This series of courses covers the ancestral history of African American people from thousands of years ago to the present times. This history in traditional classes starts with enslavement and ends with the Civil Rights Movement, but the rich history of African American people is more complex and influential than that. This class will attempt to redress the gaps in history and perspective as they relate to how African American history, world history, and American history are taught.
Students will read, study, and analyze texts, movements, and ideologies prominent in the history of African Americans such as The Miseducation of the Negro by Dr. Carter G. Woodson and the ideology of “Do For Self” taught by The Honorable Elijah Muhammad and carried forward into “New Africa” by his son and Muslim leader Imam W. Deen Mohammed. Students will also read autobiographies and biographies of influential African Americans.
Students will complete in depth studies of individuals who played prominent roles in the spiritual, educational, economic, and social development of African Americans. They will investigate what made these individuals successful and what they can learn from their experiences to apply to their lives today. Students will ponder how they can continue, improve, and expand upon the work of those who preceded them.