by Alexander Cain
The book The Mis-education of the Negro 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. As Carter Woodson explains in the book there are a few misconceptions about the education of African-Americans that need to be corrected in order for blacks to thrive and be successful.
Education of any people should begin with the people themselves
As President Obama continues his term as the first black president in United States history, the documentation of African-Americans in history books remains insignificant at best. During 1933 when the book was written, African-Americans were only acknowledged as a supplement to the hard work and sacrifices of white Americans who helped to shape our country. This fact still remains African-Americans aren’t intertwined in the history of the U.S.. They are acknowledged as a supplement to the United States and aren’t given the same intellectual examination as White Americas. As Woodson discusses throughout the book, every ethnic group brought their own strengths and characteristics, which helped the United States propel itself to its superpower status. Woodson cites that African-Americans will never be able to build upon their strengths if they aren’t made aware of it through education and will be always a step behind as they react to confirm to the styles and strengths of their white counterparts.
