In America we cherish or at least pay lip service to the notion that our public schools are the great equalizer, the reason why any little boy can become president. In Original Sins: The (Mis)education of Black and Native Children and the Construction of American Racism Eve L. Ewing eloquently calls bullshit. She shows how from the dawn of America to the 21st century, from nursery school to college they instead do a great job of maintaining the racial status quo.
At the beginning of the book Ewing asks readers what the purpose of schools is. Drawing on true depth and breadth of scholarship she shows the true intent of educating Indigenous children (erasure) and Black children (subordination to whites). Each chapter adds a strand to a truly horrifying tapestry. Among the topics covered are:
*The boarding schools Indigenous children were torn from their families at incredibly early ages to attend so whites could "kill the Indian to save the man",
*The role of standardized tests in bolstering the myth of white intellectual superiority and setting non whites on lower academic tracks,
*The school to jail pipeline which forecloses the future of so many non white children,
*Why land grant colleges should be called land grab colleges,
And so many more.
But despite all the ugliness she uncovers Ewing is not without hope. And she offers suggestions for badly needed change.
Original Sins should be on the summer reading lists of parents, teachers, guidance counselors, school administrators, college professors in education departments and their students--basically anyone who cares about how we educate and miseducate this nation's children.
On a purrrsonal note, I am so excited 😊 🤗 I just can't hide it. Today is the first day of spring break. And it's also the first time I'll see my kids in months!!!
A great big shout out goes out to Eugene and our amazing children and their significant others ❤️.
Jules Hathaway
Sent from my U.S.Cellular© Smartphone
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