Education Unveiled

Thousands of talented, aspiring focused black women come to Spelman College to make their dreams to change the world come true. The sisterhood and teachings of identity in African Diaspora classes offered at Spelman are available to everyone which are rare at other colleges. These are the reasons I would think Leonie Smith author of To Be Black, Female, and Literate: A Personal Journey in Education and Alienation would have liked to attend. Smith was one out of 11 children born in Antigua to two talented, gifted parents. She later decided to pursue education in America but being faced with rascism, identity, and accusations of her being illiterate not only alienated her but made her a stronger black woman.
Most Historically Black Colleges are overlooked as institutions to earn quality education. Colleges like Spelman College and Morehouse School of Medicine are the few Black colleges that taught in the fields science, medicine, and technology. For Smith, she was determined to graduate from a majority white college to earn a leg up in the world. Regardless of the rascism the young Antiguan faced at Hamilton College, she did not want to fail her intelletual father and talented mother. Before Smith went to America, she was instilled with the importance of an education. She described "her father was an intelligent boy who had to drop out of school...to help his family..."(183). She was definitely isolated because of her skin color at the college. She described, "Professors did not to hold the same high expectations of Black students," (194). During that time, she felt sectioned off from herself and the college which was something she would have not gone through at a HBCU.
One concept that was taught in African Diaspora class offered at Spelman College is there are alternatives to knowledge. When Smith explained, "[she] had never seen a multiple-choice test before...and was subsequently labeled illiterate,"(187-188) described the American school system as a culturally bias system. Even after she eventually she became accustomed to the American English system she had difficulty with fitting into society. Again, Black colleges try to instill in their students a sense of identity as well as education. Personally, it is an alternative form of education to black students who have been previously been brainwashed with negative images of black people. Unfortunately halve of Smith's life, who faced rascism was not equiped with the knowledge and support black colleges give to their students so she could confidently face the world.
Moreover it was informing to hear about the world's negative view of Black people from a black Antiguan woman who pursued education in America. Smith exposed the false assumption of education that it is obtained, free from rascism, discrimination, and oppression. Unlike the white students who got the most out of college which includes fun, she was isolated in her dorm. Her story compelled me to say we need to draw a line through sectionalism in the world. If the educational system was not culturally bias smart intellectual immigrants who are literate could pursue their dreams to be intellitually challenged. In addition black colleges offer quality and equal education compared to any college. Overall I enjoyed the book.

Black Women/Black Literature

What really fascinated me about this particular text is the overall structure of the dialogue in an interview process. Presented here is a dialogue between the author Joanne Kilgour Dowdy and educator Christina McVay. The passage starts with McVay describing herself such as where she was born and raised and various details about her educational background. This opening question from Dowdy allows the reader to get to know McVay in a personal light. McVay's personal experiences also provide the audience with a blueprint as to how this unlikely professor got involved with teaching English in the Pan-African department at Kent State University. What makes Christina McVay an unlikely candidate to teach this particular topic is because she is Caucasian teaching this topic to a predominantly white student population.

McVay described this as teaching something of an alien nature that is alien to both her and the students. Later in her teaching career McVay was transferred to teach in a more suitable environment, an environment that would more than likely appreciate Pan-African English.

What I find to be truly fascinating about McVay's experiences at Kent State is that everything that occurred happened for a reason. She had majored in German and Russian while trying to teach herself Greek and Arabic but instead went on to teach English.

What I found interesting about McVay is she is aware of that fact that many students typically do not find joy in English. I feel as though I am one of those students. One of the problems with English for me is I feel it is not easy to relate to because it was something that has been around for thousands of years and it is rather passed down from generation to generation. What McVay showed me and her students is that English can be intriguing. One of her tactics to gain interest in the English language is to have her students create a slang dictionary. This slang dictionary is to be used much like a regular dictionary with the pronunciation and examples and definitions of how a particular word can be used. I admire the fact that McVay knew how to make slang educational yet intriguing. With McVay now teaching a predominantly black student population she found a way to relate to her students while still having a teachers perspective included.

Overall in this interview the audience was able to gain a fuller understanding of Christina McVay and how her educational techniques have allowed students to gain a fuller understanding of the English language and how it is not just about the English consensus but also black English. McVay revealed that it is acceptable to include black literature in a school curriculum and she allowed students to find how they themselves can connect to literature. McVay showed that teaching did not have to be traditional but that a teacher can relate to her students. McVay provided teaching strategies to teachers and hope in the English language and English literature to students.

-Kori Coleman

Literacy and the Black Woman- Sharon M. Darling

The first sentence of this text was, "The Black woman represents strength and endurance, yet she also represents what we consider to be at risk and poverty." This oxymoronic statement troubled me. I'd like to think that my race and gender represents strength and endurance as a whole, but I cannot ignore the "risk" and "poverty" words.

I would notice "at-risk" students in my school all the time. The were at-risk because, one, they didn't apply themselves and two, they didn't have a role model for encouragement and motivation.

When I read this selection, some of my observations began to come together and make sense. The illiterate Black woman in earlier times did not have access to education because the whites prohibited it, and if there was an opportunity for education, it was limited and structured to regulate black girls to lower positions in society (pg.17). Or, the Black woman would become a young mother, resulting in not finishing or continuing her education. In further reading, confirmed by The National Coalition on Women and Girls in Education, it says that the literacy levels of children are dramatically affected by that of their parents. On page 20 it also claims that illiterate woman are less likely to read or have literature-based interactions with their children.
This upsets me because how are we supposed to have a hope for better future generations when there are family members who are not making an effort. I also realized that I was brought up differently than many of my classmates because my parents spoke to me with proper English and always encouraged my brother and me to read and check out books at the library on the weekends.

It’s sad because black women are still perceived as being illiterate and in poverty, yet there are plenty who are trying to become successful. This is why I am grateful for institutions like Spelman because they focus on uplifting women in general, giving us confidence to achieve any goal that is set. I believe that women who continue education and are interested in bettering themselves are great role models for our future generations. Women like Michelle Obama, Hillary Clinton, and Oprah are setting the standard and making younger generations realize their potential and given opportunities.