“History shows that it does not matter who is in power… those who have not learned to do for themselves and have to depend solely on others never obtain any more rights or privileges in the end than they had in the beginning.” – Dr. Carter Goodwin Woodson
I read a book many years ago titled The Mis-education of the Negro. It was originally written as a dissertation by author Carter Godwin Woodson who wanted to investigate how efficient the current education structure was for African-Americans. Despite being written in 1933, some of the struggles facing African-Americans mentioned in the book still hold true today: African-Americans have the highest unemployment and poverty level percentages of all ethnic groups. African-Americans show the lowest percentages of being business owners, and despite facing lower barriers to college entry than in 1933 African-Americans still show the lowest college admittance and graduation rates of all ethnic groups.
The foundation of Dr. Woodson’s book is that African-Americans of his day were being culturally indoctrinated, rather than taught, in American schools. When students are being exposed and educated through a one-sided view of society they are being culturally indoctrinated and not taught to be thinkers, problem solvers, and leaders. This conditioning, he claims, causes African-Americans to become dependent and to seek out inferior places in the greater society of which they are a part. He challenges his readers to “do for themselves”, regardless of what they were taught. Doing for self is being leaders and not followers, being aggressive and ambitious and not subservient and passive. It means making things happen to better your quality of life.
As I contemplate the state of today’s Black adolescents, rereading this piece of literature provided a new perspective on the present condition of African-Americans. This book is more than a piece of literary history; it is the lens with which we should use to reevaluate our education, our family and our commitment to building a stronger African-American community.
What I loved most about this book is how it illustrates the power of education and knowledge. It explains how an improper education can make people unfit to solve their own problems. Furthermore, it explains how a proper education can lead to freedom. I whole-heartedly believe that the neglect and continued falsification of African American History which is taught in the school system, as well as the blatant distortion of the facts concerning us in most history books, has gravely deprived Black children of their racial heritage, and relegated them to a state of a perpetuated feeling of nothingness. What I see before me is the product of the aftermath: a completed cycle of this misguided conditioning, an ignorance begetting more ignorance.
As stated by Woodson “If you teach the Negro that he has accomplished as much good as any other race he will aspire to equality and justice without regard to race.”
We must ask ourselves, are African-American students being taught or culturally indoctrinated in American schools? Are they being taught to simply settle for inferior statuses in life and continue to serve in subservient roles? Are we teaching them to be proud of their African heritage and that they are descendants of Kings and Queens? Will reinforcing that they come from greatness raise their personal expectations of themselves? This may not be the answer in totality to a complex and convoluted problem, but I do feel that one must have self-pride before they can reach their greater potential.
(Mahari A. McTier is a Financial Advisor with Tier 1 Advisors, LLC and can be reached at maharimctier1@gmail.com.)
