The State of African American History Month
By Mary Theroux • Wednesday February 29, 2012 4:43 PM PDT • 21 Comments
If it’s the case that we study history in order to learn from it, let’s pause to consider the story of 13-year old Jada Williams on this final day of African American History Month.
When she was recently assigned to read and write an essay on the autobiography of Frederick Douglass, the message of the burning injustice of education denied especially resonated with Jada. Douglass recalls in his Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, An American Slave the moment of his enlightenment of education as “the pathway from slavery to freedom.” His master’s wife, Mrs. Auld, had been teaching him rudimentary reading:
Mr. Auld found out what was going on, and at once forbade Mrs. Auld to instruct me further, telling her, among other things, that it was unlawful, as well as unsafe, to teach a slave to read. To use his own words, further, he said, “If you give a nigger an inch, he will take an ell. A nigger should know nothing but to obey his master—to do as he is told to do. Learning would spoil the best nigger in the world. Now,” said he, “if you teach that nigger (speaking of myself) how to read, there would be no keeping him. It would forever unfit him to be a slave. He would at once become unmanageable, and of no value to his master. As to himself, it could do him no good, but a great deal of harm. It would make him discontented and unhappy.”
Jada, caught in a school system of classrooms filled with disruptive students their teachers do not control or teach, immediately saw parallels with these frustrating barriers to her learning, and concluded they must be the deliberate result of a desire of her “white teachers” to keep her and her peers illiterate and ignorant. Jada penned a powerful essay pleading for her teachers to end the modern-day slavery imposed by illiteracy, to take control of their classrooms, and bring their students out of the darkness. Jada calls for her teachers who “brag about their credentials and tenure” to “find a more productive way to teach the so-called ‘unteachable’” students around her:
What merit is there if you have all this knowledge and are not willing to share it because of the color of my skin?
At the same time, Jada issues a stirring call to her peers:
Blood, sweat and tears have been shed for us to obtain any goals which we may set for ourselves. Never be afraid to achieve and excel because our ancestors have been bound for so, so, so long. We are free to learn.
Concluding:
A grand price was paid in order for us to be where we are today; but in my mind we should be a lot further, so again I encourage the white teachers to instruct and I encourage my people to not just be a student, but become a learner.
One would think that Jada Williams would be every teacher’s dream. Given a book above her comprehension, she takes the initiative to use a dictionary to work her way through it, grasps the most salient point of the narrative, and produces an essay applying its lessons to today.
Jada has instead been hounded by her teachers and administrators out of the Rochester Public School system. Her teacher gave copies of Jada’s essay to the school’s other teachers and the principal. Jada, once a solid A and B student, started receiving failing grades, and her parents were called with reports about Jada’s “anger.” Teachers refused to show Jada’s parents the tests and assignments she had supposedly done so badly on, and branded her a “problem” student.
Successfully driven from that school, the family quickly found Jada shut out of any other than the district’s “warehouse” school for what used be known as “incorrigibles.”
Jada’s mother has now quit her job to home school her, and that may indeed be Jada’s best hope for receiving the liberating education she so desperately wants. Indeed, according to J. Michael Smith, president and co-founder of the Home School Legal Defense Association, “the Black homeschool movement is growing at a faster rate than the general homeschool population,” with high-profile parents like Will and Jada Smith setting the example.
Meanwhile, President Obama recently used the occasion of African American History month to announce the launch of “African Americans for Obama:”
During his campaign and early in his presidency, Mr. Obama made inspiring promises to improve education, scrapping “No Child Left Behind” for “Race to the Top,” promising to make teachers accountable and make schools about teaching children, not protecting union workers. Unfortunately, results are as dismal as for all previous attempts to reform the dysfunctional government school system, with students being “processed” with no skills or prospects even if they do manage to graduate.
What better time for African American leaders to back Jada’s call to her peers to hold teachers accountable, and to now hold President Obama accountable for the miserable and downright fraudulent system of “public education” America’s children are being subjected to.
African American children will otherwise continue to face little hope of affecting change and making history, beyond their being part of historic new highs in the grim statistics of drop-outs and dependents in the welfare state.
Here is Jada reading her essay and being presented the first Spirit of Freedom award by the Frederick Douglass Foundation of New York:
Tags: American History, Education, Family, Presidential Power, Racism, Urban Issues, Welfare 
Anyone who thinks Jada would be a teacher’s dream doesn’t understand the nature of the government school system or the type of people drawn to teach in those places. The ideal student is one who sits down, shuts up and acts in a deferential manner to the tax-consuming leechs who spend their days dumbing down their young charges.
Paul | Mar 1, 2012 | Reply
Jada blames “white teachers”. Is that the only teachers in her former school? Why doesn’t she look around and see what is being taught to her in her community, music, television. I’m glad she wants to educate herself and strive for excellence. But don’t go blaming “white people”. Look at your community and the things you hold as “racially yours”.
Jada, be the best PERSON you can be. Leave color out of it.
Lastly, President Obama wants all of us to be the same. Not the best, because according to him, that is being selfish. Seems to me that President Obama wants to be the Plantation Boss and all of us just “ignorant niggers.” That’s Obama Equality.
