REAL work in Detroit...

Marcus Kline with some of his many students.

In the 90s in Chicago, I used to purchase and read the Frontline Magazine. I was impressed by how it pushed Black culture and radical thought. The magazine was far reaching across the United States and into other countries. It was the brainchild of Marcus Kline, who I had the opportunity to meet back then. The more I learn of this brother, the more impressive and inspiring are his contributions.

The Background

Marcus Kline was born in Motor City, Detroit, on July 29, 1969. He grew up on Detroit’s West Side in rough neighborhoods. His mother was a school teacher while his father was like many of the “street cats” back in the 60s and 70s. Both of his parents were inspirations in his life. Although his dad was not in the home, he was always present. Brother Marcus went to the Northwestern High School where gangs were an everyday reality. Another very important person in the life of Marcus was his big sister, Nicole Kline, older by 9 years. His mother had multiple sclerosis and as a result his sister raised him because of this debilitating disease.

He went to Oakwood College for 2 years before going to Rutgers University in New Jersey where he majored in Business. It was in 1993 that Marcus moved to Chicago and started Frontline Magazine the following year with his wife Ashaki Bochum-Kline. The magazine went international before the rise of social media. It was not only in all of the major cities but it was translated into French and Spanish. It was distributed in Montreal, Toronto, London, South Africa, Senegal, Jamaica, and Brazil.

Beloved Ashaki Bochum-Kline, she passed away in 2014.

The organizational, research, and business operations of Frontline Magazine prepared him as a teacher and educational leader in the Afrikan-Centered school movement. Also, he credits Steve Cokely with encouraging him to dig deeper as a researcher and Chairman Fred Hampton Jr. with teaching him about organizational and operational alliances in the community. These life experiences would make him into an educational visionary.

The Work

When the son of Marcus and Ashaki was old enough to go to school, they knew they wanted him to receive an education that taught him about his culture, history, and people. They didn’t want him to be “mis-educated” in the public school system. Marcus and his wife went into their basement and began teaching their son the type of education they knew that was best for him. Parents of 5 other students enrolled their children not long afterwards. Before the first school year was over, he had 36 students and had to look for another location. Today, the Freedom Home Academy (FHA) of Chicago has its own building and enrolls over 100 students and that’s only the beginning.

Through a combination of owning and leasing in three separate buildings, Brother Marcus Kline is operating a K-8 school (FHA) and two preschools called the Schools of Literacy with 60 students combined. The schools are tuition-based, sovereign-independent, and funded by the parents and other supporters. The curriculum is Afrikan-Centered, with high academic standards for students.

The school environment developed by Marcus Kline is loving and nurturing for all of the students. The students excel academically and each year they get to grandstand during commencement ceremonies. Graduations have been held at the DuSable Museum and these are very different from other schools. They are an annual Freedom Home Academy Expo ran and operated primarily by the students who not only dance and sing, but they provide an expo of math and science. Brother Marcus is challenging the way we think about commencement ceremonies. He is an educational architect and a visionary.

The Vision

In 2008, the Freedom Home Academy began in a South Side of Chicago basement and has grown into a school with its own building. The two Schools of Literacy for preschool students began afterwards. Brother Marcus’ work is commendable, but he is far from done. With a record of success to go with it, he has other projects in the making.

The Freedom Home Academy of Detroit (K-5), the Nkrumah International Academy High School in Chicago, and two more preschools both called the Heka Holistic Academy are scheduled to open doors soon. The Oni African Nursery will open soon in Chicago as well. In addition to these operations that have scheduled opening dates, Brother Marcus has other plans that he’s working on.

As an architect, he is committed to mastering institutional development and operations in the United States with the schools under his leadership. He believes in Pan-Afrikan networks. One of his goals is to open a school in Ghana to provide opportunities for Afrikan children and develop student leaders in our homeland. He has already purchased acres of land in Accra for that purpose. Marcus Kline has impacted the lives of hundreds of students and families, not to mention thousands of supporters. He is an institution builder and has continued to encourage countless others.

Like a phoenix from the ashes, as with most visionaries, Marcus has endured hardship and has learned the value of leadership and giving back to others. He watched multiple sclerosis debilitate his mother during her life and she passed from the disease in 2012. His father passed the following year. His wife passed from a sudden brain aneurysm the next year. His love for his people and Afrikan-Centered education is what drives him. He has turned loss into accomplishment with his work and he is an inspiration to us all.

Brother Marcus Kline helped found the National Black Independent School Fund which raises scholarships for existing schools that are independent and privately funded by parents, like his schools. His efforts will continue to develop. He will continue to encourage others to reach for their dreams. He will continue to inspire us all. He is a man of sacrifice and service to his people and someone worth all of us following and supporting.

About the author

Mukasa Afrika Ma’at holds a Bachelor of Arts in Black Studies from CSU. He earned a Master of Science in Education Administration from GMU and a Master of Arts in Inner-City Studies Educational Leadership from NEIU. He is an historian, author, blogger, and poet. He has done critical essays on Black Leadership, politics, and culture along with extensive research and essays on Afrikan-Centered education. Mukasa Ma’at is a Black Belt martial arts instructor who developed and founded Ma’at-Sumu, a full mixed-martial arts combat system. He has been a teacher and education administrator of Afrikan-Centered schools. He has supported Afrikan-Centered schools and CIBI. Recently, he founded the National Black Independent School Fund to create scholarships. He is an education advocate for poor children and blogs on funding equity and access. He is presently working on his doctoral studies in education at GMU with his dissertation on rites of passage. To support the National Black Independent School Fund donate at www.gofundme.com/sovereigneducation

Addendum

Meanwhile, after all of the commotion caused in part by the foolish behavior of your so-called "Prince of Pan-Africanism," does he apologize?

Nope...

He only wants you to know that he's sold out.

Damn...

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