I tend to agree with many of your posts, however  I can't on this one.  The West's entire system of education is based upon a completely Eurocentric model that almost totally ignores the contributions of other societies, nations and cultures.  I know because I have a "classical" education.  An expensive prep school then university, where I learned almost nothing of Africa's cultural and historic global importance.  I was taught that by my parents and my own extensive research. A non white child raised in this type of system learns nothing of value about themselves or their historical past.  This can be very damaging.  And is in effect one of the main reasons for the continuing problems of race and ethnicity here in the states.  If children don't learn anything but that blacks were ignorant naked savages, enslaved by Europeans and brought here to America, who then couldn't even get it together enough to free themselves what kind of self esteem can they be expected to have.  And what kind of respect can others have for them.  Of course this model is a blatant lie but history is written by the winners.  So I think it's a wonderful idea to have schools focused on real facts and that have a cultural concentration to give children a sense of self worth and a feeling that their ancestors have made invaluable contributions to today's world. They will most likely learn of events and people that will inspire them.

This option for Canada, could end up being a chance to "segregate".  Keep in mind, change takes time.  We're all on a good path/journey.  Lets keep focused, present and aware....

Wanderer: why do you need to learn about "yourself" in high school?

The high schools do provide a tiny bit of historical context, critical thinking. and some other feel-good empowerment but, right or wrong. they're not in the self-worth biz.

Do they have the time?  High schools give you is fluency in communication, numeracy, ideas, and other skills to help you make it in higher education or the job market.   That's a lot of teaching right there.  They're also supposed to teach racial pride?  To which races?  Do we really want to go there?

Worst idea ever.

Your parents should give you the indepth cultural background about your heritage and ancestors, if needed.  School should primarily be about learning basic skills (the 3 Rs) and formal logical constructs (critical thinking skills).

To go a step further, I am of the opinion that "race" based pride is not useful or important other than disproving racist and illogical superiority claims.

Statistics sadly bear the truth that the way we currently teach our kids is not reaching kids . . . we need to find more effective ways with which to engage our children . . .

This article is reprinted with permission from The National Black Agenda, February, 2008, edition:

Believing the best way to uplift youth is better education, UniTee Design, Inc. (UDI) is on a mission: to rebuild African-American unity in our communities primarily through the development, support and funding of more effective educational opportunities for today’s young generation.

A youth education and ethnic empowerment enterprise with offices near Detroit, Atlanta, and in New York City, UDI’s primary product and service offerings are youth enrichment (i.e., educational programming and motivational speaking), and ethnic apparel design, production, distribution and sales.

UDI uses designs that feature the red, black and green (RBG) colors associated with African-American culture. “UniTee Shirts” and “UniTee Bands” teach our children of a rich cultural history, heritage, and the many, significant achievements of their ancestors, to build and strengthen within them higher levels of self-esteem and self-identity.

Several RBG designs also incorporate the words “pride, power and purpose” (the 3P’s) that serve as positive life principles.  The 3P’s provide an opportunity to help youth overcome real-life issues such as broken homes, tough streets, gun and domestic violence, and drugs. They are also used to promote the importance of education to help children become more resilient to the multitude of negative circumstances and influences they often face.

UDI supplies positive reinforcement for our youth by using the RBG colors and 3P’s, and then delivers “alternative” education programs to help them identify a specific purpose in life. These programs are typically developed based on direct feedback from youth as to what their interests are to better engage their motivation, participation and improvement.

R. Lee Gordon, UDI’s founder (and director of Youth Education Programming for The Hip Hop Congress), says there is a growing movement to better the condition of African-American youth through better education.  “By proactively seeking out and engaging the multitude of entities and individuals who share our mission and value our vision, we can overcome fragmentation, create consolidation and build a national coalition to propel our ability to deliver more effective educational options to the maximum number of youth. Thus, we are willing to work with anyone who will help us support, develop and fund youth education programming that empowers the lives of our children.”

UDI has alliances with positive groups throughout the country including:

The Single Parent Resource Center

The Hip Hop Congress

Children and Youth Prevention Services

The African American Music Association

The Blackstar Project

Project 2019

The Youth Leadership Program

The International Men of Excellence

Welcome To Harlem

Motor City Blight Busters

The Michigan Department of Human Services

The National Black Graduate Student Association

Youth in Transition

H.U.M.S

UniTee Design is building a national network of “Purpose Providers” consisting of concerned citizens, college students, communities and groups to strengthen youth education advocacy and volunteerism.

UDI also uses a variety of fundraising, cross-branding and cross promotion strategies, as well as live event and online product sales, to fund and develop youth education programs.

