The Miseducation Of The Negro: A Reflection On 5 Thoughts Still Relevant Today

We have relegated the majority of our education towards teaching and preaching

As shown through several recent studies, the educational divide between minorities and whites is growing especially in the subjects of math and science. Woodson argues African-Americans fall flat in math and science for two reasons: 1) the immediate family and community fail to put everyday relevance to math and science for many African-American children, 2) there seems to be a discouragement of professional education within African-American communities because of fear with education leading many African-Americans away from the masses. Woodson performed research evaluating the homes of different ethnic groups and concluded that African-Americans fail to use their education to solve their problems close to home. Education was focused more towards memorizing irrelevant facts than the ultimate goal of thinking. There needs to be more open discussion of how breakthroughs in the world of math and science have impacted homes and how it can be used for further development rather than merely accepting advances as they are.

Within many African-American communities today, many children are discouraged from pursuing professional education in fears of ‘becoming white’ or forgetting where they have come from. While education can sometimes lead to flight of a community, professional education should be encouraged as a means to help reinvest in the African-American community.