Miseducation of the Negro by Carter G Woodson Essay Example
Miseducation of the Negro by Carter G Woodson Essay Example

Miseducation of the Negro by Carter G Woodson Essay Example

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  • Pages: 7 (1655 words)
  • Published: July 26, 2017
  • Type: Essay
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In his book, The Miseducation of the Negro, Carter G. Woodson addresses many issues that have been and are still prevailing in the African American community. Woodson believed that in the thick of having instruction, inkinesss lost sight of their original grounds for going educated. He believed that many inkinesss became educated merely to absorb to white civilization and effort to go successful under white criterions, alternatively of puting in their communities and using their cognition to assist other inkinesss.

Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas is a premier illustration of Woodson 's statement on `` miseducated '' inkinesss. Although Thomas benefitted from plans like affirmatory action, one time he reached the high point in his calling he supported legislative assembly to stop such plans. Hampton University and other Historically Black Colleges and Universities must take it upon th

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emselves to learn their pupils the importance of lending to their communities once they graduate and enter into the concern universe. Colleges like Hampton, Howard, Spelman and Morehouse have the chance to bring forth professionals that can reconstitute and salvage the black community. Students who graduate from these establishments have the resources and cognition that are needed to resuscitate the African American community and their economic system. Black colleges must educate their pupils on the demand for black concerns, function theoretical accounts and the importance of remaining connected to their civilization and community.

Clarence Thomas and the many inkinesss like him besides contribute to the `` category '' rift in the black community. The many educated inkinesss who do non give back to their community are labeled as `` sellouts '' by their equals and household members who still remai

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in the `` ghetto '' . Their high degrees of success cause them to lose the sense of duty that they one time had for their former community. Those who remain on the less privileged, less educated side of the black community resent their equals who have grades and white neckband occupations. They feel that these successful black work forces and adult females no longer hold a connexion to where they came from. This `` category '' rift is non merely limited to black grownups, but occurs in school age kids and adolescents. Many little black kids who dress good and have high classs in school are made merriment of and picked on by their less fortunate equals. Black high school pupils who drive nice autos and unrecorded in upper-class vicinities are sometimes labeled as `` businessperson '' by their equals who come from working or lower category households.

The disdain that is held amongst inkinesss is non merely based on category and instruction, but can be found related to colourise and/or tegument tone. Division among light skinned and dark skinned inkinesss dates back to bondage. On plantations the maestro used these skin classs to split the house slaves and the field slaves. Since place inside of the house were easier and more comfy, the slaves with lighter tegument were envied by their darker equals who were given hard outside occupations in the field. After bondage ended if your tegument was light it made it easier for you to blend into white society. Many parents encouraged their visible radiation skinned kids, particularly girls, to try to go through for white. Lighter tegument gave you chances at

better occupations, somewhat just intervention, and if your were a adult female it gave you a better opportunity of being courted by a respectable adult male. Lighter tegument was a luxury, such a luxury that many households merely married into other just skin households in hopes that their kids and future relations would hold the privilege of light tegument.

In the late 1800s and early 1900s skin tone became straight related to your category degree. Since igniter skinned inkinesss by and large landed better occupations, households of lighter skin color by and large had higher incomes and were seen as more successful over darker skinned inkinesss. On black college campuses like Hampton and Howard the igniter skinned pupils formed elect coteries and organisations. The first black sorority founded in the early 1900s on the campus of Howard University was said to merely accept members with just tegument or dark skinned misss who came from outstanding households. One of the black fraternities, which was founded at a white establishment has besides been accused of merely offering rank to male pupils with light tegument and `` good '' hair. Professional and household organisations like Jack and Jill of America, Inc. and Links, Inc. are besides said to hold members of elect backgrounds and/or fairer teguments. Although these groups were founded about a hundred old ages ago, the constructs and elitist attitude that they were founded on still exist.

Although there are biass that occur within the black community, favoritism towards inkinesss from out side groups is still a job. Racism is one of the chief subjects from Woodson 's book that still has relevance today. Racism has evolved since

bondage and Whites have found elusive and distinct ways to maintain inkinesss as the inferior groups. Examples of inactive racism are turning black households down for place loans, merely giving credence to exceed universities and colleges to little Numberss of inkinesss and leting predominately black class schools to supply unequal instruction to their pupils. Many inkinesss are besides discriminated when using for occupations and publicities at big corporations. A black adult male in peculiar, may hold a tough clip when using for high-ranking place although he has the certificates and experience needed. Woodson discusses this job in The Miseducation of the Negro when he talks about there being no type of instruction or preparation that can vouch inkinesss occupation chances.

Although favoritism is evident in the work topographic point, some inkinesss are being hired at top degrees in engineering and concern Fieldss. Many companies have diverseness sections that are used to enroll minorities. Many big corporations like Nationwide, Lockheed Martin and Johnson & A ; Johnson recruit on HBCU campuses like Hampton and Howard. Pressure on big corporations from organisations like the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People ( NAACP ) have caused these companies to try to happen and engage African Americans for some of their top degree places. Although inkinesss are being hired in the field of engineering, the community is missing cognition and resources in this country. The bulk of white households have computing machines in their places and are connected to the cyberspace, while really few black households see the demand to put in these resources. Black households would instead buy a large screen telecasting than invest in a place

computing machine. Equally far as engineering is concerned, the bulk of the black community is behind its white opposite numbers. However, there are some of us who have invested in the latest computing machines and devices. The bulk of black college pupils have computing machines, scanners, cadmium authors, facsimile machines, palm pilots and of class cell phones. Unfortunately these technologically savvy group of inkinesss will most likely end up in the `` sell out '' group discussed earlier. It is likely that these college pupils will go successful concern work forces and adult females, attorneies, physicians and even supreme tribunal justnesss like Clarence Thomas. They will hold esteemed occupation rubrics and it is possible that they will besides hold elect attitudes that will forestall them from making out to the communities in which they were born. Like Clarence Thomas, they will non see a demand for plans that may hold helped them. After all, they do n't necessitate them any longer, so why should anyone else?

Reading Woodson 's book The Miseducation of the Negro raises the question- Now that we have identified the jobs, where so we go from here? As a group we have discussed in deepness the issues in the book and have each developed an sentiment on the hereafter of the black community.

Kieth Christie: My sentiment on the inquiry where do travel from here is that I think we should maintain pressing on for what we think is right, and non allow society convey us down. I feel we as black people need to lodge together and maintain on back uping each other. We need to acquire passed the lines that divide

us, so that we can contend the things that are against us. If we are against ourselves so we can non support ourselves from outside enemies.

Tiara Ballard: Racism against Blacks and other groups wo n't vanish because it has ever been here. The inquiry is how can we diminish and educate ourselves on it. That 's what Woodson finally wants us to recognize and set into action My reply to decide the racism against Blacks ' issue is to mend the 'racism within Blacks ' issue. African Americans as a whole are traveling to hold to get down to love themselves and so distribute it to others with the same background. Most significantly we need to larn how to back up each other in everything we do. If we learn anything for the White Man, we could at least larn about how he treats his ain sort.

Johnica Garrett: In order to better ourselves, we must acknowledge and place the jobs within our community. Once this is done, we must be willing to work on these countries. We must implement plans that encourage integrity within our communities. There are rifts amongst all groups of people, but the key is to non allow these divisions be evident to your enemy. An illustration of this is the integrity America is portraying to the remainder of the universe right now. Despite the many jobs we have within our state, our authorities realizes that we must at least look to be united in the eyes of enemy. The black community needs to hold on the importance of scheme and competition. We must seek twice every bit difficult as anyone else

in school and work to turn out that we are at least their peers.

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