Last week, I went to an eye-opening forum on the topic of African-American studies for extra credit. The forum included Dr. Charles Payne, a very noted scholar of civil rights and African-American studies from the University of Chicago; Dr. Stephen Middleton, the director of the brand new African-American studies program here at MSU and other notable scholars with connections to the subject.
Mississippi State’s African-American studies program, which offers a minor in the subject, is only in its first year of existence. Ole Miss’ has been around since about 1970, and Southern Miss has only recently created one of its own.
An African-American studies program is a good idea. African-American history is an important part of the nation’s history. And like any other subject, it is worthy of study just for scholarship’s sake. However, considering Mississippi’s role in the Civil Rights Movement and pivotal impact on African-American history, it is astonishing our state is not the center of African-American studies nationwide.
Besides that point, I want to offer some caution for the average African-American. Currently, according to various government statistics, African-Americans’ economic status is still very much out of proportion with that of white Americans and Asian-Americans. Although progress is being made, there is still far to go. The poverty rate among African-Americans is 24.5 percent compared to 10.5 percent for whites, the unemployment rate is 7.5 percent compared to 4 percent for whites and the rate of births to unwed African-American mothers is 63.2 percent compared to 23.8 percent. In addition, African-Americans make only 76 cents for every dollar a white American makes.
The reason I point this out is not to say that whites are somehow supreme, but to show how much African-Americans have to catch up to whites. In the forum, the question was asked, “Why is it important to study African-American studies?” The answer I liked most basically said that in order to look to the future of African-Americans, we have to look to the past. As a student majoring in history, I cannot deny the value of history as a means to understand the future.
However, I sometimes wonder if proponents of African-American studies are looking in the right direction. I do not have any statistics or any objective finds to support my claim, but I sometimes feel that their efforts could be better spent elsewhere.
I recently read Booker T. Washington’s autobiography “Up from Slavery.” Washington was an outstanding and inspiring man, and I would recommend his autobiography to anyone. If you do not know, Booker T. Washington was a former-slave-turned-educator and civil rights activist in the late 1800s.
He and his contemporary, W.E.B Dubois, had two very differing ideas of how to promote civil rights. Washington believed that education was the best way for African-Americans to earn civil rights, while Dubois believed political activism was the way to go. At the time, there were many recently-freed African-Americans who would try to “seem” smart by learning useless, abstract knowledge like the Greek and Latin languages.
Washington, on the other hand, believed in the value of learning hard work through an industrial education so African-Americans could contribute to society, therefore earning the respect of the whites. At the time, DuBois was probably more correct, because African-Americans would not have much success unless they were offered the same opportunities as whites in the first place.
African-Americans now have equal civil rights, but whites and blacks are still somewhat segregated economically. The only solution to that problem now is a practical education as espoused by Booker T. Washington. This “practical” education is one that focuses on making African-Americans successful and helps individuals make their potential contribution to society. Having a solid foundation is important for any kind of success, whether you are white or black.
Therefore, education for minorities and the poor should be a top priority. Education should be one of our government’s main priorities, but it is an issue that gets so little attention. As for private contributions, charter schools are a good place to help. I guarantee you will get more bang for your buck that way.
In addition, the real reason Mississippi has probably been so slow to adopt African-American studies programs is because it is so poor and has one of the worst education systems in the country. With that in mind, should African-American studies be a top priority? No. We should build a solid foundation of core subjects first. Is that to say we shouldn’t have started an African-American studies program? No, I have already said I thought it was a good idea.
Mississippi should be the center of African-American studies for the country and a beacon for overcoming prejudice. However, an economic and educational foundation must be established first. The only way to close the economic gap between whites and blacks is to strongly and energetically encourage a practical education for minorities.
Lazarus Austin is a senior majoring in history. He can be contacted at [email protected].