The most influential work by "the father of Black history", reflecting
the long-standing tradition of antiracist teaching pioneered by Black
educators
A Penguin Classic
The Mis-education of the Negro (1933) is Woodson's most popular
classic work of Black social criticism, drawing on history, theory, and
memoir. As both student and teacher, Woodson witnessed distortions of
Black life in the history and literature taught in schools and
universities. He identified a relationship between these distortions in
curriculum and the violence circumscribing Black life in the material
world, declaring, "There would be no lynching if it did not start in the
schoolroom." Woodson's primary focus was the impact dominant modes of
schooling had on Black youth. This systematic process of mis-education
undermined Black people's struggles for freedom and justice, and it was
an experience that scholars before and after Woodson recognized and
worked to challenge.
Woodson argued that students, teachers, and leaders needed to be
educated in a manner that was accountable to Black experiences and lived
realities, both past and present. This edition includes an appendix of
selected letters and articles by Woodson, and Suggestions for Further
Reading.
