Unsurprisingly, the African American Studies Department at Berkeley High-- which nearly received the horrible fate of being lumped in with everyone else receiving budget cuts-- has protested its way free.

Protesting cuts to the African American studies department at Berkeley High School, scores of students, parents and teachers flooded the halls of last night's school board meeting in time to hear school board officials announce the department will remain intact.

The decision comes after negotiations between the teachers' union and school district officials consolidated smaller departments, including African American studies in a cost saving measure last month. They also eliminated all department head positions.

Mr. McKnight, head of the AA department, has changed his tune rather quickly. Just yesterday he was calling the decision

“I think it’s the manifestation of white supremacy at its zenith,” said Robert McKnight, a teacher and former chair of the department. “We are not going to just completely acquiesce.”

Today it's nothing more then

Robert McKnight, chair of the African American studies department, said this incident highlights weaknesses in the district's administration.

"The district needs to take more time to develop a process for decision-making that is more inclusive of the stakeholders," McKnight said. "They need to work closer with each school site."

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