Department of Sociology and Equity Studies in Education Ontario Institute for Studies in Education of the University of Toronto
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THE REVOLUTION: THE WHOLENESS OF BLACKNESS by Yafet Tewelde A thesis submitted in conformity with the requirements For the degree of Master of Arts Department of Sociology and Equity Studies in Education Ontario Institute for Studies in Education of the University of Toronto ©Copyright by Yafet Tewelde 2008 Library and Bibliotheque et 1*1 Archives Canada Archives Canada Published Heritage Direction du Branch Patrimoine de I'edition 395 Wellington Street 395, rue Wellington Ottawa ON K1A0N4 Ottawa ON K1A0N4 Canada Canada Your file Votre reference ISBN: 978-0-494-45233-2 Our file Notre reference ISBN: 978-0-494-45233-2 NOTICE: AVIS: The author has granted a non L'auteur a accorde une licence non exclusive exclusive license allowing Library permettant a la Bibliotheque et Archives and Archives Canada to reproduce, Canada de reproduire, publier, archiver, publish, archive, preserve, conserve, sauvegarder, conserver, transmettre au public communicate to the public by par telecommunication ou par Plntemet, prefer, telecommunication or on the Internet, distribuer et vendre des theses partout dans loan, distribute and sell theses le monde, a des fins commerciales ou autres, worldwide, for commercial or non sur support microforme, papier, electronique commercial purposes, in microform, et/ou autres formats. paper, electronic and/or any other formats. The author retains copyright L'auteur conserve la propriete du droit d'auteur ownership and moral rights in et des droits moraux qui protege cette these. this thesis. Neither the thesis Ni la these ni des extraits substantiels de nor substantial extracts from it celle-ci ne doivent etre imprimes ou autrement may be printed or otherwise reproduits sans son autorisation. reproduced without the author's permission. In compliance with the Canadian Conformement a la loi canadienne Privacy Act some supporting sur la protection de la vie privee, forms may have been removed quelques formulaires secondaires from this thesis. ont ete enleves de cette these. While these forms may be included Bien que ces formulaires in the document page count, aient inclus dans la pagination, their removal does not represent il n'y aura aucun contenu manquant. any loss of content from the thesis. Canada ABSTRACT The Revolution: The Wholeness of Blackness Degree of Master of Arts 2008 Yafet Tewelde Department of Sociology and Equity Studies in Education Ontario Institute for Studies in Education of the University of Toronto The completion of the Revolution is the only solution for the Black man and woman to achieve true liberation. The preparation for this must be grounded in the understanding that the Black man and woman are the fathers and mothers of all of humanity with a specific goal of Blackness for Black people to take hold of in this day and age. To reclaim Blackness in its correct totality, it must be understood as the all regenerative force that sustains all of creation. Furthermore, a multi-faceted approach must be undertaken where contemporary theories held by Black people must be re-examined. This is necessary so that Black people may complete the Revolution in the only way it can be completed; the re-establishment of Black nationhood. This re-establishment can be done through the building of institutions as the building blocks of any nation. The enabling of the Black Renaissance must be achieved. 11 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I am the humble servant of the Almighty Creator - the Great Architect and I strive to complete the quest in honour of the divine plan In honour of my ancestors that have preceded me, this is dedicated to you because without your shoulders I could not stand. To my family who show such respect, adoration, and admiration enabling me to be the man I am today. TYGA can never be defeated and will always remain strong. Heart, mind, body, and soul acting as one has been all I ever asked and is all that you gave. For that, I know we are blessed. Finally, GOD & AHI, it is time to present the BRED that all will consume. iii TABLE OF CONTENTS 1. It's Not As Confusing As You Think 6 2. The Facts of Blackness 25 3. The Inferiority of "white Supremacy" and the Trick of Multiculturalism 53 4. Black Women: The Key To Civilization 66 5. The Cress Theory of Colour Confrontation and Black Feminist Thought 72 6. Liberating Ourselves From Colonial "Decolonization: Do You Know Another Elijah? 88 7. The Curriculum of Life: The Afrocentric Curriculum 110 8. Prevention is Development: Black-Focused Schools in Focus 116 9. The Future is Right Around the Corner 130 Bibliography 142 IV LIST OF TABLES Breakdown/Breakthrough Table 114 Weekly Class Schedule for Umoja Learning Circle 124 v 6 CHAPTER 1 IT'S NOT AS CONFUSING AS YOU THINK It is 1990; I was eight years and it was approximately the first month of school. I was having a frustrating day at school, what was frustrating about it, I do not remember. But it made me tell my mother that I was not a good writer. I remember saying it in passing and it was very matter-of-fact to me but to my mother it was heresy because I told her that I was not good at something regarding school. For my mother, and extended family for that matter, school and education are one in the same and so education is very important to my family. There is no such thing as not being good at something but rather there is just a lack of hard work. At eight years old I am very aware that I should not speak negatively about myself in front of my mother, especially when it comes to school. My mother would always tell me that school was the most important thing in life. Her favourite example of how school was taken lightly by others was how people would go to university and then pursue a major in art. My mother always believed I was going to be a doctor which is the pinnacle of success for her. I still do not have a legitimate response for her when she says "I have never seen an unemployed doctor but there are always unemployed artists". Now, it's not as if I showed any talent in anything artistic but for my mother it was always extremes; either you are a success or you are a failure. In fact, this was so ingrained into my psyche that it seemed like these were the only options. Doctor equaled success and artist equaled utter failure. However, I still disparaged myself in front of her as if this time would be different. Can you imagine being eight years old and university options being a reality of life?! I am the first born in my family and first generation "Canadian" from Eritrea. Contrary to many Eritrean families, I was not going to be "the first in the family to go to university." Everybody in my family went to school and did extremely well. I used to think it was a joke when my mom 7 would tell me that all her siblings graduated at the top of their high school class. Her oldest brother was the top student in all of Eritrea. So even though I was only eight years old, I was very familiar with my family's educational history and expectations. My mother understands pressure but my mother's resolve also does not waver when her eight year old son vulnerably claims that he cannot do something; I will be good at it no matter what. To have me excel at writing, she came up with the idea that every day after school I would write a journal entry about my day of at least one page, single-spaced. I was ordered to do this before any homework I already had, before I could watch any television show, and before I could play outside. The rules were I would come home directly, sit down at the kitchen table and start writing. I protested, got angry, cried uncontrollably but it was all in vain because as far as my mother was concerned there was no compromising. At eight years old a whole page single- spaced was hell. The blank Hilroy paper on which I was to write seemed like an empty ocean that I had to fill with only a spoonful of water at a time. I distinctly remember my hand feeling extremely heavy making it almost impossible to get through one line. Whenever I felt a little bit of happiness because I was able to get through an idea I was quickly brought back to reality when I saw how much space was actually left on the paper. To add to this punishment my cherished tradition of watching afternoon cartoons after school and then going outside to play sports or just good old-fashioned tag was all thwarted! I had to sit at the kitchen table and write all the while listening to my friends laughing with joy as they could forget about school for the next few hours. The worst part was when one of my friends would come to the door and ask my mother if I could come outside. I would here the muffled "no" from my mother and then my friends informing everyone else that their best goalie was out of commission. There would always be a collective "AHH" but that was always short lived because children quickly forget disappointment and move on. 8 But the most torturous part was the role my younger brother played. Knowing how much I hated doing this, he took full advantage to pour more salt in my wound.