Dr. Clark, Harlem, and the War on Poverty – The Legacy of Dr. Kenneth B. Clark

Dr. Clark, Harlem and the War on Poverty

_{Clark at his desk.}
_{(Photo courtesy of Northside Center for Child Development)}

In the 1960s, Clark began to reexamine the respective psychological complexes of race and poverty. Clark’s research and major concern involved the juvenile delinquency of Harlem youth. His interests were focused on establishing interracial public schools, accountability in the schools, and a redesign of educational programs that focused on the improvement of reading skills.

Becoming part of an elite cadre of African American intellectuals following the Brown decision with close ties to both black and white power brokers, Clark formed personal and professional friendships with towering figures such as Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Malcolm X, James Baldwin, Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall and Swedish economist Gunnar Myrdal. He had the ear of both the Kennedy and Johnson administrations. Through these friendships and as chairman of Harlem Youth Opportunities Unlimited (HARYOU), an ambitious three-year $110 million prototype for the War on Poverty, Clark was hopeful he and his staff could rebuild Harlem’s psychological and physical environment, political economy and cultural life through community action on the part of the residents themselves. Sabotaged by urban politics, Clark stepped down as its chairman in 1966.

_{Dr. Clark (lower right) with New York Mayor John V. Lindsay (lower left) and other unidentified New York City leaders, circa 1960s. (Photo courtesy of the Library of Congress)}

_{Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Malcolm X, Capitol Hill, Washington, DC, March 26, 1964, in their only meeting, a chance encounter. Dr. Clark was close friends with both Dr. King and Malcolm X. (Kasher, The Civil Rights Movement; photo courtesy of the Associated Press)}

_{Post-March on Washington meeting in the White House with President John F. Kennedy. The meeting lasted 72 minutes and concentrated on the political maneuvering that would be needed to get the Kennedy civil rights bill through Congress.
(Kasher, The Civil Rights Movement; photo courtesy of United Press International)}

_{President Lyndon B.Johnson shakes hands with Dr. King after signing the Civil Rights Act of 1964. New York Democratic Senator Jacob Javits stands between President Johnson and Dr. King. (Kasher, The Civil Rights Movement;
photo courtesy of United Press International)}

_{Clark in the offices of HARYOU.(Photo courtesy of NCCD)}

Still optimistic after the failure of HARYOU, Clark’s activism continued. In 1967 Clark formed and presided over Metropolitan Applied Research Center (MARC), a nonprofit corporation composed of a group of social scientists and other professionals that advocated for the empowerment of disadvantaged people in the areas of education, housing, welfare and welfare rights, employment and job training. In 1975 he established Clark, Phipps, Clark & Harris, a family owned management consulting firm providing counsel to government agencies, foundations, private corporations, and financial and educational institutions. As a member of the Board of Regents of the State of New York (1966-1986), Dr. Clark consistently emphasized the depth of the problems of American racism and its effect on inner city youth.

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