The MisEducation of the Negro by Carter G Woodson belongs among the list of “must-reads” for every African American household. First published in 1933, the information in this book (sadly) is just as relevant today as it was then. At its heart this book is about the deplorable state of the educational system as it relates to African Americans, and is centered around the lack of authentic African/African American history in schools.
The MisEducation of the Negro reveals the deliberate and calculated plan of America’s Educational System to provide so-called “negro, black, colored, and African-American” students with a sub-standard education so that they will not be able to compete academically, economically, or socially with their white counterparts. The purpose of this mis-education was to give African American students “training” so that they could work the jobs, and to provide white students with “education” so that they could run commerce and industry – in other words, the plan was to purposely create a lower class of workers and an upper class of executives, managers, and business owners.
This book was light-years ahead of its time, as it examined the effects of negative images and books on the mind and brought to light the deliberate erasure of any positive African history from every book used in schools to educate African Americans.
The MisEducation of the Negro reveals a fact that many are only just now beginning to grasp, if you cannot see or imagine yourself being successful, you can never become successful. Even more despicable is that this was a planned attack on our people.
Dr. Woodson, in his book, uncovers the plot to deliberately manufacture and disseminate disparaging and inaccurate images of people of African descent around the country, and more importantly, to teach it to the youth from the time they enter kindergarten to the time they exit high school, or if they’re lucky or especially talented, college.
The book also reveals how mis-education becomes “self-perpetuating,” meaning that one generation of mis-educated people teaches the next, creating a vicious cycle designed to keep our people ignorant of themselves and of this crime committed against our minds.
The MisEducation of the Negro can be used as a valuable blueprint for countering the system that was put into place right after the time of slavery and still exists today.
If you know where there are gaps in your child’s education, parents and teachers can bridge them by providing students with the rich history of African people throughout the world, which occurred both BEFORE and AFTER the time of slavery, a period rarely taught in inner-city schools.
By creating curricula that focus on developing our students’ talents, creativity, and inner light, and by providing them with positive images of African American success, happiness, and wholeness, we might inspire them to aspire to greatness.
At just 106 pages, The MisEducation of the Negro is an easy read and a good place to start if you want to understand why our people appear to be missing from textbooks any time before the so-called “African Slave Trade,” and if you are questioning why there is such a disconnect between our children and their attitude toward schools and education.
On a scale of 1 to 10 I give this book a TEN as a must-read!
The time is now to go back and claim your true history and knowledge – to use it to change your world for the better. – This is the Spirit of Sankofa
Book Review by HERO – www.AfroPerspectives.com
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