The Mis Education of the Black Educator - Softcover

Harold B Muhammad

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0982288654 ISBN 13: 9780982288658

Publisher: RATHSI Publishing, LLC, 2009

Synopsis

The MIS Education of the Black Educator

About this title

About the Author:

Harold Muhammad is a gifted researcher, writer and lecturer. He has lectured in some of the major univeristies in America, including many of the Historical Black Colleges and Universities(HBCU's). As a studen in the ministry of the Nation of Islam, and having studied Nile Valley Civilization at Temple University, his research has taken him to several West African and South American Countries.

Review:

The crisis of educating Black students is at the heart of educational discourse across the United States. A Plethora of problems have confronted scholars on how to best educate Black students. Some of those problems range from the overrepresentation of Black males in special education, the testing gap that exist between Black and White students, to the dropout rate of Black students. The aforementioned problems do not represent the totality of issues faced by Black students but demonstrate the pandemic nature of the crisis. The crisis has given birth to a wide range of scholarly works that are contributing to an educational revolution. Among those works is Minister Harold Muhammad s The Mis-education of The Black Educator. His book goes where other books have not gone in presenting a message that delves into the inner workings of the systemic problems that have impaired the prospects for enhancing the education of Black students. Muhammad s book, written in the language of critical educational theorists leaves no stones unturned in disclosing the historical problems that have led to the contemporary issues in educating Black students. Critical educational theorists have argued that the relationship between power and knowledge must be studied. They have argued that whoever has the power can determine and sponsor what knowledge they deem best for the masses. These theorists contend that schools are functioning as they were designed to function which is to dumb down the masses making them more operable for the ruling elite class (Apple, 2004; Gatto, 2002). The message of critical educational theorists can be traced back to early pioneers like Carter G. Woodson, W.E.B. Du Bois, Marcus Garvey, Malcolm X and The Honorable Elijah Muhammad. These pioneer Black educators challenged, The white architects of black education (Watkins, 2005). The power of their ideas continue to shake America s educational system, its society, and a world order that has put to death the creative power of Black students. Their ideas can be found in the prominent work of Afro centric scholars who argue that Black students need an Afro centered education one that would give them the ability to view the world from an African and African American perspective (Asante, 1998; Hilliard, 1995; Karenga, 2002). These scholars argue that for too long Black students have been taught in the interest of the White ruling class. Asante (2005) writes he has never seen a school run by Whites that prepares Black children to enter the world as sane human beings. This indictment was not the first of its kind as Carter G. Woodson (1999) argued similarly, to teach a Black child that his face is a curse is the worst kind of lynching. Elijah Muhammad (1965) cogently expressed they will never teach us the knowledge of self. The tremors of their pronouncements have continued to challenge the prevailing order of education. Today a new challenge is being put forth, that is similar to the Afro centric idea. This new theoretical approach to the education of Black students is called Critical Black Pedagogy in Education (Pitre, 2009). Critical Black Pedagogy in Education is a theoretical approach that combines elements of multicultural education, the Afrocentric idea, critical pedagogy, and African American spirituality. Its main tenets are reflective study of Black leaders and how their ideas could transform the education of all youth, but Black youth in particular. It asks the question: How would schools look if The Honorable Elijah Muhammad, Marcus Garvey, Carter G. Woodson, Anna Julia Cooper, and others were in charge? It is from these and other Black leaders that we may be able to glean powerful insights about how to transform the education of Black students. Dr. Abul Pitre, Author, The Educational Philosophy of Elijah Muhammad --Dr. Abul Pitre, Author, The Educational Philosophy of Elijah Muhammad

About this edition

• Publisher: RATHSI Publishing, LLC
• Publication date: 2009
• ISBN 10: 0982288654
• ISBN 13: 9780982288658
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 316
• Editor: RATHSI Publishing
• Illustrator: RATHSI Publishing