Afro-Americans in the Far West: a Handbook for Educators
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DO CUMEN T RES UME ED 025 482 SP 002 078 By-Forbes, Jack D. Afro-Americans in the Far West: A Handbook for Educators. Far West Lab. for Educational Research and Development, Berkeley,Calif. Spons Agency-Office of Education (DHEW), Washington, D.C. Note- 112p. Available from-Far West Lab. for Educ. Research and Development, 1 GardenCircle, Hotel Claremont, Berkeley, California 94705. EDRS Price MF-$0.50 HC-$5.70 Descriptors- Annotated Bibliographies, *Curriculum Development,Guidelines, *Manuals, *Negro Achievement, *Negro Culture, *Negro Education, Negroes, Negro Rstory,Racial Integration, School CommunityRelationship, School Integration Identifiers- Calif or nia, *F ar West This handbook is designed to acquaint schoolpersonnel with data relevant to the Afro-American inthe western United St;)tes. The firstfive chapters CThe Significance ofthe Afro-American People," "We AreAllAfricans,""'TheWest's Afro-American Heritage," "Afro-Americans in theWest Today," and "American Negro Cultural Characteristics An Overview") provide adefinition of "Afro-American and historical and cultural information about the statusof the Afro-American in the West from 1530 to the present. Chapter 6 ("Segregationand Integration: The Multi-Ethnic or Uni-EthnicSchool") outlines arguments for and against typesof school integration and recommendsthe"integratedmuk i-culturalschool."Theseventhchapter ("Suggestions for Teachers and Administrators") offers suggestionsfor establishing a school atmoF.phet e toprovide greater motivation forAfro-American students as well as suggestions for.. curriculum changes andfuller use of the total educational resources of a community.The fin-..-)1 chapter ("Guide to Resourcesand Further Reading") lists more than 300 itx-yns (including books,pamphlets, periodicals, and audio-visual materials) concerned withAfro-Americans of the Far West; African history and culture; the Afro-American past; contemporary issues;the education of culturally different and low-income groups; raceformation and mixture; black arts; and effects of conquest, colonialism and cultural change.(SG) 54. a_ JEN& Mit_ U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH, EDUCATION & WELFARE OFFICE OF EDUCATION THIS DOCUMENT HAS BEEN REPRODUCED EXACTLY AS RECEIVED FROMTHE PERSON OR ORGANIZATION ORIGINATING IT.POINTS OF VIEW OR OPINIONS STATED DO NOT NECESSARILY REPRESENT OFFICIAL OFFICE OFEDUCATION POSITION OR POLICY. THE FAR WEST LABORATORY FOR EDUCATIONALRESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT is a regional educational laboratory, establishedthrough a Joint Powers Agreement in February, 1966. Present signatories Include the Regents of the University of California,the California State Board of Education, the Trustees of theCalifornia State Colleges, the County Superintendent of Schools ofthe County of Monterey, the Board of Education of the San FranciscoUnified School District, the Regents of the University of Nevada,and the Nevada State Board of Education. Portions of work reported hereinwere performed pursuant to a contract with the U. S. Departmentof Health, Education and Welfare, Office of Education. This publication should not be reproduced,except in its entirety, without prior consultationwith the Far West Laboratory for Educational Research and Development, 1 Garden Circle, HotelClaremont, Berkeley, California 94705 (Telephone: 415-841-9710). AFRO-AMERICANS INTHE FAR WEST: A Handbook for Educators By Jack D. Forbes Jack D. Forbes is the author of APACHE, NAVAHO AND SPANIARD TliorminTigUT, THE INDIAN IN AMERICA'S PAST (Englewood Cliffs, 1964), WARRIORS OF THE COLORADO: THE YUMAS OF THE QUECHAN NATION AND THEIR NEIGHBORS (Urman, 1965), and NEVADA INDIANS SPEAK (in press). He is also the author of numerous ardcles on minority group history and culture and is currently completing a documentary anthology relating to the Mexican-American people. Dr. Forbes has taugft at the University of Southern California, Citrus College, San Fernando Valley State College, and the University of Nevada, and hes held research fellowships from the Social Science Research Council and the Joh') Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation. TABLE OF CONTENTS PEOPLE I. THE SIGNIFICANCEOF THE AFRO-AMERICAN II. WE ARE ALL AFRICANS III. THE WEST'SAFRO-AMERICAN HERITAGE IV. AFRO-AMERICANS IN THEWEST TODAY CHARACTERISTICS: AN OVERVIEW V. AMERICAN NEGRO CULTURAL THE MULTI-ETHNIC OR VI. SEGREGATION AND INTEGRATION: UNI-ETHNIC SCHOOL AND ADMINISTRATORS VII. SUGGESTIONS FOR TEACHERS VIII. GUIDE TO RESOURCESAND FURTHER READING PREFACE The quantity of publishedmaterial by and aboutAfro-Americans creating a situation has escalated phenomenallyin the past few years, the viewpoint of which is both advantageousand disadvantageous from that