2. The Mis-Education of the Negro, by Carter Woodson

[chipmunk-planet.livejournal.com]

A scathing denunciation of modern (at the writing, 1933) education of Black Americans, delving into every corner of society. This book has more excellent quotes than would fit on this post, but the author's main argument is that Blacks are being 'educated' to see themselves as inferior to whites and trained to function in a white society where they will not be allowed to fairly compete, instead of obtaining the kind of education that will allow them to achieve and help their communities by studying Black history, religion, literature, philosophy and economics.

This is an eye-opening (for me, anyway) look into what Jim Crow was really like, a Dark Ages of American history. The author gives a comparison to the late 19th century advances post-Emancipation, bringing out how (intentionally or not) racist educators later shaped Black attitudes towards themselves.

The full text is online for free here.