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We Need a New Black Education System Nationwide

And We Need It Now

By Dre JosephPublished 7 years ago 6 min read
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This is why Black people need our own school system. State-funded, that is to say, White-owned and managed, public or private schools in Black neighborhoods have been a COLOSSAL failure for so long it's not even funny.

Black boys and girls are not learning about the continent from whence our ancestors came or about the scientific and medical, and arts and technological contributions black Americans have made before, during, and after the African slave trade.

Education is the absolute key. I didn't always believe that, but I believe that now. I am not an academic or licensed teacher by any stretch of the imagination, but I think this list is a good place to start.

Creating private schools dedicated to black students that push curriculums like the ones below should be the Black community's next movement nationwide. Detroit's public school system is a dumpster fire of an abomination, as is Chicago's and several other predominantly Black cities in every region of the United States. We need strong Black men AND women running classrooms in these learning settings... and we need to toss out all the god damn White supremacy history textbooks, and either buy the RIGHT textbooks or use YouTube and PowerPoint presentations that relay the fucking truth (whichever is more cost-efficient, doesn't matter).

Kindergarten: "Dealing with Police," Pt. 1 - Teach and prepare them how to deal with police officers (especially White ones in the southern and midwestern part of the US) in the event they are approached by one.

1st Grade:"Dealing with Police" Pt. 2 - Continuation of part 1

2nd Grade: African History - Teach them the anthropological significance of Africa, the various languages and cultures, the transatlantic slave trade, European colonialism, South Africa and Apartheid, the civil wars and dictatorships, the "resource curse," and the current state of affairs of the continent today.

3rd Grade: Black-American History - Teach them how black slaves built America and indoctrinate them in the efforts of Marcus Garvey and Malcolm X (they terrified the White power structure with their unapologetically African and "White people are the devil!" rebellious and radical pro-Black rhetoric). I elected not to say MLK or Medgar for a reason and here is why: Ever wonder why MLK's nonviolence rhetoric was pushed so hard onto America's subsequent non-White young population? It was so the White-controlled government and schools (all levels) could keep blacks docile—especially right after he died. Really and truly, there should've been about two race wars in the sixties after Medgar and MLK were murdered, but shockingly, there wasn't.

Some of you may disagree (and if you do, I feel sorry for you), but our community needs some of our children to grow up into larger-than-life Black leaders. And the only way to ensure that happens is to show them that Medgar fought White power legally and honorably, and Medgar was murdered... and that Martin fought White power passionately and with dreams, but he, too, died.

4th Grade: Criminal Law and Procedures - Begin to teach them how the American criminal justice system operates (law enforcement... courts of law... public defenders... jail... probation... prison... parole, etc.) and how "private prisons" have a huge financial stake in mass incarcerating Black people due to the bullshit 'War on Drugs' against us.

5th Grade: Continuation of Criminal Law and Procedures

6th Grade: Agriculture - Teach them how to farm and grow their own food so they don't have to waste money at White-owned grocery stores.

7th Grade: Political Science - Teach them how the world around them operates politically (and behind closed doors).

8th Grade: Military Science and Self-defense - Teach them how the American military operates in times of war. Also, train them in one of the African martial art disciplines.

9th Grade: American Economics - Teach them how the American economy operates and what effects it on a daily basis. This should include Federal and State budgets, the GDP, the national debt, Wall Street, the NYSE, investment banks, financial conglomerates, asset management and hedge fund firms, the "Big Four," "Big Oil," "Big Pharma," and student loan debt.

10th Grade: Business Economics - Teach them how American companies, private and public, operate economically. Train them in how the US stock market works, how to invest and trade in it to build a stock portfolio, and how to create and propose a business plan.

11th Grade: International Economics - Teach them how the global economy operates and how to build financial partnerships and trade agreements with African countries.

12 Grade: College or Trade School - Teach them that not every person has to go to college to be successful; help them identify if college is the best post-high school "destination" for them based on their grades and financial reality and to decide if college will aid them to achieve their ultimate goal; or if vocational school is a better fit for them regarding their goals and what they can afford.

Too much black youth are being sent to college to earn a degree that will only help them get a job working for a White-owned company. Colleges were designed to create a smarter workforce, but of course, that workforce was only ever intended to be White; society did not account for Blacks being included in that. So, now, we have a situation where, for years and years, we were told to go to college because that's what society said would make us more likely to become financially stable. That was the biggest fucking lie ever told, anybody who's gone to college knows that college only promises one thing: debt for 30 years. Black people are going to college like it is out of style... we've got all the degrees now (we were making up for lost time).

However, as a racial group, we're still last in financial capital in America and don't own or control a goddamn thing (major corporations or institutions). Furthermore, there are a lot of Black people in college today that, quite frankly, should not be. If high school was an issue for some, then why would college be any different???!

If my generation had been given an education like this from age five on, the black community would be basking in political, financial, economic, and cultural prosperity right now.

There are THREE major investments most of us will ever make in our lifetimes.

  1. College
  2. Car
  3. House

College is usually the first one and is always going to be expensive if an athletic or merit-based scholarship is not involved. Because of that fact, we should only be sending the best and brightest of our Black youth to colleges. Why? Because they're the ones who have the discipline and mentality to see four years of a college education through to completion.

The simple truth is not ALL Blacks have that discipline. And that's fine... it is what it is. College isn't for everybody, we've all heard that saying and we all know it is true in many cases and for many people. Most other ethnic groups would agree with that as well. So, with that said, I believe Blacks, who are smart enough to know college isn't right for them, should instead pursue the alternative to college: learn a vocational skill (see below).

There are a plethora of vocation skills available to anyone who's willing to put the time and the effort to learn it. This is how many of our grandparents earned a living when they were young and healthy raising our parents and so forth.

  • Aesthestician
  • Artist (illustration)
  • Audio Engineer (music production)
  • Auto Mechanic
  • Auto Body Repair
  • Brickmason
  • Carpenter
  • Cable Installation Technician
  • Computer Repair Technician
  • Computer Programmer (all languages)
  • Cosmetologist
  • Court Officer
  • Electrician
  • Floorer
  • Gardener
  • Gemologist
  • Graphic Designer
  • Jeweler
  • Landscaper
  • Medical Technologist
  • Painter
  • Paralegal
  • Pilot (sea or air)
  • Plumber
  • Roofer
  • Surgical Technologist
  • Web Designer

And the list goes on...

There are so many skilled-based vocations out there that don't require a college degree, it's almost a crime that Black people, by and large, are not taking advantage of them.

If we don't fix this now, I swear in 10 years, it'll be a national story how Black people keep going to college and earning degrees, but then can't get jobs in the White powered society.

And as we get "smarter," the wealth disparity grows infinitely larger... and larger... and larger.

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About the Creator

Dre Joseph

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