Americans of African the non-specialist. It is good, of course, ancestry are at last assumingtheir rightful place inthe world of Afro-American letters and that numerous researchstudies pertinent to will affairs are now available. On the other hand,the n6n-specialist need, periodically, to besupplied with syntheseswhich attempt to bring together material relevantto matters of special concern. this case This handbook represents oneeffort at synthesis, in designed primarily to acquaintschool personnel with datarelevant to Reference is made to the Afro-American in thewestern United States. back- national developments whereespecially pertinent, and general the understanding ground information issummarized when important for West and principally of educators; however,the focus is upon the Far upon California. An effort has been made tosupply school personnel withthe kinds For this reason theauthor of information noteasily found elsewhere. present the results has in some sections gonebeyond mere synthesis to and has dealt at of original research orof individual observation An effort has been greater length with certaintopics than with others. the reader is in- made to avoid duplicatingother current handbooks and stead referred to these in thebibliography. The author has attempted tobe accurate and objectivein descrip- present his tive and analytical sectionsand helpful in those that principal suggestions for the improvement ofeducation. In the latter, a of social science goal is the applicationof the author's comprehension theory to the educational process. that of tne Needless to state, theviewpoint presented herein is organizations making the writer and not necessarilythat of the various publication of the handbookpossible. Jack D. Forbes Research Program Director Far West Laboratory forEducational Research and Development Berkeley, California PEOPLE I. THE SIGNIFICANCEOF THE AFRO-AMERICAN Afro-Americans, comprise one Americans of Africandescent, or found in theAmericas. significant groupsof people to be of the most Afro-Americans dominatethe popu- Perhaps one hundredmillion strong, and constitute asizeable lation of most of theCaribbean republics Surinam, Guyana,Venezuela, proportion of thecitizenry of Brazil, Significant strainsof Colombia, Panama, andthe United States. the people ofArgentina, African ancestry arealso to be found among Mexico, and elsewhere,but in Peru, Ecuador, CostaRica, Guatemala, is often alreadyabsorbed or these countries theAfrican component general population. is rapidlydisappearing into the dimension, people, consideredin the larger The Afro-American People of part-African do not comprise asingle "ethnic" group. and European aswell as occasional descent, often withAmerican Indian ordinarily to beclassified with thenational Asiatic ancestors, are Thus, a part-African population of thecountry in whichthey reside. ethnically Afro-American(and still less, Brazilian is in no sense usually also is simply aBrazilian. The same is "Negro") but rather A dark- who are ofpredominantly Africanancestry. true for persons is simply a Cubanwho skinned Cuban with"Negroid" characteristics happens to be negro(i.e., black).* Afro-Americans, then, we aremaking reference to In discussing thing in common--thepossession of people whohave only one a large mass Most sue', people aresimply to be of Africanancestry. of some degree Ricans, Dominicans, orColombians, identified asVenezuelans, Puerto have lost with Indians andEuropeans as to and have sothoroughly mixed "Negroid" in physical Others, whilestill remaining any blackidentity. and are now also have also becomepart of anational culture appearance, or Cubans. simply Haitians,Jamaicans, Panamanians, rich as it is inthe regiOn from The cultural legacyfrom Africa, provide any kindof Afro-Americaniden- Haiti to Brazil,does not always cultures in theregion have becomeAfricanized tity. All of the national descent or not, that all citizens,whether of African to such an extent there is noAfro-Brazilian cultural legacy. For example, share an African Brazilians of Africandescent. All culture which belongsexclusively to is a complexmixture ofAfrican, Amer- Brazilians live a wayof life which from and one whichvaries primarily ican Indian, andEuropean traits, rather than fromracial strain to region to region orclass to class language. *The word negro meansblack in the Spanish 2 racial strain. The United States would seem, at first glance, to present an exception to the above generalizations. It is true that in an "official" sense the United States is composed of people who are "Negroes" and people who are "whites" and often the dividing line is made to seem rather sharp. In the United States, an "American Negro" identity has developed and, to some degree, at least there also exists a "Negro subculture" or "black culture" which is not snared by the balance of the population.