The Miseducation of the Negro

The beginning of the book is interesting, because Woodson talks about how African Americans were taught that White Americans are superior to them in school. That is the way life was for blacks in the first half of the 1900s. Woodson talks about how if blacks acted out of character that they were put back in their place. If a black person wanted to work in New York or in a high paying job, they were told who they were and what their race was and finally that they weren’t allowed to work in that facility. He says that highly educated African Americans often become pessimistic to be a constructive force. They don’t quite know how to stick up for themselves. Woodson experienced this time after time. He is speaking from his own experiences and he is expressing them in this book. That’s why this book is interesting so far. I understand a little bit more what life was like then. As I read this book more I hope to learn more what African American life was like and realize that I’m lucky to have a great life now. Woodson says in the back that blacks need to learn to stop being dependent on other people, and learn how to be more independent with their decisions.