In The Mis-Education of the Negro, Black American educator and historian Carter G. Woodson argues that, during the period from the end of the American Civil War to the early 1930s, the U.S. education system controlled and oppressed Black students rather than helping them achieve their potential. He proposes reforming this system by developing a new curriculum to meet Black students’ needs, building new academic institutions dedicated to educating them, and taking the academic study of Black life seriously for the first time.
Woodson begins by explaining what Black American students actually learn in early 20th-century U.S. schools. Rather than studying their own community’s history, culture, or achievements, they learn the same prejudiced curriculum as white students. Technical schools teach Black students out-of-date techniques, while academic schools teach them that white people are physically and culturally superior to Black people. This education doesn’t help them develop their skills or succeed in the racially segregated economy, and it wrongly convinces them that their only path to success is by imitating white people. In reality, Woodson argues, Black students have to develop their own talents, interests, and creativity if they want to succeed.
Woodson next examines the roots of the education system’s failures. White officials run most of the school districts that serve Black students, and many white teachers have no meaningful ties to the Black communities they serve. Policymakers worry that they will lose political support if they hire Black administrators to run schools and universities, and many elite Americans care more about educational credentials than actual learning. Meanwhile, teachers often hope to “transform the Negroes, not to develop them.” To provide Black students with a genuine education, Black leaders need to overcome all these structural barriers.
Thus, Woodson next looks at what these Black leaders are actually doing. Unfortunately, the “highly educated” Black elites who go through the U.S. education system learn to believe in their own inferiority, so they often abandon the Black masses rather than working to uplift them. While white students can generally study a liberal arts curriculum and then find jobs through family and social connections, Black students don’t have this kind of network. Therefore, they often struggle to find jobs after graduation, so they grow pessimistic and blame the Black community. They don’t invest energy or resources in Black businesses or community organizations (like churches). And without thriving Black businesses to join or successful Black entrepreneurs as role models, these Black graduates prefer to take low-level jobs in white-owned corporations rather than take the risks that are necessary to build their community’s economic strength. Ultimately, Woodson concludes, the Black elite ends up isolating itself and focusing on making money, rather than contributing to the common good of the Black community. As a result, Woodson argues, the Black masses are as poor and “undeveloped” in the 1930s as they were in the 1880s. In addition, Black churches are corrupt, divided, and unwilling to work for positive change.
Next, Woodson looks at the specific issues with the theological, professional, and political education that Black students receive in the early 20th century. Black theology schools focus on sectarian debates rather than speaking to the community’s needs, while Black professionals (like “physicians, dentists, pharmacists, lawyers, and actors”) have to study at white institutions and face barriers to professional success. Meanwhile, schools prefer not to teach Black students about American history—least of all the Constitution—because this would help them understand their civil rights and demand political equality.
All in all, Woodson concludes, the broken education system is really a strategy for social control, designed to prevent Black people from fighting for political, social, and economic equality. He points out that many educated elites even support segregation because it personally profits them—for instance, Black landlords support housing segregation so that they can force poor Black tenants to pay exorbitant rents. Woodson argues that these elites should strive to serve their communities rather than lead them (which often really means exploiting them or leaving them behind).
Most importantly, serving the Black community requires first understanding that community. Therefore, Woodson concludes by reaffirming that education is the key first step along the long road to racial equality. He argues that Black colleges need to teach their students about African and Black American history, art, music, philosophy, and literature. And in order to teach these subjects, Black scholars first need to research them—or, in Woodson’s words, undertake “a scientific study of the Negro from within.” Moreover, effective education has to emphasize critical thinking, which will allow Black students to innovate, learn new skills over time, and build original enterprises—rather than just imitating others. In turn, an education system based on critical thinking will train competent Black professionals who can truly serve their communities and inspiring Black political leaders who can transform all levels of the government. Woodson explains that this is why he dedicated his life to promoting the study of Black history and culture, most importantly by founding the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History.
