This semester (Spring 2012) I will be attempting to carry the class conversation beyond the parameters of the school and into cyberspace to allow any person interested in commenting and reading to discuss potential topics with the students who have decided to take this course. The book we are using is the 2nd Edition of The Norton Anthology of African American Literature edited by Henry Louis Gates and Nellie Y. McKay. Of course you do not have to have this book to follow along since I will be posting the name of many of the works, however some of these conversations will not make any sense at all to those dropping in. The intent here is not to show my intelligence in analyzing African-American Literature, or to prove that one person has more information than another. The goal is to open the discussion in an attempt to better analyze and understand why certain works are considered important enough to be placed in an anthology and why the relevance of these works of art-literature- remain needed and more relevant than other in Post Civil Rights America.
The first assignment in the course was an assessment. I asked the students, “Why is it necessary to isolate African American Literature into its own class?”
This is obviously a question that is leading, but I recall often when I was in college, speaking with peers (this was in grad school as well) that most of my White, Asian and Latino counterparts generally thought that there wasn’t enough African American Literature to occupy a larger section in American Literature courses.
My students, like my college peers, all wrote responses to the question assigned that stated that they had not really been introduced to any Black writers outside of Langston Hughes and Maya Angelou. Maybe one or two mentioned Frederick Douglas and Zora Neale Hurston. These are not students who are in Community College because they are not 4 year college material. These are students who are taking a more cost effective route to their education. Many of them went to top tier Memphis/Shelby County High Schools, yet they all admitted not being introduced to many African American Writers.
With that said, my first discussion question for both my students and anyone interested in signing up for the board is, “Is African-American Literature’s absence in high school one of the primary reasons race relations are still complex?” As I stated in class, this is not an ad hominem discussion. We are not looking to attack the person. We are looking to consider the literature and the societal influences that created the literature.
Prof. C.D. Burns, MFA
[...] the previous post (Introduction) I asked “Is African-American Literature’s absence in high school one of the primary reasons [...]
Prof. Burns! Look forward to learning more in this course! I enjoyed your English classes, and learned a great deal. I am sure that you will really educate and inspire me in this class as well.
I think the fact that African American History is taught in High School as an ‘elective’ is outrageous. Africans were brought to America not long after Europeans arrived, so why arent we fully included in the History of America as those who helped to build it from the beginning? And the question of WHY African American history is not a part of the regular history curriculum still puzzles me. We were only really taught that we were SLAVES, Lincoln ‘freed us’,then in the 60′s Martin Luther King, Jr. came along and helped us to get Civil Rights. Why is not the whole of our history recognized? Did we not contribute equally? I posed this question to several of my childrens’ teachers, and could not get an adequate response. The only thing that they could come up with is..’There is nothing written, so…” Which is false, because there are thousands of books that cover Black influence and contribution to American society, in every library and bookstore across America. But people of other races are not purchasing them. Sadly, hardly are black people even taking steps to learn thier own history. It results in a low self-image, not only from others, but towards ourselves, when you arent aware of your own importance in society.
I was recently reading an article (I will bring it to class) that says schools in Tennessee are now trying to pass a measure to REMOVE slavery from the history books (starting in elementary schools), and put a ‘positive spin’ on it. They say they want to even change the name from the ‘Atlantic Slave Trade’ to the ‘Triangular Trade Route’. So as they seek to disclude us from History, they also want to even erase the negative things associated with the treatement of Blacks in America. They also seek to remove references to Indian slaughter, etc. These measures may be passed, quietly, under the radar if we as a people do not start to take notice and stand up for proper recognition in History. The article is shocking, but is further evidence that racism, and denial is still a part of America..it’s just less obvious.
It’s interesting that you immediately draw a parallel to history when discussing literature. I think the question I posed about the African-American writers ability to dissociate from the text they write hinges on the fact that the African-American writer wrote from the context of the life they were living. The simple fact that many of the text created are historical in their presentation speaks volumes about why Black literature has to be studied, both with and independently of American/World Literature. However you are right in stating that Black history is devalued and not taught to the extent that it should be. Black Literature is also treated in this manner. The question how can it be fixed? Every parent is not going to go to the school and fight for it. It’s a complex situation that we will probably only wipe the dust off of this semester.
Is African-American Literature’s absence in high school one of the primary reasons race relations are still complex?”
Yes it is, when I was in high school I took African American lit. Because I wanted to know more about the poets and writers that we don’t hear about. At the end of this course I left that class with no new knowledge. The teacher I had, treated this class as a free period. There were not enough books in the class, nor would she allow us to take them home. The time I spent in that class, I would read some things I knew and other things I didn’t and kind of didn’t understand. No one in that class was able to learn about another part of their history.
Maybe if there was African American Lit. in high schools, or for the ones that do have them but don’t use that time to teach. The students at white schools would know that African Americans are very much so apart of literature. Blacks would know that we are a part of history and that we can continue to make a difference.
The teacher used African American Lit as a free period? I wish I had something really profound to write about that, but all I can do is shake my head. Honestly, this is one of the issues that is kind of a trickle down problem. In most English Majors course of study AA Lit is an elective and in many instances I think a lot of English majors avoid it, so this creates a situation where the only Black writers that English majors encounter are in World/American Lit. In those courses you only get the “standard” authors; who are important, but fail to really deliver a deeper introduction to the material.
In other words, you can’t expect a teacher to teach what they don’t know. This is not to take the responsibility off of the teacher, but ignorance is the primary reason for many problems between all cultures. The problem with the lack of Black Lit is that it further reinforces the negative stereotypes associated with Blacks. In short, I agree with you.
In my opinion, the absence of African-American Literature in high school IS one the primary reasons race relations are still complex.
To an untrained mind, African-American Literature can be seen as an oxymoron. I mean, how can there be a such thing as an African-American writer when everyone knows African-Americans are illiterate? Thats what they teach-atleast.
The complexity of the situation is the lack of racial understanding. One of the poems we read in class said, “My master doesnt know me- he never asked.”
How can we create understanding if we lack the foundation to understand?
African American History is important, but that story is often told by a story-teller disconnected from the experience. African American Literature, however, is told by the subject of the story- and you cannot get a better inside look. Most people would be amazed at the fact that not all African-American literature deals with slavery and injustice– African-Americans are human. They like to write about love, sports, nature, and many other things; some with absolutely no literary value; writings just pleasing and entertaining to the soul. All works are not about “THE MAN”. That in itself, is a common misconception.
This question is one of the many contributing facts that validate the saying, “What you dont know will hurt you.” Just look at what the absence of sex-education has done to our youth?
Schools that offer African-American Literature fail to realize that “Teaching without in-depth dissertation is like driving- if you do not know your route- how do you expect to get to your destination?” Sometimes it takes getting of the expressway to appreciate the travel. Following the signs can cause you to miss out. Exploration is intelligence.
I guess the person delivering the message is easier to accept when they appear to come from the culture they are discussing. However, there are plenty of capable people who can teach you about any culture regardless of race. The rest of your commentary is spot on.