The Unsaid & Non-stated

Afrocentric or African Centered Education and advocacy concerning it adoption and implementation clearly was the focus and guiding vision of the Saving the African American Child Summit.  I understood this reality upon registering and because of my undergraduate experiences as a Black Studies major at San Francisco State University had clear expectations of what the summit's content and the framing on a National Black Education Agenda would look like given the philosophical and sociopolitical positions of the NBEA founders and the summits facilitators and presenters. However, If I may dare ask or speak the unspoken are we today oblivious to, ignorant of or unconcerned that as Molefi Kete Asante (1991) argues the basic ideas and constructs of this proposed educational innovation were introduced in 1933 by Carter G. Woodson.  My point being we despite outstanding African Centered scholarship and research and the establishment of community based organizations and national organizations have made little progress in implementing African Centered Schools and/or selling this as a viable education option to African American parents and communities. 

Professor Kmt G. Shockley, from George Mason University in 2008 hit on what I noticed at The Saving the African American Child Summit this last week. He said "For decades, Afrocentric education has been mentioned as a potential resolution to the many academic and social problems being faced by Black children in U.S. public schools, but, ironically, it has rarely if ever been defined and assessed within mainstream discourses".  Ironic, if we want to pursue this solution it will require we engage in conversation and compromise with the mainstream systems of education which educate or mis-educate as it has been well documented; the vast majority of African American Youth.  Now, I don't want to be taken wrong. I enjoyed this Summit and it has provided me personally a needed reigniting of the passion and reasons for my entering education as a profession 30 years ago. My experiences; however, also provide me a new pragmatic and necessary honesty. 

We must not let ideology take precedence over working collaboratively with all who are dedicated to "saving the African American Child" and we should support  a National Black Education Agenda. An agenda that yes, without compromise insists on our children being provided culturally relevant schools and curriculum.  However, we must also honestly address discuss the unsaid and non-stated fact that in advocating for one defined model of all out Afrocentric or African Centered Schools we in my estimation are moving forward without the majority support of both our local communities and the school systems who we need to implement any meaningful reform.  Drawing from Asian philosophy (Buddhism) I'm reminded that according to the Buddha, the "Middle Way" is a life lived between the extremes of self-denial and self-indulgence and here too we may find immediate reforms and steps we can take with the support of both our schools, parents and communities in developing a local Black Education Agenda that would work to save African American children in Alameda County. 

Be and go well and let me know you thoughts.


Joe Hudson