Joe Louis Clark: The Man Who Knew He Didn’t Have to Do Anything But Stay Black and Die
February 7, 2018
If you don’t know who Joe Clark is, I’ll straight up tell you now that you’re doing something wrong in life. The man is a straight up LEGEND. Morgan Freeman portrayed this dude in the dramatized version of his life’s story, Lean on Me. MORGAN “VOICE FROM THE HEAVENS” FREEMAN! …I still think a lot about that scene in the movie where the girl runs up and says, “MISTAH CLARK! MISTAH CLARK! SOMEONE’S BEATING UP KID RAY!” And then you see “Kid” Ray and he’s like a full blown adult. Now, if you don’t know, you bout to learn today!
On May 7, 1938, Joe Louis Clark was born into the world in Rochelle, Georgia. He is known for being the former principal of one of New Jersey’s toughest inner city schools, Eastside High School, located in Paterson in the 1980s.
Joe Clark was given the principal position of Eastside high in 1982 after transforming PS 6, an inner city grammar school with many, many problems, into what many called the “Miracle on Carroll Street.” Eastside High was a predominantly black and hispanic high school and had around 3,200 students. It’s reputation was built on violence and incompetence; fighting in hallways and classroom with a regular and everyday occurrence and weapons had been used on both students and teachers alike; drugs were sold inside and outside of the doors; walls and hallways were littered with graffiti; broken doors and furniture were not repaired; test scores were among the lowest in the entire state; and students and teachers were scared to be in the building.
It was a school no one thought could be fixed and a school no one wanted to try to fix.
BUT THEY WEREN’T JOE LOUIS CLARK, NOW WERE THEY?!
Clark had a no-nonsense approach to discipline and was an education who had a unorthodox way of getting things done. He often carried a Louisville Slugger baseball bat or a bullhorn up and down the hallways at school, he wasn’t afraid to be tough on the most difficult students, and he EXPELLED OVER 300 STUDENTS during his time as principal—those who were frequently late or absent from school, sold or used drugs at school, or caused trouble were not allowed.
This man reorganized the administrative structure, replacing officials he deemed “loafers”
and set up a chain of command that dictated responsibilities and problem solving channels, set up student policies, photo identification tags for students, created dress code guidelines, and established hallway traffic flow management. He fixed broken fences, windows, and door locks and increased security patrols to keep out drug dealers.
Clark focused on discipline, school pride, and good behavior and his unconventional methods resulted in slightly higher average test schools for Eastside. His actions were both praised and criticized by many, with some saying he was doing the right things and others believing he was turning his back on poor black children that could have had potential.
He came to national attention in December of 1987 when he expelled over 60 “parasite” students (his words, not mine). The group included students past the age of 18 who were severely short of graduation credits and whom Clark felt were holding back the education of others. The Paterson school board voted to draw up insubordination proceedings against Clark, claiming that he had suspended students without their right to due process. He was also charged with violating fire codes for keeping school exit doors chained, a move he claimed was necessary in order to keep out drug dealers and keep the kids inside safe. While many among the Paterson school board wanted to see Clark dismissed as principal, his hard-line efforts at Eastside had won him widespread support throughout the larger community.
The. People. Weren’t. Having. It. At a school board meeting in January of 1988 HUNDREDS of parents and students turned up to voice their support for Clark, shouting “Without No Joe, Where Will We Go?”
Insubordination proceedings were eventually dropped against Clark and he reinstated some of the expelled students; however, a formal inquiry was still launched into the expulsions. *Insert me rolling my eyes*
Joe Clark found himself at the center of a national debate concerning educational reform in inner city school and appeared on talk shows, news programs, and magazines to discuss his methods and thoughts.
After his tenure as principal of Eastside High, Joe Clark later served as director of the Essex County Detention House in Newark, New Jersey, a juvenile detention facility.
He is also the father of Olympic track athletes Joetta Clark Diggs and Hazel Clark, and father-in-law to Olympic track athlete Jearl Miles Clark.
