Great piece by my colleague, Dr. Bentley-Edwards in Educational Psychology, at UT. It appears in the latest issue of Time Magazine. I like the view expressed herein that to NOT address African American's prior history is to be indifferent to them.
The inclusive, more comprehensive treatment of history that she calls for carries over well into all area studies curriculum.
If you see my last post on the prison-curriculum project out of California, we may similarly infer just how dehumanizing our assimilationist educational systems are, on the one hand, and the potential of curriculum, on the other, to illuminate extant hierarchies of power as much as by what is taught, as by what is systematically not taught.
After all, you cannot defeat a people with a history and therein derives the motivation, the civilizational racism, the unexamined assumptions that are the motors of racist ideologies that keep our current system "working"—not to liberate, but to domesticate—and to do so through the subjugation of specific kinds of knowledge itself.
-Angela
We Need to Change How We Teach Black History
When the teaching of African Americans’ history begins with slavery, it ignores their humanity now
Columnist and Black Lives Matter activist Shaun King recently wrote that Black History Month should not begin and end with lessons of American slavery. This is exactly right but for reasons somewhat different from the ones that he puts forth.
School children, as well as
adults, should understand the breadth of black heritage. When we study
any other group, we recognize the fullness of their humanity. Just as we
should never forget the pain of the Holocaust when we talk about Jewish
history, we do not often begin discussions with that horrific event.
When you recognize a group’s humanity, you understand that these
historical moments were preceded by their own socio-historical contexts.
Well before the rise of European
imperialism, the peoples of Africa had their own empires and political
systems. In West Africa, the fall of the Songhai Empire and ensuing
civil wars left its people vulnerable for colonial exploitation and
enslavement. Points in history are also related to events that occur
years later and influence current perceptions and policies. Stereotypes
of African American men as strong but not smart and women as hypersexual
can be traced to common perceptions of enslaved Africans.
I am not suggesting that people
should know the vast history of Africans just for knowledge’s sake or
for a sense of cultural pride, although each is important. People should
learn this history because everyone should know that my black ancestors
were humans, not slaves. These Africans were kidnapped and later
enslaved.
Enslaved Africans brought
culture and norms with them that impacted their language, diet and
spirituality. When enslaved Africans are described as slaves instead of
as humans, the harms they suffered are diminished. Take, for example,
Scholastic’s unfortunate decision to publish a children’s book called “A
Birthday Cake for George Washington” just in time for Black History
Month. It shows the pervasive misunderstanding of the African American
experience.
This modern-day slave book,
which was recently rescinded by the publisher, portrays the life of
Hercules, George Washington’s enslaved master chef. I don’t know whether
it is ironic or blatant indifference to write a book about Hercules having so much pride in baking a grand
birthday cake for George Washington while omitting that he escaped
bondage on a subsequent birthday. It should be understood that people
can have pride in their work, or even a privileged position within the
hierarchy of slavery, yet still know they are oppressed and still seek
their freedom. If Hercules’ humanity were accepted, then the authors and
publishers would understand that a skewed depiction of happy slaves is
neither refreshing nor new.I vividly remember that my elementary history book included depictions of grinning enslaved Africans playing the fiddle, couples dancing and babies toddling about in its two-page section on slavery. I remember being uncomfortable then, and it disturbs me that these or similar images continue to be the introduction to black history for so many people.
Which leads to this point: The ways in which we teach black history need improvement.
Incessantly reciting lists of
black inventions and firsts without discussing the contexts of the
accomplishments provides only a shell of what Carter G. Woodson intended
when he initiated our annual celebration of black people. For example,
Benjamin Banneker, who was a freeman and prolific scientist, is most
often recognized for being a key surveyor of Washington, D.C. What is
not typically discussed is that he gained much of his scientific
knowledge from his formerly enslaved father, who was from a learned
Wolof family. The Wolof people (in present day Senegal) are an ethnic
group that was once part of the Songhai Empire — known for its cultural
and intellectual hubs. This context provides insight about how Banneker,
with little formal education, would become a scientist and surveyor,
among other accomplishments.
When the telling or teaching of
African Americans’ history begins with slavery, it ignores their
humanity now, just as their humanity was denied in the past. When the
profound contributions of African Americans before, during and after
their enslavement are recognized, then their humanity — and therefore my humanity — is undeniable, and black lives would, in fact, matter.
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