Activist wants black history taught in schools

Georges believes black history should be taught in schools
Georges believes black history should be taught in schools

Activist and advocate for black history, Franklyn Georges, has called for the “re-education” of students in regards to black history being taught in schools.

Georges explained that he believes that we, as a people, should embrace our heritage while still teaching traditional history.

“It’s time that we start teaching our history in our schools. I’m saying not to teach the others, but it’s time to teach ours, and let the world know that we know our history,” he said at the launch of Black History Month being organized by the Dominica Library and Information Service (DLIS) on Monday.

He stated that it is the public’s responsibility to educate and empower the youth, and help them to develop a sense of dignity and self-awareness.

“Human beings are not born with automatic knowledge of who they are, what they have been, and what they can become,” he noted. “The human being develops on a basis of information that he receives about himself/ herself. If they are taught that they are people of dignity, power, and value, and are given examples of such characteristics in the people around them, then they become dignified, powerful, and valuable.”

He is of the belief that this initiative will help foster a “positive black identity,” and help to enhance youths’ development.

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29 Comments

  1. MsDorie
    February 2, 2016

    Mr. Georges is trying to put a correlation with America black history and Dominican history it is different. African Americans celebrate Black history month in February for a reason. Dominican should not adopt that. Dominica should educated on African history. Caribbean people never experience or suffered the way black Americans suffered.

  2. 4cars
    February 2, 2016

    What will the lessons in black history teach us? Black people are killing each other like never before. We keep putting the cart before the horse. I’d really like somebody to honestly tell me the benefits in learning/teaching black history. Is it to resurrect “BLACK POWER?” Is it to always think of the white man as the enemy? What’s the damn purpose, when we are faced with all sorts of hardships from unemployment to illiteracy to corrupt government to lawlessness etc., Please don’t remind me of Africa, Ok? White people have stolen every damn thing from us, from our gold mine, diamond mine, Oil and all our natural resources – Do you think we can retrieve these things from them? The Army is theirs, all the war machines and guns are theirs!!! They stole America from the Indians; Can the Indians get back their land by learning “Indian History?” Give me a break. My advice to the black man is to seek wisdom. it’s better than knowledge.

    • budman
      February 2, 2016

      wow!

  3. Rabbit
    February 2, 2016

    We need to rid African people of religious ideology first if we really want to free our minds. How can African people understand their history while holding on to the various religious doctrines of the same people who used their Islam & christianity to enslave them?

  4. Me
    February 2, 2016

    Personally I find that phrase “black history” offensive and think “African history” would be better. Imagine for a moment that schools, in the U.K. or U.S.A. for instance would teach “white history”. I am sure that would cause an outcry and public uproar. African history sounds far better and correct to me.

    • February 2, 2016

      Stop picking hairs you knew exactly what he was referring too, you mentioned USA they use both labels.. Black History or African History it makes no difference it should be taught in school and I concur.
      African history sound better to you , so what !

      • Me
        February 2, 2016

        Words are very important Patriot. For instance it is now politically incorrect to use the word negro for a black person when the original meaning of the word (Latin and contemporary Spanish) is exactly that, black.

  5. smdh
    February 2, 2016

    Black history is taught in schools. the teachers have not connected with it enough for it to be done. Dr. Honeychurch’s text books go into some detail about places like Mali, Sudan, Nigeria etc. HOWEVER, More can be taught about our history, and not just after slavery began, but looong before when even maybe before blacks ruled Europe.

  6. MsDorie
    February 2, 2016

    I agree with learning about ones history. However, I see a lot of American views in these comments. Yes we all originated from Africa, whites as well as blacks. I grew up un Dominica left the states at 14 years old. I did not realize I was different in any way. I was taught I am
    just part of the human race. I did not know what slavery was. I did not know there were difference in American until I saw the movie roots. American blacks suffered during slavery more than any other compared to people of the Caribbean. So yes we can learn about our history for empowerment, but not for revenue. Even as of today lived in America for 40 years. I still feel like I am part of the human race and not looking at myself as black, because I was not taught that as a child.

    • 4cars
      February 2, 2016

      I don’t believe you. If you say that you live in the States (USA) and have not felt or seen the disparity between blacks and whites on many levels, then, you must be living under a rock somewhere.

  7. Tjebe Fort
    February 2, 2016

    OK mr. Georges, I agree, we need to know our history but you are an African carrying a British passport. And please, do not confuse carnival with emancipation because that is a distortion of history and an insult to us.

