ABSTRACT
Th e Ocean Hill-Brownsville dispute would become the defi ning battle in a cultural war that raged in New York City during the 1960s, and continues to aff ect the city [and the nation] today. . . . Th e debate began with a basic educational question: Why did black pupil achievement levels in the New York City public school system lag behind those of whites? It soon grew to embrace the legitimacy of black lower-class culture, the validity of “middle class” values and their relevance to the black community, and the ability of traditional models of cultural pluralism to speak to all segments of the city’s population.
