"As another has well said, to handicap a student by teaching him that his black face is a curse and that his struggle to change his condition is hopeless is the worst sort of lynching"
- Carter G. Woodson
About this Quote
This quote by Carter G. Woodson talks to the destructive results of racism and the power of education. Woodson is stating that when trainees are taught that their blackness is a curse which they have no hope of enhancing their situation, it is a type of mental lynching. This quote stresses the value of education in empowering individuals to increase above their scenarios and to challenge oppressive systems. Woodson is promoting for education that is empowering and liberating, rather than overbearing and disempowering. He is requiring an education system that recognizes the capacity of all students, despite their race or background. Woodson's words are an effective tip of the significance of education in producing a more equitable and just society.
"One has children in the expectation of dying before them. In fact, you want to make damn sure you die before them, just as you plant a tree or build a house knowing, hoping that it will outlive you. That's how the human species has done as well as it has"
"Learning and teaching should not stand on opposite banks and just watch the river flow by; instead, they should embark together on a journey down the water. Through an active, reciprocal exchange, teaching can strengthen learning how to learn"
