Who will implement the program?

Scan page 5

Parents and concerned residents of Black eyes. Now, to ensure the effecBaltimore's African American com- tiveness of this curriculum and munity have attended sessions of the staying consistent with the nature of school board in order to protest the Afrocentricity, the person who will recent appointment of Maurice lead the office of curriculum and Howard, a white man, as the assis- development must also see the world tant superintendent of curriculum and through Black eyes and be rooted in a speech delivered to a school board being the vanguard for the liberating meeting on May 21, 1992. It is education of African children must be reprinted by permission of the under the leadership of a Black man author. or woman who is rooted in AfrocenMr. President, Dr. Amprey, and practice. It is an insult to us as a race the other board members, thank you of people to have an inexperienced for giving me the opportunity to man or woman in Afrocentricity lead speak today. We have had the great us in employing this curriculum. brilliance of Dr. Molefi Kete Asante, white people mean well in their ies at Temple University, as a Afrocentric curriculum. Therefore, if consultant for the development of an white people do not have any current more City Public Schools (BCPS). dilute the effectiveness of this curthe material that is currently present- aside and to let the Black personed in the classroom under the who is qualified-take us to the African children need an Afrocentric cess, but we do want you out of the curriculum to ground-root them into leadership role in the office of curtheir own historical experience and riculum and development. culture, thus increasing their self- In conclusion, at all costs, an esteem and self-confidence and effective Afrocentric curriculum must ultimately belping them to become be implemented from grades K-12.

Therefore, the Afrocentric curricu- ent, well-executed, and sustainable. lum must be implemented through An experienced Black man or woman grades K-12 without hesitation. who is rooted in Afrocentric thought Without doubt it will improve stu- practice, and knowledge must be the dents' success in particular and in captain of the ship in the Office of SOCIALIST ACTION DECEMBER 1992 5 ignorance, and monoethnic hegemony in the curriculum. The aim of the Afrocentric approach is not to divide the country but to help it flourish effectively and function efficiently.

Urban education in the United States is facing a dilemma in attempting to address a European multicultural curriculum. Barbara J. Jackson Shade concludes in her book, "Culture, Style, and the Education Process," that school systems in general operate on Euro-American cultural rules and, as such, respond negatively to children from other cultural backgrounds.

For example, some research has shown that African American children purposely do poorly in school because they don't want to be accused of acting white. This is due, in part, because these students doubt their own intellectual ability and because they define academic success as white people's perogative.

In Baltimore's schools, where more than 81 percent of the students are African American, the continued use of a European multicultural curriculum could have a devastating effect on the academic achievement of these students.

An insensitive report Perhaps it is politically correct to say that the European-centered curriculum is now "multicultural." If so, then no stronger argument exists for the infusion of an African perspective into the present curriculum than a recent report from the Abell Foundation.

Titled, "'The Melting Pot' Under Challenge: Afrocentrism and Multiculturalism in Baltimore City Schools," the report reeks of European-American insensitivity. At a time when urban erosion, gerrymandering, and the elimination of school busing has re-created segregated schools, the report's use of "we" and "our children" is a whitewash. Is this the same "we" as in "We

IMHOTEP

instruction.

Following are major excerpts from opportunity of benefiting from the chairman of African American studAfrocentric curriculum for the BaltiHe has eloquently explained to us how the African child sits outside European curriculum. He has explained the importance of why productive citizens.

society in general.

In addition, the very nature of Afrocentricity means that you look at and interpret the world though The awesome responsibility of tric thought, knowledge, and Furthermore, we will assume that efforts to help bring and sustain the or future plans to displace and/or riculum, we then ask them to move Afrocentric side of education.

We don't want you out of the proThe implementation must be expediCurriculum and Development late 1994. Dr. De Laine says that Hispanic, Asian, and Native American studies will be infused into the schools in coming years.

Parents and some community groups have protested the recent appointment of Maurice Howard as assistant superintendent of curriculum and instruction. Mr. Howard, who does not hold a doctoral degree, is a European American and is looked upon as a ploy to maintain a European-centered curriculum.

Parents and neighborhood associations must take more responsibility for fighting against the poor education practices of the inner city. Any attempt to implement a modified diversified curriculum-by whatever name—will not be successful without parent-student-teacher partnerships.

The continued racial segregation and economic dichotomy in society can only be resolved through education and training. An Afrocentric perspective may be the key in modifying the spiraling failures of many urban students.

John Ruskin, the European scholar, said: "Education does not mean teaching someone something they do not know. It means teaching them to behave in a way in which they do not behave."

And Booker T. Washington declared: "Call education what you please. If it fails to bring about results for the masses, it falls short of its highest end."

All students need to be educated so they know who they are and from where they come, in order to be a credit to their race. All students need to be educated to think for themselves and trained to earn an honest living—for "cold cash makes no enemies." That's life. It should also be an opportunity for student success in a place called school. • • Walter Gill is the author of "Issues in African Education" and writes on current trends in urban education.