2008 Woodie Awards
Black history more than just a month
Erika Prins, Staff Writer
Issue date: 2/20/07
Last Updated: 8/9/07
The texts we are exposed to are rich and interesting, but this survey of the history of "worldviews" lacks the influence of anyone who is not European, white and probably male.
One of my core professors argued that these were the thinkers that formed the basis for our society's thinking about the nature of reality and God. If we were to try to pull in more diverse voices, argued my professor, we would be hearing from people who did not have the same amount of influence as the thinkers we are currently studying.
European and later American society has long ignored these voices, but they influence American culture nonetheless. Black history is not just the history of African-Americans. It is an essential part of all our history.
By remaining ignorant to the contribution of African-Americans to our society perpetuates the myth that white men have shaped our history. In reality, a single race and gender would be incapable by itself of forming a culture as rich and diverse as ours. Our education should reflect the fact that we owe different elements of our national identity to a variety of groups.
On the contrary, American culture has been heavily influenced by many groups and individuals that often go unrecognized. Instead our perceptions of groups like African-Americans are based on stereotypes formed by a long history of racial discrimination. As per my observation, our view African-Americans fits what we want to think of them: That black people make rap music, come from the "ghetto" and are overly preoccupied with a past of racism that no longer exists.
These stereotypes are evidence of ignorance. Continuing to marginalize the intellectual contributions of minority groups in favor of teaching what has always been taught guarantees that we will keep looking at ourselves and our world ethnocentrically.
One of my core professors argued that these were the thinkers that formed the basis for our society's thinking about the nature of reality and God. If we were to try to pull in more diverse voices, argued my professor, we would be hearing from people who did not have the same amount of influence as the thinkers we are currently studying.
European and later American society has long ignored these voices, but they influence American culture nonetheless. Black history is not just the history of African-Americans. It is an essential part of all our history.
By remaining ignorant to the contribution of African-Americans to our society perpetuates the myth that white men have shaped our history. In reality, a single race and gender would be incapable by itself of forming a culture as rich and diverse as ours. Our education should reflect the fact that we owe different elements of our national identity to a variety of groups.
On the contrary, American culture has been heavily influenced by many groups and individuals that often go unrecognized. Instead our perceptions of groups like African-Americans are based on stereotypes formed by a long history of racial discrimination. As per my observation, our view African-Americans fits what we want to think of them: That black people make rap music, come from the "ghetto" and are overly preoccupied with a past of racism that no longer exists.
These stereotypes are evidence of ignorance. Continuing to marginalize the intellectual contributions of minority groups in favor of teaching what has always been taught guarantees that we will keep looking at ourselves and our world ethnocentrically.
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