It is with heavy hearts that we are announcing the passing of our beloved founder and brother, Dr. Anyim Palmer. Dr. Palmer made his transition on Friday, December 15, 2017 while under the care of physicians at the Long Beach College Medical Center, he was 95 years of age.
Dr. Anyim Palmer was one of the most innovative, resourceful educators of his time. Dr. Palmer took an early adolescent vision and created a model for educating children that could be used to address the current American Educational crisis.
If you were to ask this most remarkable man the formula for his incredible exploits in educating African American children, he consistently pointed to his elementary and high school system of Forth Worth, Texas. He attended James E. Guinn Elementary and I.M. Terrel High school. Despite strict segregation, substandard facilities and equipment in comparison to non-minority institutions, Black teachers produced students who routinely out scored their majority counterparts in reading and math tests. In hindsight, Dr. Palmer cited the highly competitive academic environment in which he was developed as the anchor of his educational achievements.
With an unparalleled work ethic and a relentless ambition to develop exceptional students, Dr. Palmer followed a direct path to success. After high school he enrolled in Temple University in Philadelphia Pennsylvania where he made the dean’s list his first and only year at the university. Unable to secure a scholarship or a job to pay for tuition, Dr. Palmer left college for the military. After a brief stint in the Army, followed by several menial jobs, he left the south and ventured to California.
For the next 14 years he amassed a plethora of degrees and teaching credentials while simultaneously working full time. From his AA degree in 1960 from Los Angeles City College to his Doctorate in Secondary Educational Administration & Political Science in 1972 from Claremont Graduate School, Dr. Palmer turned specialized knowledge into extraordinary academic performance.
In 1975, while still a tenured professor in the Pan African Studies Department at California State University at Los Angeles, Dr. Palmer founded the Marcus Garvey School with his life savings, the sum of twenty thousand dollars. After creating much greatness in the lives of many students, he retired from the Marcus Garvey School in 1997.
For 42 years, the Marcus Garvey School has unequivocally stood as testimony to the incredible achievements of its founder. The school has received national acclaim for its academic achievements performed by students. One news reporter dubbed the Marcus Garvey School “the miracle school”.
Dr. Anyim Palmer will be greatly missed by all of the students, teachers, administrators, and parents he impacted throughout his journey here on earth. Although he has made his transition, he will always live on through the wonderful Legacy he has left behind, the Marcus Garvey School.
Please visit the Marcus Garvey School website at Marcusgarveyschool.org for information regarding funeral arrangements.
