Education And The Black Child

 

Raising Black Children: Two Leading Psychiatrists Confront the Educational, Social and Emotional Problems Facing Black Children (Plume) (Paperback) by James P. Comer (Author), Alvin F. Poussaint by James P. Comer, M.D.

In view of the general situation, how have so many black children managed to get an education?

Thanks to sheer determination, black parents have sent their youngsters through school, college, and on to great achievement despite the fact that schools have deliberately educated black children to assume menial roles in society. Much of the credit is due, as well, to black children themselves, who through their inner strength have refused to accept forever being "boys" and " girls."

 

In the past, what happened to those black youngsters who were denied an education?

Many black boys denied a chance for an education were able to earn a living and support themselves through heavy manual labor-agricultural and industrial. Black women had to accept low-paying, often backbreaking domestic work. As long as the economy could absorb'undereducated people, such youngsters were able to grow up and meet their adult responsibilities as heads of households despite the low pay and hard work. But this has been more difficult since the 1960s, when the betterpaying jobs began to require a higher level of education.

 

Isn't it fair to say then that things are much better now for black children than they were thirty years ago?

Yes, but although opportunities are better for many, too many are in trouble because of the reversal in the 1980s of gains made during the 1970s. Opportunities have opened up in professional areas other than medicine, law, religion, teaching, nursing, and social work. Today there are many more opportunities in science, engineering, and business.

 

There are efforts to recruit blacks in almost every professional and technical area and business. Blacks are excelling in the arts and in athletics in ways that were only dreamed of thirty years ago. Black children must be encouraged to enter and achieve in all fields. But we must help black boys in particular understand that professional athletics is generally not an obtainable goal. Only 1 percent of fourth-year college athletes become professional rookies, and the careers of most of these men don't last more than two years. Too many youngsters spend too much time in athletics and too little time applying themselves in academic areas. They can be shown that it is possible and necessary to achieve academically and in athletics.

 

How can we best prepare our youngsters for this new age?

In order to take advantage of new opportunities we must raise strong, well-educated, and computer-literate black children. There is no longer a need for docility. It should be replaced with an attitude of black pride, self-confidence, and appropriate assertiveness. Good child-rearing practices have become a crucial element in assuring the future of black Americans. Children raised in an atmosphere of love and security, even in the poorest homes, will be prepared to face the challenges of tomorrow.

 

Without family and community support, however, children cannot thrive. The family-mother, father, grandparents, cousins, uncles, and aunts-passes on to a growing child both the strengths of the old culture and the rules and techniques essential for successful adaptation in the modern world. Because of the serious problems within many communities, family guidance and support is more important than ever.

This is an excerp from Raising Black Children by James P. Comer, M.D. and Alvin F. Poussaint, M.D.

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