The Mis-Education of the Negro
By Carter G Woodson
Reading this book was a big confirmation for me. I admired the way Dr. Woodson spoke to the mind of his reader. From the Preface to the last page of the book I was captured by every word. This book is 105 pages of the things we are miseducated on as black people and how we miseducate ourselves as black people by not defining ourselves and trying to imitate others. This book is 18 chapters of how we got it wrong and ways to get it right.
I read this book with Dr. Wade and in her book club we share our black stories, speak about our black experiences and learn our black history. I found my tribe! This journey has been like a treasure hunt, and the more I explore with Dr. Wade the more I find my unique path. I'm enjoying black history, black books, and embracing my own culture in a way I have never done before. I have learned so much about black history in the city I was born and raised in these last two years than ever before. If you read my review of the Accommodation, you know I began exploring Black History in Dallas and it really opened my eyes to the world around me. It was Dr. Wade who invited me to take a deeper look, it was also Dr. Wade who handed me a copy of The Accommodation, and she invited me to read with her in Negro Park #1, Griggs Park.
I was engulfed in work during her first book club and I could not attend the book club meetings regularly but Dr. Wade still encouraged me to read it on my own and it turned out to be the best book I read all year. So when Dr. Wade announced she was beginning season 2 of her book club, I made sure to clear my calendar and attend. This time we read The Mis-Education of the Negro in Negro Park #2, Eloise Lundy Park located in the Bottoms. First let me say the view was amazing. We read, we grew, we listened and we climbed. I can't say enough about how glad I am I joined this book club. Reading books by black authors has taken on a whole new meaning for me. Joining a book club that reminds me of who I am and why I am here means everything to me.
So back to the book. Dr. Wade really knows how to create a vibe. It is the hottest summer in Texas but we read together in the park unfazed by the heat and amazed by Carter G. Woodson's book. We learned about his life and his journey. He was a Harvard educated black man still not satisfied with what he learned in school. That really resonated with me. I was always taught that a college degree would make me better. I was always taught that school was the only way out of the hood. Yet when I graduated with My Master's degree from college I still did not understand who I was or my purpose. I was Mis-Educated and reading this book Re-Educated me on what is important for me to know and pay attention to as a black person.
One great thing I learned about Dr. Woodson was that he did not begin high school until age 20. At 20 years old I was in College and honestly I was not learning a thing, I just wanted a degree. Getting educated later in life can be a blessing. He was more mature, more eager to learn, and he knew a lot more about life. I remember feeling like I did not understand life or why I needed to learn history. I can only imagine how much more impactful the knowledge I was barely into or cared for would be for me at the age I am now. His life story was another eye-opening moment, It's not only what we learn but when we learn it that's important as well.
Here is my favorite quote from the book:
When you control a man's thinking you do not have to worry about his actions. You do not have to tell him not to stand or go yonder. He will find his "proper place" and will stay in it. You do not need to send him to the back door, he will cut one for his special benefit. His education makes it necessary.
