Obviously,
those recommending the curriculum to help black children catch
up aren't thinking of the same kind of separation that was the
hallmark of Jim Crow. Rather, they're proposing a curriculum that,
while teaching basic skills, spends a good deal of time daily
focusing on African-American achievement, history and self-esteem.
But here's
a problem: Participation in the curriculum would be voluntary,
meaning that some parents of white and Hispanic students may decide
not to include their children.
Not because
of animus toward African-Americans, but because they don't see
the value of immersing their children in what amounts to ethnic
studies. Consequently, African-American students in the program
will again find themselves segregated.
This is especially
disheartening for a school district that long has prided itself
on integration. And to former JFK and LBJ Democrats, such as me,
who fervently supported an integrated society and level playing
field. So I don't believe this is the best solution.
Although
some academic studies tout the benefits of immersion, historic
evidence suggests otherwise. Consider: Countless generations of
immigrants have proven that assimilation, inclusion, integration,
acculturation or whatever term you choose works. Millions of immigrants
come here, many illegally, not because they wish to duplicate
or learn more about their heritage, but to embrace a set of American
beliefs about freedom and success. Immigrant Mexicans and other
South or Central Americans, Poles and other Eastern Europeans,
Russians and Asians are flooding into America, to partake in America.
Yes, they still celebrate their ethnic holidays and culture. But
they're not taking Asian or Eurocentric courses in their rush
to realizing the American dream.
In truth,
the current fight over record levels of immigration, especially
the illegal kind, is for many Americans really about the protection
of American culture and the ingredients of a successful democracy:
opportunity, equality and justice, to name a few. Some worry that
the incoming tide of immigrants will dilute those long-standing
values. But on this score, we needn't worry. Immigrants can't
wait to enter America's mainstream.
Obviously,
it's different for African-Americans. They've long been in America,
but not a part of it. Only in the last few decades have they approached
realizing their right to enter America's mainstream. And many
have.
So, with
the path to success so well marked, why now are some educators
recommending a different route? The abolition and civil rights
movements were essentially attempts to bring black Americans into
full membership in the fellowship of justice, opportunity and
equality. The theory was that once the door was open, African-Americans
would joyfully walk through it.
While some
have found the door still not open wide enough to squeeze through,
others seem blind to the opportunities on the other side.
It's the
result of low self-esteem, we're told, something they were stripped
of by centuries of slavery and discrimination. The theory is that
the way to build self-respect, and with it a sense of the possible,
is to immerse themselves in African-American studies.
Black schools
are not new in America, as their roots go back more than a century.
That's because there were no other options for African-Americans.
Such schools were usually private, and some remain as successful
quality institutions. But such schools can never fully close the
wide educational achievement gap for African-Americans.
Despite that,
interest grows in African-American-centered education in public
schools, which now makes it a matter of public policy and everyone's
business. It took years of hard work to make integration not just
part of the law of the land and public policy, but part of America's
moral fiber.
America had
no other choice, because separation was a crippling failure. So
too, I believe that an Afrocentric curriculum essentially is more
divisive than unifying. It underscores differences, not similarities.
Considering
the centuries of slavery and discrimination in American history,
the door to freedom has been open to African-Americans for only
a relatively short time. It should be given more time to succeed.
Now is not the time to revert to anything reminiscent of the walls
between us that created the problem in the first place.
