Negro Digest - Freedom Archives

contemporary subordination of
African-Americans . It has, unfortunately,
forced many of the same
such values of inferiority, both intellectual
and practical, upon us . In
ways both subtle and overt, it has
aided in our oppression.
Intellectually, it has perpetuated
a "white lie over black truth." In a
more practical sense it has given us
broken and outmoded tools with
which to operate in the larger society,
thereby insuring our traditional
position of economic, political
and social impotency .
The normal role of education as
a lever for cultural enrichment has
functioned improperly in our community
. Black students returning
to the community hoping to develop
its positive aspects, have
found themselves unequipped to
operate effectively . Very little in
the educational system has dealt
with Afro-America from either a
positive, constructive, or realistic
framework. The massive unrest
among black students today reflects
the recognition of this fact .
The long overdue need for
school systems to address the most
pointed problems of American society
(especially as they relate to
African-Americans), as well as the
failure to accurately reflect the history
and culture of black people,
has precipitated this high-tide of
legitimate discontent . Hence, increased
student activism around
this issue represents a last call for
commitment on the part of American
academia towards real and
meaningful education.
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Nevertheless, some African-
Americans have accepted education
as the answer. And what of
them? Can they not be used as examples
of what America holds for
the black man?
First of all, they are decidedly
in a great minority and can therefore
not be a legitimate index by
which to assess the present state of
Afro-America as a whole . And although
an increasing number of
Negroes hold quasi-middle-income
jobs . this does not obliterate the
reality that. although most of the
poor people in America are in fact
white . most of the black people in
America in fact are poor-failures
in even the American sense, a narrow
spectrum of economic acquisition
and stability .
Moreover, the so-called successful
Negro middle-classman cannot
be held up as a symbol of black
Americanism because, in a broader
social sense, he is also illegitimate.
Laying aside for the moment the
whole question of practicality and
possibility, let us just consider the
relation of the middle-class Negro
to the broader African-American
community .
Although he is recognized as
respectable by the white society
(sometimes), black youth, for the
most part, reject his brand of social
success . They simply cannot
relate to him. The questions to
which he presents answers are not
the most relevant ones in their lives .
Black children are quite aware of
the potential insecurities of their
March 1969 NEGRO DIGEST