The Mis-Education of This Negro: A Preservice Teacher's Quest for a Comprehensive Understanding of African American History and Social Justice

Hayes, Jason, Black History Bulletin

As a preservice teacher who will be teaching U.S. history in a high school during the 2005-2006 academic year, I am committed to ending the mis-education of African American children originally described by Dr. Carter G. Woodson over seventy years ago:

"The same educational process which inspires and stimulates the oppressor with the thought that he is everything and has accomplished everything worth while, depresses and crushes at the same time the spark of genius in the Negro by making him feel that his race does not amount to much and never will measure up to the standards of other people." (1)

During my journey through a teacher preparation program, I realized that because my public school teachers and textbooks Omitted important information about people of African descent, I had been severely mis-educated. Instead of public school classrooms, it was in such places as my barbershop that I learned about such figures as "Hannibal" Barca, an African military leader who conquered Roman legions during the Second Punic War. When I tried to bring the knowledge that I had acquired …

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Publication information: Article title: The Mis-Education of This Negro: A Preservice Teacher's Quest for a Comprehensive Understanding of African American History and Social Justice. Contributors: Hayes, Jason - Author. Magazine title: Black History Bulletin. Volume: 68. Issue: 1 Publication date: Winter 2005. Page number: 9+. © 2007 Association for the Study of African American Life and History, Inc. COPYRIGHT 2005 Gale Group.

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