Customer Reviews

The Mis-Education Of The Negro

5 star:		(51)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This book was written 60 years ago but 75% of it is amazingly relevant today! Dr. Carter G. Woodson is the historian who created Negro History Week which became Black History Month.

The most memorable qualities of this book are that it teaches the power of education. It illustrates how an improper education makes a people unfit to solve their own problems AND how a proper education leads to freedom. Read this. It could save your life.

This book ought to be required reading for every teacher, educator, administrator, and parents who intereact with children of African descent. Woodson's work helps us understand that African peoples are truely mis-educated. We largely receive an Eurocentric or White middle class, elitist education that by and large does not serve the needs of our communities. This mis-education creates a serious identity crisis on the part of African youth and it causes many Black "educated" middle class people to spend more time trying to reach the consumer American Dream rather than working toward a real self-determination agenda of African peoples. Thus it's of little suprise today that most African students never enroll in a course on African/African-American studies. In fact, these courses are becoming more rare in high school and colleges across the nation. Even with the current renaissance of Black literature in this country, the study of African/Black culture, politics, and spiritual life are rarely discussed. In Woodson's words: "Real education means to inspire people to live more abundantly, to learn to begin with life as they find it and make it better, but the instruction so far given Negroes [and still today] in colleges and universities [and elementary and secondary schools] has worked to the contrary. In most cases such graduates have merely increased the number of malcontents who offer no program for changing the undesiriable conditions about which they complain. " Woodson's book is clearly not out-dated. In fact, it reads as if it were published last year, instead of 1933. I would like to close this response to Woodson's work with another classic quote from him: "If you control a man's thinking you do not have to worry about his action. When you determine what a man shall think you do not have to concern yourself about what he will do. If you make a person feel that he/she is inferior, you do not have to compel him/her to accept an inferior status, he/she will seek for it. If you make a person think he/she is a justly outcast, yoiu do not have to order that person to the back door, that person will go without being told, and if there is no back door, the very nature of that person will demand one."

I read this book in 1992 for a Black Studies program while attending SUNY New Paltz. Woodson's knowledge is as poignant today as it was in the 30's when he originally wrote the material. It is one book that post-reading, the reader comes away with a totally different perspective of Black thought. I highly recommend this book to every American, but especially to scholars interested in the historical disparities in U.S. educational system as it relates to African/Latino Americans today. Mis-Education of the Negro is a treasured classic within the pages of written history. Without this book, a large "chunk" of the puzzle concerning contemporary affirmative action policy debates would be amiss. Woodson offers much needed answers & solutions and encapsulates them in a style that is still very much relevant today. No doubt, 5 stars across the board!

While reading this book so many things that Cater G. Woodson said back in the 1930's are still going on and are true today. For example, blacks who invest so much faith in the wrong community/political leaders, blacks religious leaders who drive their big expensive cars and give the wrong message to our people and how blacks will not buy from other blacks because they don't want to see him/her get ahead in their own community. Also knowing how blacks have problems taking orders from other blacks in supervisory position.

The thing that most influenced me in this book is that we as black people need to take an aggressive approach to changing and leading our community. We as black americans need to stop looking to white people for our solutions, because we already have the solutions to many of our problems. And last of all we should stop hating one another and start appreciating the great ideals in our community. What makes this book so great is that it shines the spotlight on what is wrong in the black community, but also on ways of how to fix the things that are wrong in the community concerning education, poverty, job creation, business creation and self sufficiency.

Before picking this book up to read I was aware of the knowledge I needed on African American's in the Education system. After reading it I felt empowered and sad. Empowered because now I had a little more knowledge and saddened because now I know what was kept from me all my school years. It amazes me how we were not taught any of our history not even in college. It also amazes me how people got away with not educating us.

Dr. Carter shows us how 30 years ago the system was designed to keep us ignorant and as experiments. Quote from Dr. Woodson "Negroes, being objects of charity, have received them cordially and have done what they were required." To this day they are still using the same system but I think we are smarter now and know where the resources are to get what we need.

Reviewed by Missy

Mr. Woodson speaks in an almost prophetic tone in this masterful work. This book spoke as a warning in 1933 and it speaks now as a witness to what happens when a people, in general, does not cultivate its own fundamental and progressive thoughts. Mr. Woodson challenges the minds of both the miseducated and the miseducators to move in new directions. I recommend this book as one to be read by everyone at least once in a lifetime.

I am a twenty-four year old African American man and I read this book six years ago, and even at that young age I found it "On point". Dr. Woodson wrote this book over 60 years ago and his observations of social and educational conditions hold true to this day. This book was my introduction to my continuing studies of African American history, and I recommend that anyone beginning their studies begin with this book. There will be many instances when you will nod your head in agreement with what is stated, and other times when you will learn things about your own behaviors that you could not previously understand. The only reason that I couldn't give this book five stars is because it is a scholarly text and it is a little difficult for less sophisticated readers.

Incredible book. I routinely recommend this book to my colleagues, family, friends and church members.

Important to note that the book was first copyright in 1933! 70+ years ago!

I would guess that the book was written last year if not for the terms used and writing style. What does this say about the productive cultural changes in the AA community. It ain't politics that are the problem. It is the culture and values.

Let's be INTROSPECTIVE. Look in the mirror my people. Change starts with me and you. Not HIM.

_The Mis-Education of the Negro_ was first published when jim crow was the law of the land and our schools and military were segregated. Seventy years later institutionalized racism is gone, but African-Americans are still in many respects second-class citizens. Why this is so is scathingly shown in Woodson's classic book.

No one is without blame - white or black - in this mis-education, Woodson argues. The public school system largely run by whites does little to celebrate or recognize African-American achievments, essentially teaching young African-Americans that they have little to contribute. Even those white teachers who genuinely mean well and want to help African-Americans do a disservice to the Black community by not being culturally competent, essentially attempting to teach African-American students to "fit in" to white society. African-Americans who have become successes in business do not hire other African-Americans continuing to relegate them to lower social status. Even African-American churches do not escape Woodson's criticism, as he claims that they do little to celebrate or recognize the uniqueness and rich cultural heritage of Americans of African descent. Woodson believes this scandalous state of affairs continues to prevent African-Americans from realizing the "American dream." Only by recognizing the uniqueness of Black culture and encouraging the African-American community to support itself (rather than tear itself apart) will real social and economic change begin. This, of course, must first start with education.

Certainly many things have changed since this book was first put into print, due in part to the efforts of people like Woodson (the individual responsible for first, Black History week, then Black History month). Yet clearly there is much left to be done. As Cornel West wrote, "Race Matters." Yes, it does - Woodson saw this over two generations ago and began to do something about it. One can only hope more Americans - black and white - will read this landmark book and begin to act accordingly.

Carter G. Woodson's constructive critique of the how the education system in America plays a pivotal role in ensuring African-Americans' dependence on white America. This is not book of protest. In fact, Mr. Woodson proposes that, "One should rely upon protest only when it is supported by a constructive program". The writing here is clear, concise and compelling. I often don't finish reading books. This one was very difficult to put down. This book is a MUST READ for all African-Americans. You didn't hear me...READ THIS BOOK!