Education: A Sacred Pillar of the Black Community

Education is considered a pillar of support for the Black family and community. During the peculiar institution enslaved Blacks had to learn how to read and write in secret. The first book that served as a reader was the Bible. When emancipation was finally granted mechanisms were put in place to help Blacks achieve an education. One of the best stories in the quest for an education is Booker T. Washington's 100 mile walk to attend Hampton institute. At Hampton Washington developed his life's motto: "Learn how to do a common thing, uncommonly well."
In the period of American apartheid Blacks were forbidden to attend better funded white schools. They were regulated to under funded Black institutions. But within these schools Black excellence was achieved from the elementary/high school of The Hungerford School in Eatonville to Bethune Cookman University in Daytona Beach. Note, that within these schools the Bible was still a primary book for learning and spiritually.

In 1954 via Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas the NAACP-LDEF successfully argued that segregation was illegal and that as Supreme Court Justice Earl Warren stated, " it bleeds a badge of inferiority."

Now, let's juxtapose it to 21st  century Orlando. Recently, Jones High School, the famous historically Black school in Central Florida held its graduation. The current member in the House of Representatives, Maxwell Frost, was in attendance expressing salutations of the importance of an education. However, the contradictions that has surfaced is that he allegedly did not complete high school and lied that he attended Valencia State College in Orlando. Now, if this is true. His non literary actions goes against one of the major virtues of the Black comminity-- Education. Also, if true it highlights the ugly backroom deals that infest the social political body of our nation of determining who should lead communities--especially the Black community.

Black education and students are not to be toyed with for political gain. African Americans were lynched because they wanted to learn. Sidelined because they had visions to enter socalled only white professions. And many still today who have achieved are looked upon as a threat to the status quo and are racially censored.  I leave you with a little story of one of our greatest heroes who was discouraged from entering a profession. The story of Malcolm Little.

Malcolm was abandoned by a system that murdered his father and broke up his family. Ultimately causing the little boy's mother to have a mental breakdown. His siblings were partitioned by the state. Malcolm was sent to a group home where he was the only Black. The home had a school. Little Malcom overachieved, he was the best student. One day the teacher asked Little Malcom, "what do you want to be when you grow up?" Malcolm responded, "I want to be a lawyer." The teacher flowed and said, "Malcolm, that's not a job for a N...ger. Your people would not hire you and surely not mine. Malcolm, you should be a carpenter. Jesus was a carpenter." The little boy cried and grew up, not to be a lawyer; but, the great Malcolm X. 

Again, don't dare play with the education of our children. Our children regardless of race, color, religion or gender are not to be used as pawns on your political chess board. We believe in education as a vehicle for social, economic and political growth. Education is a fabric of our moral conscience. Therefore, before you address the children of this country you must be of the pedigree of educational excellence.