Do You Think Black Kids Know That Black People Used To Be Slaves?

3 Comments

  • Derrick - 10 years ago

    Sadly, I voted no. Most of these youngsters do not even know much about the the civil rights struggle that was only 50 years ago. I was about to go off on tangent about our young black people today, but I didn't want to end up sounding like Don Lemon. DAMMIT!!

  • Malcolm L. - 10 years ago

    Contrary to popular belief, Black history month isn't mandatory in every school anymore. I live in Illinois but very close to the Wisconsin border and the schools around here do not recognize it. If parents want that to be taught to their children in this area, they have to do it themselves.

  • Nahan87 - 10 years ago

    I think Black kids know black people were slaves but they may not completely understand what it meant to be a slave. That's why I think it's important for them to see Twelve Years a Slave or read the book. I read the book 14 years ago and it really impacted my life because even though I was told about slavery, reading the book or watching the movie makes it more graphic and concrete since it is a memoir written by Solomon Northup (first hand account of slavery). Kids aren't expected to read slave narratives and even few know they exist and so those first hand accounts of slavery are left to history and are replaced with abstract understandings of slavery. Seeing that you are black and understanding what blackness means I think are two very different things.

Leave a Comment

0/4000 chars


Submit Comment