AAAS and Its Misconceptions

by Azizah Young

The part of the lesson that I would like to reflect on would be the misconceptions of African American Studies and in some ways African American History. I am a person that loves to learn about Black History, present, as well as future. It makes me proud to know how far African Americans have come, and how far we have to go. Introduction to African American Studies states that, “The study does not begin with their enslavement in America but with their heritage and ancestral roots in Africa.” (pg 4) I liked that sentence because I for one believe that the history of African Americans did not start with slavery. It is good to learn that and teach generations to come, Black or otherwise that there was more to black people than being whipped, and made to feel like they were nothing. “For African Americans, Black Studies are as essential to their normative and psychological well being as White studies are to White Americans or Europeans.” (pg. 8) With “white studies” being implemented from the time we enter school, and Black history only playing a role one month a year, learning as much about the history, heritage, and strength of my people is something that is a personal life goal of mine. It is also my goal to be able to pass my knowledge on to others of all races and cultures

Not only do I think it’s essential for African Americans to learn of their history, it is also important for white people to learn of Black History. The generic information that has seemed be passed around over the years needs to change, not that the information being shown and talked about isn’t powerful, but what about the information not being shown, and not being talked about. To make the struggles of African Americans seem tolerable, some events of the past have been sugar coated. Unless we visit museums or seek information on the internet, stories of the horrendous treatment of Blacks during slavery barely scratch the surface of the truth. How could one people treat another people so cruelly? Understanding that Blacks were brought here as slaves because they could do the labor that needed to be done, how could such terrible things be done to men, women and children because their skin color was different? What kind of terrible indoctrination had to go on in order to look at another human and see them only as animals? For instance, I honestly don’t believe that compassionate slave masters existed. I do, on the other hand, believe that white people marched with blacks during the Civil Rights Movement.

In conclusion, “Historically, much of the implicit racist social and government policies affecting the quality of life of African Americans and Africans have been based on theoretical constructs used by White Americans and Europeans that are inconsistent with the social and cultural realities of Black people or the Black Community.” (pg. 38) I consider this to be true, because white people have always has the upper hand, and with black people being brought to America to work, whatever the white had to say was “gospel” compared to the word of a black person. That’s why I think it is important for we as black people to go out and get our own understanding and accounts of what our history was like, and not just going on the word of everyone else. At my age I am finding out more and more about history that was never taught or presented to me, and it only makes me hungry for the knowledge of other facts that I didn’t know.