Resurrecting the Educational Praxis of Dr. Carter G. Woodson, 1875-1950 by Jarvis R
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Culture, Curriculum, and Consciousness: Resurrecting the Educational Praxis of Dr. Carter G. Woodson, 1875-1950 By Jarvis R. Givens A dissertation submitted in partial satisfaction of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in African American Studies in the Graduate Division of the University of California, Berkeley Committee in Charge: Professor Ula Y. Taylor, Chair Professor Na’ilah Suad Nasir Professor Daniel H. Perlstein Spring 2016 Culture, Curriculum, and Consciousness: Resurrecting the Educational Praxis of Dr. Carter G. Woodson, 1875-1950 © 2016 by Jarvis R. Givens Abstract Culture, Curriculum, and Consciousness: Resurrecting the Educational Praxis of Dr. Carter G. Woodson, 1875-1950 by Jarvis Ray Givens Doctor of Philosophy in African American Studies University of California, Berkeley Professor Ula Y. Taylor, Chair While Black educational history generally centers the infamous debate between Booker T. Washington and W.E.B. Du Bois, this dissertation re-conceptualizes this framing through an innovative exploration of the work of Dr. Carter G. Woodson (1875-1950). Culture, Curriculum, and Consciousness analyzes Woodson’s argument that the ideological foundations of schools relied on a human history of the world that centered Whiteness and distorted the humanity of Black people. He not only advocated for a transformation that would supplant the ideological stronghold White supremacy had on Black education, but he simultaneously created an alternative model that centered Black humanity and cultural achievements. Coupling archival methods with critical text analysis and coding schemes, I examine how Woodson institutionalized his educational praxis through the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History (ASNLH), self- published textbooks, and his close relationship with Black teacher networks. Most importantly, the dissertation exposes the theoretical, pedagogical, and curricular insights Woodson’s model of education offers for contemporary challenges in Black schooling. I analyze letters between Woodson and key educational figures, sales documents regarding his textbooks and publishing company, annual reports published in Woodson’s Journal of Negro History, reflections by his past students and mentees, and pamphlets he disseminated amongst Black teachers. In building on these materials and more, the project utterly unmasks Woodson’s educational praxis and the findings present him as a pioneering scholar in Black educational reform. Woodson’s absence in the historical narrative, despite his prominence amongst Black teachers, is evidence of the failures of the prevailing frameworks. To address this elision, Culture, Curriculum, and Consciousness writes Woodson and his iconic educational model directly into the historical narrative and, in doing so, reimagines the Black educational trajectory. The pinnacle of this study lies in the Black Educational Heritage, a new analytical framework for studying schooling and Black life. This more expansive framing of Black educational history is born at the intersection of education, freedom, and affect. Culture, Curriculum, and Consciousness presents Woodson as an educational theorist. His philosophy offers a counterweight against contemporary discourse on “the 1 Black educational crisis,” which largely fails to engage the role of power, hegemonic culture, and racial ideology in facilitating what has been termed African American underachievement. This rigorous historical and theoretical engagement with Woodson’s educational model urges us to deal with the most pressing moral and intellectual challenges as it pertains to American schooling. The first step in any purposeful education is the recognition of a people’s humanity—the failure to do so only sustains schools as a site of Black suffering. 2 TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ii PROLOGUE 1 The Educational Praxis of Dr. Carter G. Woodson CHAPTER 1 12 “Schoolmaster to His Race”: A Teacher Profile of Dr. Carter G. Woodson CHAPTER 2 32 The Missed Education of the Negro: Woodson’s Critique of Black Schooling and Guiding Principles for an Alternative Model CHAPTER 3 66 Inheriting an Intellectual Tradition: Race Vindicationism and Black Teachers’ Textbooks, 1890-1935 CHAPTER 4 98 On the Training of Black Teachers: Carter G. Woodson’s Role as an "Abroad Mentor" to Black Educators CHAPTER 5 126 The Black Educational Heritage: A Triangulation Between Freedom, Education and Affect EPILOGUE 150 The Consequence of Woodson’s Educational Model BIBLIOGRAPHY 156 TABLES & ILLUSTRATIONS “ASNLH Membership,” Table 1.1 25 “Negro Population, 1790-1860,” Illustration 3.1 79 i ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I arrived to graduate school with the intention of studying the Million Man March of 1995; however, after taking a class on race and educational policy, and reading Vanessa Siddle Walker’s Their Highest Potential, my research trajectory evolved. The striking similarities between this high