The Importance Of Black Studies In Higher Education

Martha Biondi (2011), discusses the trajectory, development, growth, training, history, of African American studies, and the expansion of doctoral programs of African American studies necessary for the future trajectory in that field. The article further examines the fields in black colleges, as well as predominantly European institutions and challenge these institutions for the incorporation of African American studies.

“The Black Studies Program: Strategy and Structure” was published Fall of 1972 in The Jounal of Negro Education. It’s contents are a relection on the years before when colleges and universitys were allowing African Americans to attend , but did not provide curriculum about or for African Americans.

The aspect of African-American Studies is key to the lives of African-Americans and those involved with the welfare of the race. African-American Studies is the systematic and critical study of the multidimensional aspects of Black thought and practice in their current and historical unfolding (Karenga, 21). African-American Studies exposes students to the experiences of African-American people and others of African descent. It allows the promotion and sharing of the African-American culture. However, the concept of African-American Studies, like many other studies that focus on a specific group, gender, and/or creed, poses problems. Therefore, African-American Studies must overcome the obstacles in order to

“Historically Black Colleges and Universities, or HBCUs, have played an important role in enriching the lives of not just African Americans, but our entire country.”(Keller) What Ric Keller states here is an opinion that outlines a compelling fact about HBCUs that along with several other significant information that may come as a surprise. Essentially, the great debate between the choice of whether an Historically Black College and University or Predominantly White Institution is more beneficial or not can become a pondering interrogation. Each acronym defines itself, Historically Black Colleges and Universities(HBCUs) were established by the means of providing an education for predominantly African American students. Whereas, Predominantly White Intuitions(PWI) serve to instruct and educated the opposite or in other words those of Caucasian descent.

Within both of Nathan Hare’s articles, he discusses his beliefs on what Black Studies can

Thus Black Studies argues for a number of far-reaching reforms. There should be a greater emphasis on student participation in the teaching/learning process, rather than the banking process where the teacher deposits knowledge into students’ heads and periodically (at exam time) makes withdrawals. ….. Finally, freedom, like effective education, is achieved most often when groups of human beings cooperate with each other, not when lone individuals compete against all others” (Cole, pg

Historically black colleges and universities should be persevered because of the supportive environment. If you attend a HBCU you with find that a host of very devoted and accomplished faculty and professors. At most universities there is a hundreds of students professors must teach on the daily bases and often students become numbers. With a larger class sizes professors can’t take the time to get to know their students or even learn their names. At HBCUs, students have an opportunity to get more one-on-one assistance with their professors. Professors are more willing to go the extra mile to make sure you make the best academic decisions and to perform well in your studies. At HBCU you can meet new people who come from similar backgrounds

As we asked before who has the right to think? And as we all answered, everyone has the right to think; so now think about this: Knowledge, Power, and Race. If black studies is the epistemology of studying black people in the world- such as their history, culture, sociology, and religion, then why raise the question of who should teach black studies?

Thinking about the struggle that lead to the emergence of Black studies departments in America, with help from students and teachers, to understanding today based on past failures what the right kind of education looks like, feels like and the outcomes it produces, it becomes clear that the legacy of educating Black people to have white minds is still in play. Additionally, after all that Black studies departments have accomplished, a return back to communal involvement/community service as a requirement for students within these departments, keeps the legacy of what fostered Black Student Unions and departments to form in the first place, this particularly being valuing intellectual growth

Abstract: Since the Transatlantic Slave Trade, African Americans have been dependent upon those of fairer complexions to educate them about the culture and history of their own people. Unfortunately, the trip over to the Americas caused them to lose touch with several parts of their being; native tongues, culture/heritage and most of all their self-righteous. Somewhere along the way they forgot that they are creators of every major practice; from metallurgy to agriculture; practices that essentially influenced the entire world. The Transatlantic Slave Trade essentially and effectively brainwashed a group of people. It caused people of the African diaspora to lose sight of who they really are; installing negative and inferior perception of their ancestry, while also installing white superiority through their mindsets. African Americans innately depended on white people for every part of their life, even later slavery. In regards to education, African Americans depended on white Americans to build infrastructures for the education of black people. This unfortunately continued the cycle of white dependency. While African Americans thought they were enhancing their knowledge, all they were doing was becoming more equipped servants to their white

“When you control a man’s thinking, you do not have to worry about his actions”.(Woodson ix) After the hand of slavery, some African Americans felt that it is necessary to be educated, so they can add value to themselves and to their community through the help of education, But it was quiet unfortunate that the education they acquired was bias in multiple ways and areas. “Negros are taught to admire the Hebrew, the Greek, the Latin and the Teuton and to despise the African” ( Woodson Chapter1). Many African Americans’ today believe that they were being sold-out by their own people in back in Africa, the motherland, perhaps in actuality, most of the people that were taken away from the continent of Africa were not sold-out but forcefully taken away by the Europeans. African Americans have been miseducated in various ways such as history, literature, religion, philosophy, are all propaganda just to misdirect the African American make them look bad or seem pretty much worthless.

African-American studies has been set in place to broaden an individual 's knowledge based on the history, literature, politics, and the lifestyle of Black Americans. Course 271 has helped me realize what African-American Studies is as an interdisciplinary field. It is not just a discipline, it is so much more. African-American studies is a way to learn about individuals outside Black History Month. African-American studies provides a way to deepen an individual’s understanding from the diaspora. It also teaches the history of my people in a way that I never learned in secondary school. It reinforces the importance to immerse myself into my history and culture. In my opinion, African-American Studies leads to mental liberation and a

Your topic of research has been a question I have pondered for a while. Being African American from an impoverished area makes it hard for me to understand why, given the exact same opportunities, some break the cycle of low educational achievement but the majority remain in the multi-generational cycle. The neighborhood schools are filled with highly qualified teachers, resources, and caring individuals yet the outside environment, in my opinion, has a major control over the educational mindset of the students. I believe the results of your research would be a tool for many educators.

In the early 1900s, schools along with education were taking a huge leap from not being able to educate blacks, to having blacks actually create their own schools. Moreover, higher education in the schools were becoming necessary for good paying jobs in this country, you couldn’t just be a farmer for your whole life. African Americans were taking huge risks to educate their own people, they were building schools and finding ways of improving themselves in their own country. Making names for themselves is a huge part in their movement.

Introduction to African American Studies was the class that I decided to take this summer because I am genuinely interested in learning more about the cultures and lifestyles of African Americans through out history and I want to further my knowledge beyond just learning about what was taught to me in secondary school. I do not know much about African American studies as I have not taken any courses on it or relating to it in the past but I hope that I can gain a lot of information on the topic through out this intellectual experience. I also hope to gain a better understanding of the history of Africans and African Americas and be able to dive deeper into this topic instead of just hitting the surface as I feel as though my previous experiences with this topic have covered. In just this first weeks lesson I have learned about the three great principles that characterize the “Black Intellectual Tradition” and how these three principles are used and perceived.