Carter G. Woodson's Mis-Education of the Negro Analyzed

Introduction

The 1933 book The Mis-Education of the Negro by Carter G. Woodson lays the foundation for critical race theory and is a classic sociological treatise. Based on the principle of self-reliance, Woodson's book shows how a radical paradigm shift is necessary in order to redefine social hierarchies. The book was also published at a time when social critiques constituted controversial discourse. Taken in context, Woodson's The Mis-Education of the Negro can be considered alongside other classics of American sociology and race relations, such as the works of W.E.B. Du Bois.

One of the most salient themes of Woodson's book is evident in its title: the education system transmits racism in overt and covert ways. At the time Woodson published The Mis-Education of the Negro, segregation remained legal throughout the nation. The very fact that segregation existed was a poignant reminder of the way society viewed whites versus non-whites. Therefore, American public schools do more than just teach facts and figures, math, and English. There are countless subtle ways in which the education system is used to perpetuate the cultural values that underlie racism in America.

The school system effectively socializes children, as the author points out. Woodson demonstrates some of the many ways the institution of education serves to perpetuate racism. One way education perpetuates racism is by brainwashing black students into believing in their own inferiority (Wesley & Perry, n.d., p. 1). Black persons are depicted in positions of subservience rather than in positions of power, portrayed as pitiful or lowly as opposed to heroic. History is also skewed to undermine the contributions made by non-whites.

In the opening chapter of Mis-Education, Woodson also claims that all-black schools inadvertently teach children the dominant narrative that blacks are inferior. Instead of taking charge of their own curricular content, African American schools allowed their methods and the content of instruction to be guided by the white dominant culture. Woodson suggests that even the teachers themselves had been conditioned to believe in the inferiority of persons based on skin color. "Even schools for Negroes, then, are places where they must be convinced of their inferiority" (Woodson, p. 2).

Another way American education reinforces racism is by favoring white culture in general. Schools indoctrinate students into the superiority of European and white culture through favoring white communication styles, thinking styles, and overall approaches to learning. The author also shows what the consequences of these values are and how they impact the entire life trajectory of individual students. The effects have long-term ramifications for the American economy and society as well, since successive generations of African Americans are systematically thwarted from serving in positions of power in any field. For Woodson to recognize these facts would have been remarkable in the early 20th century. Yet Woodson accomplishes far more than mere criticism in the book. The author sets forth a comprehensive strategy whereby the African American community can counterbalance the mis-education of the Negro.

For example, Woodson shows that the substantive content of the curriculum and of classroom discourse can be changed dramatically by having more African Americans take charge of their own narrative. Instead of stories that are even inadvertently racist in nature — designed to depict non-whites as inferior or irrelevant compared to whites — new stories can be told. Woodson's groundbreaking book thus shows how the institutionalization of racism works and how to combat it intelligently.

References

"Booker T. Washington." (2017). Biography. Retrieved from: https://www.biography.com/activist/booker-t-washington

Clarke, J. H. (n.d.). Washington, DuBois, and Woodson: Education for a new reality in an African world. Retrieved from: http://www.nbufront.org/MastersMuseums/JHClarke/EdRealityAfricanWorld/EdWorldPart7.html

Harlan, L. R. (1983). Booker T. Washington, 2 vols. (1972, 1983); with Raymond W. Smock, eds., The Booker T. Washington Papers, 12 vols. (1972–); August Meier, Negro Thought in America, 1880–1915 (1963).

Spencer, J. A., Carr, C., Mattocks, C., et al. (2008). Study guide to the mis-education of the Negro. Retrieved from: http://asalh.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/final-woodson-mis-education-study-guide-2008.pdf

Wesley, C. H. & Perry, T. D. (n.d.). History is a weapon. Retrieved from: https://historyisaweapon.com/defcon1/misedne.html

Woodson, C. G. (1933). The Mis-Education of the Negro. Retrieved from: https://devontekwatson.files.wordpress.com/2013/10/miseducation-text.pdf