Black at the UA--Part 6 Education Devalued: A Perpetual Crisis

It was a week ago when I walked into the Union Theatre, where students sat still and quiet, listening and watching the film that was playing on the large pull down screen. The film, “State of the Black College Student,” was highlighting the perspectives of various black college students and their experiences attending higher education institutions.  From student loan debt to black flight, it seemed that this film touched on many key factors that negatively affect the black student and in turn the black community.

Dr. Darryl Scriven, the mastermind behind the film, was featured sharing his opinion of how the educational system in America, especially in context to minorities, was flawed.  The film blasted devastating statistics such as 14 percent of blacks graduating from high school and college, 35 percent of blacks attending a higher education program and 81 percent of blacks having vast student loans after graduation.

Student loans are ruining the lives of college graduates one dollar at a time, and while any graduate deals with the struggles of finding a job after leaving college, it seems even more difficult for a minority who is swamped in student debt while constantly fighting the prejudice that is a result of  institutionalized racism.

Some of the damage comes from the lack of knowledge that is needed when borrowing, while the rest comes from the huge interest rates that dig into the pockets of new graduates. Perhaps it wouldn’t be so bad if more jobs were available, but this economy is still in recovery from a recession, and hope for hire can seem like a distant reality.

With this, we ask the question, “what counts as a profitable education?”

Dr. Scriven says we should “measure it in the power the graduates wield. If there is no power, [then] the value [of the education] is suspect.”

And I agree. Education isn’t a diploma. It’s the power we gained while earning a diploma. It’s the endless hours we’ve spend immersing and enlightening our minds in an array subjects. Some of which we can say changed our lives, and others we wished would be scratched from the curriculum.

Despite this, the only way that any student will ever become successful in his or her own right is by having both knowledge and tangible skills. Otherwise, it won’t happen.

This simple, yet powerful fact is one that many within the black community have yet to learn. There is a cycle of lack of motivation as well as apathy that exists, and it is tearing down that which many have spent years building up.

Many will receive a degree and will not ever return to the communities where they grew up. They keep moving forward and never look back. They simply forget about their roots and who supported them.

It’s a bad habit that has a tendency to tarnish the success of African-Americans everywhere, but this habit has formed out of the idea that “the community of their education doesn’t value the communities of their origin.”

As I grow and prepare to graduate, this idea rings more and more true every day. I mean, that’s why I am here, right? To get a degree, make money and not settle for a mediocre job in small-town Arkansas?

Well, I may not go back, but I’ll give back, for I don’t want to be a statistic, and I know of others who have the same ambition. As young students, we must educate and motivate each other. It’s the only way we can pay our debts.

Black at the UA-Part 5 Black History--It's Your History Too

February.  It’s the month of red and pink hearts, cupid and “I love you.” It’s also the month that carries the honor, celebration and education of black History.

When we first learn of Black History Month, it’s exciting and interesting. But by the time high school rolls around, it becomes an annoying celebration that sparks debate and forces you to learn about black people who aren’t even alive.

And to add to it, students are taught the same thing about the same people every year. The legacies of Harriet Tubman, Rosa Parks, George Washington Carver, Colin Powell, Oprah and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., among others,  are drilled into the minds of both the majority and minority until they are blue in the face, or should I say black in the face.

One month simply isn’t enough in terms of education, especially for those who know absolutely nothing about black history, including blacks themselves.

The solution: stop relying on February to teach an important part of American history, and utilize the other  eight months of the academic year to teach well-rounded and accurate American history. This includes the enslavement of Africans and African Americans.

Growing up, I noticed many of my history curriculums excluded slavery. I found that this was a decision made in fear of striking the wrong cord with blacks. Meanwhile, memorizing the Declaration of Independence and the Gettysburg Address was top priority, but the Emancipation Proclamation and 15th Amendment were items that could forgo discussion.

After adding my African American studies major, I found that I was completely deprived of a fulfilling and well-rounded education because I never learned the full story. And I found that I wasn’t alone.

I encourage anyone, no matter your race or ethnicity, to take at least one African American studies course. They are far from one-sided and are completely unbiased. Most are surprised of what they learn about others and themselves.

It’s obviously inefficient to try to crush hundreds of years of heritage and appreciation in a single month. The spectrum of black history seems to be constricted to the aforementioned people and some exceptions.

Why deprive young students of a truth that should be known? What good does it do?

It only perpetuates ignorance and allows for shallow, stereotypical thoughts to breed and be made into insensitive reasons to dislike or have prejudice against minorities.

For the most part, when you know better, you do better, and we as a multiracial and multicultural nation need to do much better in educating ourselves and embracing our unique differences.

I encourage all students on campus to take a look at the programs and events that will be taking place this month.

The “State of the Black College Student” address will be held tonight at 7 p.m. in the Union Theatre, the Essence of History Fashion Show will be held from 7-9 p.m. in the Verizon Ballroom on Thursday, February 9 and the 4th Annual Black History Month Showcase will be taking place at 7p.m. at the Jones Center in Springdale.

For more information on what the UA and Fayetteville community is up to this month, go to aast.uark.edu.

Dust In Dusk

Beauty.
Bones.
Hearts.
Homes.


Named as she roams. 
Free falling alone.
She suffers in thirst.
Gripping the relief of her torture tightly.


She's afraid of the night.
She vows to do what's right.


She's dying to stay.
Dying as she waits.
Even in sundown,
She fights for the day.


And she hopes, like dust, she isn't wisped away.