Introduction

Chapter 2 presents examples of transformative scholarship and empirical inquiries that demonstrate how research can become one of the forms of struggle for Black education.  These exemplary approaches show that intellectual freedom from hegemony is imperative. This is the fundamental consensus reached by the Commission on Research in Black Education that is stated in the form of “A Declaration of Intellectual Independence for Human Freedom.” Also the title of this chapter, this declaration consists of Ten Vital Principles for Black Education and Socialization and four Articles that indicate the Commission’s concerns about both the quality of knowledge research has produced and the effects of research practice on the material and spiritual well-being of African people. 

Ten Vital Principles for Black Education and Socialization

1. We exist as African people, an ethnic family. Our perspective must be centered in that reality.

2. The priority is on the African ethnic Family over the Individual.  Because we live in a world where expertness in alien cultural traditions (that we also share) have gained hegemony, our collective survival and enhancement must be our highest priorities.

3. Some solutions to problems that we will identify will involve differential use of three modes of response to domination and hegemony: a) Adaptation—adopting what is deemed useful, b) Improvisation—substituting or improvising alternatives that are more sensitive to our culture and c) Resistance—resisting that which is destructive and not in the best interests of our people.

4. The “ways of knowing” provided by the arts and humanities are often more useful in informing our understanding of our lives and experiences and those of other oppressed people than the knowledge and methodologies of the sciences that have been privileged by the research establishment despite the often distorted or circumscribed knowledge and understanding this way of knowing produces.

5. Paradoxically, from the perspective of the education research establishment, knowledge production is viewed as the search for facts and (universal) truth, while the circumstances of our social and existential condition require the search for meaning and understanding.

6. The priority is on research validity over “inclusion.”  For research validity highest priority must be placed on studies of:  a) African tradition (history, culture and language), b) Hegemony (e.g., uses of schooling/socialization and incarceration), c) Equity (funding, teacher quality, content and access to technology) and d) Beneficial practice (at all levels of education, from childhood to elderhood).

7.  Research informs practice and practice informs research in the production and utilization of knowledge; therefore, context is essential in research: a) Cultural/ historical context, b) Political/economic context and c) Professional context, including the history of AERA and African people.                                                                                                   

8.  We require power and influence over our common destiny. Rapid globalization of the economy and cyber-technology are transforming teaching, learning and work itself. Therefore, we require access to education that serves our collective interests, including assessments that address cultural excellence and a comprehensive approach to the interrelated health, learning and economic needs of African people.

9.  The Universal Declaration of Human Rights proclaims, and the UNESCO World Education 2000 Report, issued in Dakar, Senegal, affirms that “education is a fundamental human right” and “an indispensable means for effective participation in the societies and economies of the twenty-first century.” [ii]  We are morally obligated to “create safe, healthy, inclusive and equitably resourced educational environments” conducive to excellence in learning and socialization with clearly defined levels of achievement for all.  Such learning environments must include appropriate curricula and teachers who are appropriately educated and rewarded.

10.  African people are not empty vessels. We are not new to the study of and practice of education and socialization that is rooted in deep thought.  We will not accept a dependent status in the approach and solution to our problems.

These vital principles are further elaborated in the following four Articles:

Article 1:  Expanding Human Understanding 

Article 2:  Nurturing Cultural Consciousness

Article 3:  Resisting Hegemony, Domination and Dispossession Culturally

Article 4:  Using a Liberatory Cultural Orientation as an Analytical/Pedagogical Tool.

This declaration suggests criteria or guidelines for alternatives to establishment approaches and ameliorative practices that have failed to alleviate the crisis in Black education.  The chapter concludes with a discussion of the significance of the Transformative Research and Action Agenda the Commission submitted to the American Educational Research Association (see Appendix A).

[i]  Shakur Afrikanus, a community scholar who resides in Harlem, New York, assisted with the translation of James Brown's lyrics from the Gullah dialect into Standard English.

[ii] It is worth noting that the U.S. Constitution does not guarantee education as a human right; see Smith, 1999 and Spring, 2001. 

posted 15 July 2005

Dr. Joyce E. King is the Benjamin E. Mays Chair of Urban Teaching, Learning, and Leadership in the College of Education at Georgia State University. 

The former Provost and Professor of Education at Spelman College, King is recognized here and abroad for her contributions to the field of education. In addition to Black Education, a publication which she edited, Dr. King has published three other books –Preparing Teachers for Diversity, Teaching Diverse Populations and Black Mothers to Sons: Juxtaposing African American Literature with Social Practice.

She has published many articles as well that address the role of cultural knowledge in effective teaching and teacher preparation, black teachers’ emancipatory pedagogy, research methods, black studies epistemology and curriculum change. King is a graduate of Stanford University where she received a Doctor of Philosophy degree in social foundations and a Bachelor of Arts degree in sociology. She also holds a certificate from the Harvard Institute in educational management.