It is a most remarkable process that while in one department of a university a Negro may be studying for a profession, in another department of the same university he is being shown how the Negro professional man cannot succeed." It is urgent that one understands this before they dive in2) Mr. Woodson was a pivotal This review is long overdue. He will find his 'proper place' and will stay in it. 0000002897 00000 n
Reading it in my youth and reading it in my - well, non youth - were definitely different experiences. If the Negro is to be elevated he must be educated in the sense of being developed from what he is, and the public must be so enlightened as to think of the Negro as a man. A powerful read--unfortunately, so many of his observations regarding white hegemony and the systematic subjugation of African Americans remain true today.
The book remains relevant, because even though most agree, as a community, we still have a way to go in putting many of his … This book is one that is worth owning, despite the 1933 publication date. A great historical document and extremely important to those in education who are concerned with racial injustice. The book may have been shocking when it was written, but it represents mainstay thought about education, today. I wish this was required reading at my high school or even my community college before I transferred to one. In it, Woodson outlines what he sees as the repercussions of an ineffective Negro educational system. He indicates that you aren’t elevating people unless you are helping them help themselves. I recommend this book to anyone interested in African-American studies and/or the history of education in the United States. He has provided depth and perspective in his writing. Philosophy, science, history, and the humanities (which are called such because they are what differentiates us as human and the study of humanizes us).However, how useful is a man's knowledge of Plato in an agricu The father of Black History Month, Woodson started Black History Week in 1926. He will go without being told." After learning the facts in the case the Negro must develop the power of execution to deal with these matters as do people of vision." Woodson separates the book by chapters highlighting certain deficienties the black race has grown accustom to and perpetuates. While he endorses the fierce work ethic Washington sought to make the hallmark of black people, he rejects a servile acceptance of the permanent social underclass. More than just a book, it is a manual; blue print rather for the uplifting and enlightening of a people without the common stowaway of blaming “the-man” as the father, author, creator, and personified of every woe upon the African American people. Speaking of life experience, the conclusions the author makes based on his personal encounters are often valid but limited in their own way. Some of the prime examples Woodson brings to light are how black Americans are told there will be no job opportunities in particular field should they choose to study them, being told they are not fit for certain fields, and being discredited or ignored despite being well educated in a particular field. 0000024674 00000 n
He seems to take issue with many black doctors and their motivations for going into such work, he says, “Too many Negroes go into medicine and dentistry for selfish purposes, hooping thereby to increase their income and spend it on joyous living. Chapter 5 The Failure to Learn to Make a Living In the early 20th century, Black children and adults were educated to be consumers not producers or owners of business enterprises, especially those related to laundry or manual labor. She states that “historically, blacks have used education as an emancipatory and economic tool”—now, their education may very well be a part of what is crippling them. He strongly believed that Blacks need to study their history more. When I get this book I will tell you all about it! This conditioning, he claims, causes blacks to become dependent and to seek out inferior places in the greater society of which they are a part. Many black people and institutions have taken Woodson's admonishments to heart and made positive changes. I was delighted to see that this book has the same messages and the same focus. Education of the Negro have been thoroughly researched and provided for users of the Study Guide.