110 million to back educational changes recommended by HARYOU. These plans included recruiting educational experts to reorganize Harlem schools, providing preschool programs and after-school remedial education, and employment programs for dropouts.
After the Harlem riots in the summer of 1964, HARYOU published a report detailing causes of the unrest and recommending solutions. They, together with several other organizations, received federal funding for Project Uplift
Project Uplift
Project Uplift was a major short-term program of the Great Society. It was an experimental anti-poverty program in Harlem, New York in the summer of 1965, intended to prevent the recurrence of the riots that hit the community the summer before...
, intended to prevent riots from happening again.
HARYOU merged with Associated Community Teams (ACT), under the aegis of Congressman Adam Clayton Powell, Jr.
Adam Clayton Powell, Jr.
Adam Clayton Powell, Jr., was an American politician and pastor who represented Harlem, New York City, in the United States House of Representatives . He was the first person of African-American descent elected to Congress from New York and became a powerful national politician...
. The combined entity took the name HARYOU-ACT.