Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1933-11-19
STUDY OF NEGRO
HISTORY URGED
Committee of Educators Adj
vOCate Teaching of Back
ground in Schools.

A system of instruction to instill in
the Negro student an understanding Of
his background and Of his possibilities
for development was outlined yesterday
in a report of a committee created at
the recent meeting here of the AsSo
citation for the Study of Negro Life and
History.
The committee is composed of educa-
tors and persons engaged in research.
It consists of DR.. Carter G. Woodson,
director of the association; Dean d. o.
w Holmes of Howard University. Dr.
Ambrose Caliver, senior specialist on
Negro education of the United states
Once of Education; A. A. SchOmberg Of
the New York Public Library, Mrs Lucy
Harth Smith of the Booker T. Wash
ington School, Lexington. Ky; Miss
Edith A. Lyons. principal of the Morgan
School here, w. M. Brewer of the his
tory department of the Washington
public high schools. Prof. Merle r. Epps,
head of the history department of the
Tennessee State College; Prof. E. P.
Southall dean of the Florida Agricul-
tural and Mechanical College; Presi-
dent j. j. Rhoads Of Bishop College,
Tex; Thomas c. Williams Of the Bor-
dentown Manual Training School. Car
IulSLOI II, LAWS VI hAlN 4 iCNN4 IN CNA0
lass High School, Baltimore and Her
man Dreer of the Sumner High School,
st. Louis.
Urge Courses in History.
The committees recommendations
stress special courses in Negro history
and culture and avoidance of prejudice.
They are IA in number. The following
are highlightS:
rNhocic xutpV.r cT1opta1
are not included in the curricula,
teachers should inspire pupils to study
Of their own background.
In teaching Negro life and history, all
tendencies toward Misrepresentation,
Standardization, or embittering one
element of the population against the
other should be avoided.
Slavery, serfCiom and social proscrip-
ton should be presented not as pc
culiar TO the Negro but as periods OF
development through which all races
have passed,
Study of Africa Urged.
Because of the handicap to the Negro
resulting from oppression during the
last 400 years, history of ancient me-
dieval and modern Africa should be
studied to show the Negroes Importance
in history.
Textbooks bearing particularly on the
race should be used in Negro schools
to avoid chance teaching which never
leads to definite results.
In communities where schools fail
to take Negro life and history into ac-
count, such work should be incorporated
in the regular programs of adult educa-
ton and young peoples societies.
Books signalling the achievement of
t1na -Ia ~ III -, l,
All schools should teach the history
OF the Negro, through simple methods
in the elementary schools, by special
courses and prescribed essays, biog-
raphies and works of literature in the
high schools, and in colleges by special
courses by competent instructors which
would be required for graduation, and
embodiment in courses in social science.
literature and other subjects.
Should Avoid RidicuIe.
In selecting texts for instruction in
modern languages and literature, teach
erS should adopt those works which
present all races as human rather
than praise one and hold up the other
to ridicule.
Colleges and universities should es-
tablish as rapidly as possible libraries
dealing with the history and the status
OF the Negro in the modern world.
In addition to thorough training in
music, every Negro public school sys-
TEN and college should have an art
gallery and little theater to facili-
tate the training of Negroes in the
arts, in which, the recommendation
adds, they have shown much apti-
tude"
Finally the committee recommended
that with the support of interested
school, the Association for the Study
of Negro Life and History be made a
national co-ordinating agency for the
training Of exceptional youths and for
research and publication of works by
advanced students and teachers.