MICHIGAN CITIZEN
s
OPINION
�
.The Mi .educatton
. .
of tn« Ne·gro
By on Da�e� . Carter G. Woodson, one of
In the senes and seventies our most distinquished his- 0
the phrase was "oreo". It meant· torians, and the founder of the
Black �D !he outside, but white Association for the Study of
on the IDSlde.. Negro Life and History, was
In an era of mtense, even convinced that the dilemna of
militant Black consciousness racial consciousness and iden
this concept of the oreo (named tity was not an accident Wood
after. the cookie) was used to son, who is the father of Black
de prct B lack people who History Month, pointed to what
thought and acted like white he believed to be the deliberate
people, �r Blac people who be- "mis-education of the Negro" as
haved 10 such a way as to the source of the African
pr0'!l0te white interests to the Americans agony over identity
detrunent of Black people. This and direction. Carter G. Wood-
idea of duel identity or internal I
conflict over identity and direc
tion is not a new phenomenon in
the history of our people here in Vantage
America. Pol nt
o W.E.B. DuBois spoke of a
kind of "twoness", a double
sided consciousness, one Black,
the other white tugging inside RON
the minds of all of us, struggling DANIELS
for our allegiance.
Fanon, author of the
"Wretched of the Earth" also
published a book entitled
"Black Skins, White Masks" -
Another author in the sixties
wrote a work entitled "Black
Anglo-Saxons". More than any
: other group of African people
in the diaspor a, African
Americans have been plagued
by the psychological and cul
tural tensions and conflicts
which arise from double con-
ciousness or racial am
bivalence.
01
son put forth the notion that -
He U'l1G Controls The Mind Has
Nothing To Fear From The
Body.
People who receive a white
.education and internalize white
culture were bound to think like
and act like white people.
I
Hence Woodson saw a Euro-
centric or white oriented
American education as a con-
Hi
h
Court
, turns
. By Congo ugu tus Hawkins'
I The Supreme Court this
week issued a ruling which deals
a setback to state and local
minority participation set-aside
programs across the nation.
The 6-3 high court decision
found that the city of Richmond,
Virginia which set-aside 30 per
cent of its construction con
tracts for minorities was a form
of reverse discrimination and
therefore unconstitutional.
While the decision has no effect
on federal set-asides, we must
all be vigilant that this decision
is not used as a tool by those who
'oppose affirmative action
programs in general.
The ruling attacks the prin
ciple of -r ace conscious
remedies to correct past dis
crimination in the work place,
by saying the cities must provide
clear and concise evidence of
minority exclusion, and, that a
general claim of past dis
crimination cannot be applied
to develop set-asides. 0 The un-
o l· fortunate result of this ruling is
that it may open the door for
legal challenges of aU types of
the principle of affirmative ac-
trol I mechanism which
hampered the ability of African
Americans to think Black, and
act Black. This mis-education
rendered Black people helpless
and harmless interms of Black
people unifying and acting
decisively around their own self
interest As long as we were
chocolate coated white people,
Woodson reasoned, the white
oppressor hi'd nothing to fear
from his client. The white man's
ice would always be colder!
The corrective Carter G.
oW oodson prescribed was a
liberal dose of the study of
African-American history and
the Black experience. Black
people who had been afflicted
by white education needed to be
re-educated. At the heart of the
re-education process must be a
love of self and African people
born of the knowledge, ap
preciation and respect for
African culture and history.
It was to deal with the "oreo"
complex that the idea of Black
History Month was developed.
Given the brutal and
dehumanizing experiences of
(slavery, and the ongoing impact
of white racism, cultural aggres
sion, and white oriented educa
tion, African-Americans can
never get enough Black history
and culture. Our churches, civic
and fraternal associations, and
social clubs should all be con
sciously integrating OUf history
back
'Surrounded by
o a Euro-American
ocean of
whiteness, there
can be no such
-thing as being
. Too Bloack.'
and culture mto their programs.
And of course we need to teach
African-Am�rican history and
culture at home.
African art, music, folklore
and literature should be
mainstays .of our educational
diet The projection of African
American heroes and heroines,
and a regular recitation of the
historical contribution of
Africans to world civilization
can be a great stimulant for
young aspiring Black minds,
Surrounded by a Euro
American ocean of whiteness,
there can be no such thing as
�ing JOO Black. Our history,
culture and identity should
serve as a basic for a group
cohesion, and the collective
. pursuit of an African-American
agenda for moral, social,
economic and political advan
.cement,
As we enter Black History
Month we need to remind our- I
selves to make every month
Black History Month. Its the
only way to overcome the mis
education of the egro!
.. �JU5t the.way
1ney are In our
elections!
•
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ti n. Ab u states and 190 politics of the Supreme Court, ration. Blacks, women and
cit ies have programs involving Carter never had a chance to ap- other minoriti es have obtained
ct-aside contracts. point even one justice to the j s in a number of trades that
In his dissenting opinion Jus- high court. Reagan appointed were previously closed to them.
Lice Thurgood Marshall wrote: three and ,promoted another Lo Between 1972 and 1979, for ex-
"Todays decision marks a Chief Justice. Who knows what ample, the percentage of Black
deliberate and giant step back- opportunity President Bush will electricians rose from 3.2 per
ward in this Court's affirmative have. These decisions are not rent to 5.6 percent. In public
action jurisprudence. Cynical something that reflect policy .service professions, such as
of one municipality's attempt to over the course of an ad- police officers, there have been
redress the effects of past racial ministration, but are far reach- even greater increases.
discrimination in a particular in- ing in their impact over the Employers have noted that their
dustry, the majority launches a I course of decades. t workforces have improved as a
grapeshot attack on race-con- It is .important to note that resul of affirmative action.
scious remedies in general. this ruling did not strike down . Someday we may reach the
What is particularly disturb- minority set-aside programs in deS$..r state through improved
ing about this decision i that it general, nor were they ruled un- edu tion., training and health
ignores the wisdom of past constitutional. Furthermore, pro ams where affirmative ac-
rulings, upholding race con- the ruling does not say that a tion, ways considered to be a ..__ ..... �I
scious remedies and the fact state and local jurisdiction can't transitional program, will no
that every administration until establish set-aside programs. longer be necessary. But we are '
reagan supported and However, even though this is a not t ere yet The poverty rate hobb d by chains and liberate
strengthened this remedy. In narro� drawn decision, it still for in?riti�s has in fact in- im, ring - him to the starting
the last eight years there- has .constttutes an attack on a creased 1D this decade, and ra- lineo a race and then say: "You
been a constant batt�e with coo- pro.gram which h�s ?elped cial �uality remains an elusive are fr e to compete with a11 the
servatives in the Justice Depart- achieve a level of jusuce and- drea for many. other," and stil justly believe
ment who have attempted to equity in our ociety. Unfor- P raphrasing Lyndon that y u have been compJ tely
weaken civil rights laws. In- tunately, this ruling regarding Johnson: you do no wipe away fair.
stead of enforcing civil rights set-asides, along with other ef- the scars of centuries by saying, Affirmative action is a
laws they thought to subvert forts during this past ad- "Now you are free to go where -remedy which w rks. The
them. ministration to weaken affirm- you!J.t, and do as you desire, courts should acknowledge tho
ative action, have come at a time and hoose the leaders you and cease attempts to weaken a
This ruling further indicates when we are seeing the first pie ." You do no take a per- principle we have all struggled
how a president can shape the fruitful benefits ofits implemen- son Ylho, for years, h been so hard to achieve.
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