achieving, vibrant school community in the segregated South and my own experiences at St. Timothy’s, an all-Black private school in Compton, CA, intrigued me. The ethic of care that characterized the school in Siddle Walker’s study and the communal nature of the learning environment forced me to reconsider what I thought I knew about the history of African American education. I was compelled to study historical questions around the relationship between schooling and Black life, in a way that speaks to the present. My dissertation topic surfaced in a casual statement made by Professor Daniel Perlstein about Carter G. Woodson’s textbooks. I began to ask questions about where I could find these textbooks, who had used them, and about Woodson’s absence in the histories I had read on Black education. One book after another, my research agenda changed and I knew that I was doing the work I was set out to do. The gap in the literature was clear, but for me what was even apparent was that Woodson educational philosophy was one that obviously surpassed his time. Its imprints were all throughout my own educational journey, which was marked by a series of phenomenal Black teachers (an anomaly within itself). My interest in this project was both academic and personal. I can recall having a conversation with my kindergarten teacher about what it meant to be a Black boy that lost his father to gang violence. I do not recall if I was sad in the moment, or if I was confused, all I remember is that I felt cared for. I came to trust the idea of education because I trusted her, my teacher. This school instilled in me a confidence and sense of purpose that continues to inform my identity as a scholar. I will never forget the words to the Lord’s Prayer, “Life Every Voice and Sing,” or “Dreams” by Langston Hughes, because these were words that we sang and spoke every morning before school. I cannot emphasize enough the impact this school had on my life and the work that I do as a researcher. My dissertation committee has been an all-star cast of intellectual supporters and for that I am beyond grateful. Dr. Na’ilah Nasir has always encouraged me to ask the types of questions that speak to my own intellectual interests, while helping me keep a pulse on pragmatic approaches to doing the work I care about. Her mentorship has been critical for my professional development as a scholar. I am thankful for Dr. Ula Taylor for pushing me to be imaginative in my thinking throughout the dissertation process. She has done this while holding me accountable to the demands of being a disciplined historian and a principled scholar of African American Studies. Dr. Daniel Perlstein has been the wild card on my committee since he haphazardly introduced me to my dissertation topic. He continued to ask deeply investigative questions that I would never think to ask, which helped me get at unique detail in my writing. I am grateful to have such a supportive committee of scholars who offered practical advice, engaging feedback, and humanizing mentorship. Good scholar-friends are hard to come by, but my graduate school journey has been fruitful in this regard. I am thankful for my enduring friendship with Mahasan ii Chaney, who has been present every step of the way since college and who continues to be a great intellectual sounding board. To the SRATUS research team: Na’ilah Nasir, Maxine McKinney de Royston, kihana ross, Sepehr Vakil, Tia Madkins and David Philoxene—it has be the best experience working together as researchers and essentially as family. I am deeply appreciative for the collegiality within African American Studies—Zachary Manditch-Prottas and Michael Myers, II, I appreciate your friendship and the team effort we’ve had working through the woes of our doctoral studies, even while at different stages of the process. Christina Bush has been one of the highlights of my graduate school experience—our conversations in the graduate lounge have proven to be exceptional learning experiences. To say the least, my peers have been some of my greatest teachers. I am very grateful for the Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellowship program and the Ford Foundation. These networks have enabled me to connect with such wonderful scholars—namely, Rhaisa Williams, who has become a great friend and writing partner over the years. My fraternity (Alpha Phi Alpha), my church (Covenant Worship Center), and the CAL Black community have been my home base. I am especially grateful for the friendship and support of Nzingha Dugas and the African American Student Development Office. I love the Black community at UC Berkeley and am grateful for the laughs and struggles we have experienced together. Finally, I would like to thank my family who has been unflinching in their love and support. Any time I was in need they were there and have always been more than generous in their celebration of my accomplishments. No lesson in any classroom can compare to the fundamental principles I have learned from my family—strive to be selfless in my living, give to others, “do something constructive,” and adapt when life requires it.