Joel Keys: Professor, Activist, Voice for the People by Safi Jamhour

At Passaic County Community College, sociology professor Joel Keys blends activism with education, urging students to mobilize for social justice in Paterson and beyond.

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Professor Joel Keys is a sociology educator at Passaic County Community College (PCCC) whose passion for activism and social justice informs every aspect of his teaching. A former athlete-turned-community leader, Keys has dedicated his career to educating students about the structural forces shaping society and the importance of grassroots mobilization.

Keys’ path to academia wasn’t traditional. As a young man, sports dominated his life. “I was an athlete growing up — basketball, football, baseball, boxing,” he recalled. His focus was so singular that he dropped out of college three times, confessing he hadn’t considered himself a student then, only an athlete.

But in 1988, a cultural movement would awaken a deeper interest.

“I was introduced to politically conscious rap — Public Enemy, X Clan, KRS-One,” said Keys. It was Public Enemy’s use of Malcolm X soundbites that piqued his curiosity. “I said, ‘Who’s this

guy, and what’s he talking about?’”

That question propelled him into a decade of self-education.

Inspired by Malcolm X’s autodidacticism, Keys read voraciously, feeding a hunger for history and politics. When the job he held folded, Keys seized an opportunity through unemployment services offering tuition deferment.

He earned his bachelor’s degree and, motivated by a new sense of purpose, took out loans to pursue a master’s degree. Today, he’s in his fourth year at PCCC, where he teaches Introduction to Sociology and previously taught College Success. Though a second-level sociology course he planned to teach didn’t fill with enough students, he remains prepared, and hopeful for future opportunities.

A Civic Voice in Paterson

Professor Keys discusses Corporate Imperialism vs. Democracy with a class

Outside the classroom, Keys is a frequent, outspoken participant at Paterson City Council meetings. His civic engagement began through his church, Calvary Baptist, where a community outreach program left a profound impression.

The Paterson Healing Collective, which aids families affected by violence, shared an emotional presentation at the church. Witnessing their raw grief and commitment, Keys was moved. “No more sitting on the sidelines for me,” he decided.

Keys wrote letters to local officials, including a direct appeal to Governor Phil Murphy when he visited the church days later. Then he drafted speeches to deliver at city council meetings, addressing systemic issues, corruption, and the importance of mobilizing for true democracy.

“I explain that democracy is of the people, by the people, for the people — but what we’ve always had is corporate imperialism,” Keys explained. Citing works like Howard Zinn’s "A People’s History of the United States" illustrates how rights were never handed down by the government but won by social justice movements through collective organizing.

Teaching History as a Guide for Action

Keys’ lectures weave history and contemporary politics together. He highlights how college students historically sparked transformative movements, from the Young Lords to the Black Panther Party. “They were students in community colleges,” he pointed out.

It’s a message that resonates with his students, many of whom like their professor, hail from working-class backgrounds.

Recently, Keys shared excerpts about fascism and corporate consolidation from political speeches and academic texts in his classes. He references Bernie Sanders’ early warnings about privatizing public institutions and the mechanisms by which powerful interests sow division through race, gender, and class conflicts — a modern echo of Marxist theory.

A New Urgency in the Trump Era

Keys argues the Trump administration intensified the urgency for local activism. He sees contemporary rollbacks of social programs like unemployment insurance and healthcare as a strategic move to hasten what Marx once predicted: the inevitable uprising of the oppressed.

“Socialist programs delayed Marx’s predictions because people weren’t desperate. Now, they’re stripping them away,” Keys explained. He points to non-corporate media, like WBAI 99.5 FM’s Peace and Justice Radio, as an essential outlet documenting grassroots organizing ignored by mainstream media.

Confronting Local Corruption

At the heart of Keys’ activism is a fight against local government corruption. Recent city council meetings have exposed systemic dysfunction, with council members reluctant to address financial irregularities and contract mismanagement.

One councilman, Michael Jackson, has become a lightning rod — both for accusations of corruption and for attempting to reform the system by separating questionable financial dealings from city payroll obligations.

Keys questions the dynamics at play. “Why is the onus on him? Why aren’t the rest of you working with him?” he challenged council members in a public meeting, highlighting the public’s frustration and distrust. “If you’re innocent, you look suspicious as hell.”

Advice for New Activists

For those unsure how to engage locally, Keys offers straightforward advice: start where you are. “I don’t really know how to get this movement started,” he admitted. “But I know how to write speeches and give them — so that’s what I’m doing.”

He urges others to connect with like-minded organizations, attend protests, tune into independent media, and most importantly, approach activism as a principle. “There could be consequences,” he warns. “And if it’s not a principle for you when those consequences come, you won’t be able to handle it. Get out of the way.”

Looking Ahead

Keys is optimistic about the connections he’s forging with groups like the Dominican American Political Force, which shares his inclusive philosophy. Both advocate for a multiethnic, united effort to address Paterson’s systemic issues. It’s a lesson he imparts to his students: real change happens when people come together, organize, and mobilize as a united force.

“I tell my students,” Keys said, “‘Democracy is not a spectator sport.’”