Dr. Umar Johnson updates followers on the progress of his Frederick Douglass Marcus Garvey Academy. (YouTube)
Dr. Umar Johnson has promised his school to educate Black boys will open soon – again.
The popular Pan-Africanist influencer uploaded a 24-minute video to YouTube on Feb. 17 in which he excitedly gave an update on what is supposed to become the Frederick Douglass Marcus Garvey Academy (FDMG).
After sending “Peace and Pan Africanism” greetings for over two minutes, Johnson unveiled to viewers that he’d taken the boards off of the school’s windows, a moment he called historic.
“In honor of Frederick Douglass, today, brothers and sisters, Black History Month, 2023, we just made history. The board covers on the windows are off, brothers and sisters,” Johnson said. “We have taken the boards off your windows. It’s not a good Garvey day; it’s a great Garvey day! Who ready to see the FDMG windows because the haters said we didn’t have no windows.”
Johnson then proceeded to show viewers the school’s windows and take a tour of the facility, which is located in Wilmington, Delaware. During the tour, Johnson went into the bathrooms, classrooms and other rooms to show viewers the electricity and plumbing in the school were working.
“Your school, my school, our school. Who ready for the grand opening? … Who coming to the Frederick Douglass Marcus Garvey Academy grand opening? Who’s ready brothers and sisters,” Johnson asked while walking through the building halls. “Just a few more days; we’re just waiting on HVAC to finish it on up.”
The self-proclaimed Black nationalist promised the grand opening would include music, food, workshops and seminars in every classroom. Though he previously said the academy could be completed in a few days, Johnson responded to a viewer’s question that the grand opening might be on Malcolm X’s birthday, May 19.
It’s been nearly 10 years since Johnson began raising money to open a school for Black boys. According to a 2014 Diverse Issues In Higher Education report, Johnson initially planned to purchase the now-defunct HBCU St. Paul’s College in Virginia for $5 million to house FDMG.
He outlined his motivations for FDMG in an essay titled “Why I Want To Purchase St. Paul’s College.”
“If we want to reverse the special education, ADHD, psychotropic drug, juvenile incarceration, and premature extermination wars against Black boys then we will have to build schools that are uniquely designed to teach Black boys, not only how to succeed in a racially-biased society, but also how to avoid the trappings of a racist criminal justice system,” Johnson wrote.
He also detailed what the school would teach, including “Agricultural/Agronomical Science, Economic/Financial Science, Political/Military Science, Nutritional/Dietary Science, Family/Community Science, and African-Centered Spiritual/Cosmological Science.”
“In addition to these six core sciences, and the three ‘R’s,’ our boys will be taught to master at least two building trades (i.e., electrical, cosmetology, plumbing, auto, carpentry, HVAC, computer network/design, masonry, etc),” Johnson continued.
Though St. Paul’s gave Johnson time to raise the funding, in 2017, he announced they couldn’t secure the college for FDMG. “We didn’t get St. Paul’s College, but when one door closes another opens,” Johnson tweeted.
Over the years, Johnson has been accused of deceiving supporters into donating money for his own personal gain. However, Johnson has repeatedly refuted allegations that he is “scamming and stealing” from donors investing in his vision for FDMG.
In his recent video, he doubled down on that stance and challenged viewers to “show me another independent school rocking like us.”
According to a 2021 report by NewsOne, Johnson blamed the delayed school opening on Black people’s unwillingness to donate their time.
“If we had some Black folks who were willing to donate their time, the school would be up and running in 3 weeks,” Johnson said, noting the unwillingness to do so was “one of the psychological residuals of slavery.”
“If I were Mexican, the school would be done,” Johnson added. “It’s only because it’s us that we don’t take something like this (education) as serious.”
In the February video, Johnson said the classrooms in the school would be named after legendary and iconic Black leaders. He encouraged supporters to donate school furniture and send him their resumes.
Johnson’s update has received mixed reactions. Some congratulated him on his progress, while others accused him of being a scammer.
“So proud of you Dr. Umar! The ancestors are in full support!” one YouTube user commented under the video. “That whole campus is EMPOWERMENT,” said another.
“Scew the windows we want to see some classrooms done, groundskeeper working, a cafeteria done, cpu lab, and some teachers and staff setting up before opening up,” one critical user wrote.
“Lmao all he did was take the wood off the windows and yall going crazy,” said another. “What happened to Black history month grand opening , Where’s the HVAC , where’s the running water , better yet name one black boy that u helped besides yourself ?”
Fellow Pan-Africanist and author Dwayne Wong said he would not accuse Johnson of being a scammer, but he doesn’t think he is the right person to spearhead the efforts to open the school.
“I want to start this article by stating that what Umar Johnson is attempting to do with his school is a great idea, but he is simply the wrong person to lead the project,” Wong wrote in an article on Medium.
Wong then explained why he feels that way, noting that Johnson often contradicts himself and that more progress is required before Johnson can genuinely say the school has made history.
“It’s obvious from the video that Umar isn’t taking what he is doing seriously,” Wong wrote. “At this point, I am not sure how many people in the community take him seriously and this is precisely the problem with the movement today.”
“We have a lot individuals who are able to amass a following and attention because they are entertaining, but they aren’t effective at getting things done,” Wong continued. “In Umar’s case, it’s especially unfortunate that he claims to represent Pan-Africanism and African Nationalism, while name dropping ancestors who took their work very seriously.”
