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  1. #1
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    My kids and I have gone on three field trips this month-all about some aspect of African American history. It's amazing to me, the lack of other black participants in these programs-which are free or very low cost. I had a discussion with a friend about the lack of other black faces, and she felt that most black parents feel that they don't need any outsiders telling 'our history', and that a lot of public schools only celebrate MLK. On the other hand, whites want to learn that stuff because it alleviates white guilt.

    The program we went to yesterday was about runaway slaves. We learned about constellations, code songs, wilderness survival. At the end, we participated in a dramatic reenactment of slavery in a 'free state'. It was very real. My son had to stop and watch because it upset him so bad. We were combined with a class from the Jewish school. Several of them also were upset and crying. This was an excellent program, but I can't help but wonder about the lack of black participation.

  2. #2
    ChocoMom is offline Active Nappturality Member
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    I took my girls to an African American cuture celebration and most of the people who attended were white. There was a bigger one that was less about culture, but had a marketplace. It was mainly attended by black people.

  3. #3
    sangoma is offline Active Nappturality Member
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    In South Africa there's an Apartheid photo Museum which is mainly attended by whites and foreign tourists. The black people that do go are either school groups, media or people studying history and politics in university. I guess most of us lived throug it and feel we don't need to go to a museum to be reminded of it. I've always thought though that the next generation might be more interested but from what you say about AA history, it doesn't sound like things will be any different in South Africa.
    This museum is also very hectic. They have separate entrances and walkways for whites and blacks. People are separated by a wire fence which you can see through to see how the other half's part of the museum looks like. They've also kept most of the signs that were used during the apartheid era so it looks really authentic. The building is also very cold, lots of bricks showing and lots of concrete. I've heard people both black and white complain about how the separation is so real while you are in there. Most people (especially adults) are highly emotional when they come out.

  4. #4
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    I was raised on African-american history. As children, my sister and I had flashcards,games, and movies. We had to write short biographies and book reports on important Black people and events in history. I remember being frustrated in school, because I already knew the simplistic and superficial "black people" portion in all of my social studies and history classes. I've found that many exhibits and celebrations are designed to introduce participants, who have had limited exposure, to the topics and people of African-american history. I tend to look for presentations or literature that are specific and topically narrow. Still, the "Eyes on the Prize" series brings me to tears no matter how many times I see it on PBS.

    Now that I'm a parent, I find myself buying the same games and flash cards that my mom FORCED (retrospectivally(sp?)thankful) on me.
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