Edward | Mar 1, 2012 | Reply
If Barack Obama gets his way,this young lady has a fair shot........at a welfare check.
Bill in Louisiana | Mar 1, 2012 | Reply
I agree Paul. A teacher’s dream is a student that regurgitates what they are required to and nothing more. Anyone who questions and actually has a view different from the curriculum is targeted, very similar to what is shown in the nightly news. There is no room for views other than the politically correct, and critical thinking is deemed as abhorrent.
I think we need a lot more Jada’s, thinking and questioning that’s the joy of learning, and a willingness to follow the path less taken and to follow the beat of a different drummer. That’s what made Our country great at one time. Now that we are a democracy, if You are not part of the mob mentality you are made an outcast. Wwhat a sad state we’ve fallen into.
jim m | Mar 1, 2012 | Reply
The families and communities need to emphasize the value of education. It starts there. Even though she does mention the students in her essay, it seems she feels teachers have the better part of the responsibility. It’s a two-way street. Good teachers don’t want to teach kids who don’t want to learn. Kids don’t respect lazy, bad teachers.
clay davis | Mar 1, 2012 | Reply
I think she was going for what the author had written, and he did say “White”. No big, girl gets a big high five from me. What guts it took to say the truth.
Gloria | Mar 1, 2012 | Reply
Retired teacher Beth Vercolan piles on in the Democrat & Chronicle that Jada made “an error in critical thinking” and that her essay itself contained a “RACIST statement”.
Proving once again, that state school indoctrinators will always link arms to defend their approved propaganda against any who exercise the will to think for themselves.
http://www.democratandchronicle.com/article/20120301/OPINION02/120229008
Colorado Russ | Mar 1, 2012 | Reply
very well said ed
curtis | Mar 1, 2012 | Reply
I have to disagree with Paul and others. As the daughter of a teacher, the majority of teachers don’t simply want students who regurgitate material. Most teachers chose that career because they wanted to make a difference; it is the system that is broken. My mom loves when her students question, show interest, and apply critical thinking skills. Unfortunately, her job depends on students performing well on tests that require none of these. They are held to startlingly low standards without being given any tools to succeed in the real world. Don’t blame the teachers for doing what it takes to keep their job; they’re doing the best they can with a broken system.
Christie | Mar 1, 2012 | Reply
Well is it any surprise? Who would want her in their classroom? Teachers have 20, 30 or more students in their classrooms. They have to teach as much as they can in a limited time, with as few disruptions as possible. Who wants a child questioning their every move? Or god forbid, to be called a racist and then fight for their job over one child’s discontent and predisposition of white teachers? I surely know I wouldn’t. I remember the first time I was exposed to how lopsided things had become for us whites, I was in 11th or 12th grade...and we were being re-taught Douglas. I asked the teacher, “Every year we have black history month, and every year we learn about what the same 6 or 8 people did, I have learned more about these meager accomplishments to society then say, George Washington who was a great man and first president.” I was taken outside the classroom and given a ear full, in which my response was the same, “this is a waste of my time” 22 years later, and I’ll say it again...the achievements of blacks do not warrant a whole month every year.
Scott | Mar 1, 2012 | Reply
Of course, it is not just a white teacher problem but system-wide. Still, it is nice to see a kid inspired by my hero Frederick Douglass. Sadly, political correctness and CYA rears its head. Glad her mother took flight as a fugitive from the Government Schools. That’s what we had to do for our youngest child (home school because they wrote her off – until she passed the average on tests within 18 months of home schooling).
Jonathan Bean | Mar 2, 2012 | Reply
In the video, she constantly speaks of “white people” and “my people” — that is NOT the spirit of Frederick Douglass who rejected the notion that he was defined by his skin color — or that any individual can or should be so defined. Let us hope she reads more Douglass and learns she is a “member of the one race that God created” (Douglass)
Jonathan Bean | Mar 2, 2012 | Reply
Scott:
Unfortunately, your school missed the opportunity of introducing you to the accomplishments of many, it sounds—black, white, and every other “color” mixture.
However, the entire notion of “African American History Month” is no less offensive than would be “Jews History Month,” or “Women’s History Month,” and as, indeed, is “African Americans for Obama”—all are so-called identity politics and an attempt to divide and conquer.
The point is that each of us is a unique individual, not defined by race, gender, creed, or genes. This is a key tenet of liberty, and the attempt to undermine it must be resisted everywhere.
As Jonathan Bean points out, this is also exactly contrary to what Frederick Douglass himself understood and wrote.
For more on the subject, please see our excellent book, edited by Jonathan Bean, Race and Liberty in America.
Best wishes,
Mary
Mary Theroux | Mar 2, 2012 | Reply
She probably says white, because those are the guilt ridden idiots who treat her like a novelty. Anyhow, good for her and best of luck to Jada. I hope my daughters have the courage of their convictions that she has.
RFN | Mar 5, 2012 | Reply
Most African-Americans aren’t very aware of their ancestors history.it could be that they don’t care. i am white,yet i probably know more than most African-Americans. Knowing that they were slaves and knowing a little bit about a few African-American men and women. http://www.wallbuilder.com Where the truth can be found.
Bob Marshall | Mar 5, 2012 | Reply