  8. 4cars
    February 2, 2016

    Tell them also, that they must wear clothes depicting African culture? Listen people – The brainwash is so strong that all the teachings of black history on earth would not cause the black man to love himself. We have been self branded to believe that we are limited, not as intelligent, not as rich, not as good looking. If you are honest with yourselves you will admit, that in a mostly all white gathering you feel uncomfortable as a black person – Not that you are inferior; but they have always made their environment as such to make you feel unequal and lesser. The young back people are really not interested in their history. They are more interested in knowing that they will be able to find a job after graduating college. Look we have a BLACK primer minister – He is BLACK! and look how he has been treating the same black people who elected him to office. To hell with BLACK HISTORY. It doesn’t help one bit.

  9. Big Bannan
    February 2, 2016

    Please lets start. We have been brainwashed by our slave masters who kept us reading about Bra Rabbit and Percy and them instead of teaching us more about ourselves and our history. I wonder if our children know who MLK Junior was.

  10. anonymous2
    February 1, 2016

    I guess that most of you have never sat in the library and listened to what this man was teaching your children. He teaches racism. The black leaders in Africa long ago sold out their people and used them as slaves in Africa. That went on for hundreds of years before the white man ever set foot in the slave trade that the African tradesmen perpetuated, rounding up these people and selling them to the highest bidder. It seems that black history starts in the text books when the white explorers went down to Africa in the 1400’s looking for plantation workers. They leave out the part that blacks were used as slaves by the Egyptians and in Marco Polo’s travels. That was a long time before the Portuguese and Spanish explorers came looking for slaves to carry to south, central and north America as well as the Caribbean. It is time that the truth be told. No more of this one-sided black vs white type of biased, untrue history which encourages the division between races.

    • Zandoli
      February 2, 2016

      The truth is often not very pleasant and people generally do not like to deal with unpleasant realities. The slave trade across the Atlantic would never have happened but for the complicity of black people. Europeans bought the slaves that were captured by black African tribes.

      White people did not venture into the bushes and hunted for African people. Our people were front and centre of the trade. It’s a nasty truth we do not want to acknowledge.

    • lightbulb
      February 2, 2016

      the Pharaohs were black also.
      look up queen tiye.

      that being said i dont understand why he admires the UK, while he scorns the US

    • MsDorie
      February 2, 2016

      Yes this is very true slavery was started with blacks vs blacks

  11. About time
    February 1, 2016

    I totally agree. It’s about time.

  12. out of south city
    February 1, 2016

    My brother, it is way past time that our history be taught, especially at all the schools on the island. Actually, this should become a part of the curriculum. We have been taught all other history except ours. No one but us will teach our history because our history has been hidden by the powers that be so we are left to search our own.
    I know exactly what has been done to us, through the introduction of religion on the African continent and ever since, we have given claim to one book, which was used to enslave our ancestors. As a result, we have carried this indoctrination into the future and have forgotten about our great continent, which was the first great civilisation. We are a great people but unless we take back what was taken from us, that greatness will not reach it’s peak. There is more to it than getting a so-called education, for most of what we get a degree in has nothing to do with our great history.

    • out of south city
      February 1, 2016

      There are many who look back at slavery and the impact that it had on our fore-parents. We need to go past slavery, to the beginning of our civilisation. There did not exist any greater civilisation and other races copied from the original. Even the different religions that exist had their beginnings from our fore-parents’ spirituality because they did not practice religion. Truly, we need to go back to our roots so that we can rise again as a people. We need to be delivered from all of these religions that cause all these divisions among us and be re-connected to our spirituality.

      HOTEP(PEACE)

      • Zandoli
        February 2, 2016

        We are no greater and no worse than any other civilization. If we are so great, why are so many Africans massacring each other to this day (in the 21 century). Shouldn’t we be above that?

        As I said, we are just a subset of people who live on this planet, no better, no worse.

  13. Massacre
    February 1, 2016

    This is a positive step to give our kids the right information on their history.
    A saying, \”Don\’t know where you are from, Don\’t know where you are going.\”

  14. Neg Mawon
    February 1, 2016

    Long overdue, but will the call be heeded? 8-O

  15. Estate of Mind
    February 1, 2016

    Knowledge is power.. Hotep

    • anonymous2
      February 1, 2016

      Truth is power.

  16. mampo
    February 1, 2016

    That wont make a difference with the way black people think and act. They still kill each other, steal from each other.
    They have no respect for themselves and others. They have lost their culture and are being blown around by every wind that blows.

    • budman
      February 2, 2016

      so if you teach the history and the culture with an effort to re instill pride, wouldn’t that help? how can you be in a position to determine that KNOWLEDGE won’t help? wow. just wow.

  17. Dr Clayton Shillingford
    February 1, 2016

    I agree with Franklyn Georges and support his
    ideas..

  18. dominica new york
    February 1, 2016

    so true sir

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