Currently teaming with Eastern Michigan University (EMU), UDI is developing a national model that will forge partnerships between colleges and universities, and community agencies.  It is also establishing a national peer mentor project initiative that will match college students with high school students, and high school students with grade school students, to empower students to strive for and achieve higher education goals that will result in improved academic and professional outcomes.

Some of the current programs developed or supported by UDI include:

A self-defense and safety awareness program developed in cooperation with The Detroit Threat Management Center helps school-aged children feel more assured and able to protect themselves in their communities by gaining the skills and strategic thinking needed to do so, while fostering self-discipline and respect.

The Model Student Fashion Career Development Program introduces the world of fashion to schools via instructional photography, videography, fashion design, modeling and hair and make-up styling. The program is also structured to reinforce overall academic performance.

Public Art Workz is a summer camp that teaches creative arts and merchandising to inner-city youth.  UDI and BlightBusters (a Detroit-based not-for-profit organization) are organizing a major fundraiser in June 2008, featuring Motown recording artists, The Miracles and The Contours, to support this important program.

UniTee Design products are currently available at Spectacles and Naim’s Unique Designs in Detroit, Phat Gear in Atlanta, EMU, Wayne State University, and major national distribution is slated for early spring.  Several joint ventures are in the works with The Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History, HBCU Kidz, The Detroit HBCU Network, and others.  UDI is introducing new apparel designs and product lines to include sweatshirts, sports jerseys, baseball caps, etc., and will produce “Purpose Provider” (“edutainment”) events throughout the country.

The urgency to achieve higher levels of academic successes for our youth is obvious.  Thus, your input, involvement and collaborations towards a common cause, greater good and brighter future are vital.

We need to find better ways to educate our youth.  Together, we can give them the best.

R. Lee Gordon

UniTee Design, Inc.

www.uniteedesign.com

rgordon@uniteedesign.com

Toll Free:  888.OUR.RBG.TEES

They are not misguided.  They are not lacking in self-esteem. They are making a rational decision. There are no jobs for black youth.  The Democrats, Republicans, the Talented Tenth and the Federal government have decided to outsource the jobs to China and to import Mexicans to do the ones that remain.  If you are a typical dumb@ss American, when your betters abandon you you have nowhere to turn.  It's a race to the bottom in the global economy.

To Yammer: I didn't say that schools should teach racial pride, but that they should teach a truer more balanced account of world history.  And yes school is a great place to learn about yourself.  If you haven't noticed school is where a child spends the bulk of his or her day for at least 12 years.  School is where you learn critical thinking as well as very important social skills.  School isn't just a place where you go learn the basics of math, language and the arts and sciences.  It is a constantly evolving dynamic that can in fact determine the course of a person's life.  

Right on the money, Jimi.  When children believe they have power to make choices and that education gives them additional choices, they're more likely to stay in school.  

However, afro-centric schools may indeed engage children in the same way that female-only schools are assisting girls in the U.S. by encouraging them to excel at being what they are, not constantly attempting to be something that no teenager can acheive.  If the afro-centric schools can build a sense of community in their students, encourage them to take pride in themselves and provide positive role models for their students, then dreams and hopes can take root and flourish.

DeWayne, the second poster, makes an excellent point that if segregation becomes the end result, afro-centric schools will fail.  If the schools offer something vital, then perhaps this strange idea will become viable.  Canada comes up with many unique ideas.  With luck, perhaps the U.S. will be following their example in 20 years with magnet schools for those wishing to learn in a classroom environment where race isn't divisive.

You make some valid points in this article, however I do have to disagree with you. I think that this school could be a great idea and a start to ending something thats become a trend. I live in Baltimore City where the drop out rate is about 50% (and thats if you believe our FAKE CITiStats) I also dropped out of school but WENT back because I realized that an education was my only way out of this city!! School was BORING and NOT ENGAGING at all unless there was one of those stupid tests coming up you wouldn't know that you were in a learning enviornment! We have almost no support from our school board and year after year more and more of our young people slip through the cracks. In a city like mines wher you might not have that 'sense of home', foundation, or a parent willing to push you (with 60,000 plus addicts documented in our city w/2-5 kids each) an ENGAGING school could stand to be enough motivation for someone with little to no hope to want to get up and go to school knowing that they will learn something that they did not know, and begin to see the world beyond what they see outside of their window...

As a teacher in a predominantly black school (98%), my experience tells me this is not going to help. We cover more African-American history and literature than any other school I know. Our drop out rates are still high. The students want to know how this matters to them, and they do not believe their history is a close enough link. The research in Canada and the U.S. is the same. Make the classes smaller, seperate the genders sometimes, and most interesting for this particular post: students who are in a very diverse school tend to do better than their peers. People know this, all evidence points to it. Still we won't do it because it costs too much.