THE EDITOR, Sir:
I AM writing in response to the letter published on February 16, entitled 'Why Black History Month here?' I am a 22-year-old Jamaican national, a product of the Jamaican secondary school system and the American tertiary school system.
Our educational system is NOT imbued with the history and culture of our African and Caribbean heritage, and the focus of our history curriculum is Eurocentric. The first time that I ever took a 'Black writers' class or a 'Black protest drama' class, or a class in 'African religious cultures' or in the 'History of Latin America and the Caribbean' was not in Jamaica during the pursuit of my secondary studies, but at University in the United States.
Such classes were not available to secondary school students in Jamaica, in my time; at least, not at the high school I attended. Please note that I am not implying that Jamaican secondary institutions should begin to offer tertiary level courses. But whereas my classmates at university, who attended high school in the U.S., were well versed in their people's success and achievements, I was only beginning my introduction to such matters.
As young people in Jamaica we were not offered the opportunity to study the history or culture of our ancestors. The academic curriculum just did not facilitate the pursuit of such knowledge. The brief introduction that was given to us in civics class in primary school focused only on Jamaican history and young persons interested in further pursuing this had to do so on their own time and efforts. Not to mention the fact that there was little or no concentration on the achievements of the Caribbean as a region or people as a whole. If this has changed, I would be happy for an informed reader to so indicate.
It has been recognised that there may not have been an African American freedom movement without the activism of strong Caribbean individuals. Last week I learned in a protest drama class how the first theatrical protest drama performance was staged by a black man, in New York City, who was from St. Vincent. The American Professor professed that he believed that "Black America would be nowhere without the successes of its Caribbean brothers and sisters." Then why do I, as a Caribbean student, not feel a sense of pride in the achievement of Black America? Why are we so quick to separate ourselves from them? The sad result of our educational system's lack of emphasis on the study of our people is that our children are not cognisant of the successes of their people or their contributions to the shaping of the world.
I would agree that the Jamaican celebration of Black History Month need not take on the form of the American one. The Caribbean has enough of its own successes to celebrate and its own heroes to glorify. There is, however, a need for a time when young people can be bombarded with the message of the positive accomplishments of our people.
I have long since been a supporter of the Jamaican educational system, particularly at the primary and secondary levels. I believe that the quality of education that we offer our children in Jamaica is superior to that offered in the U.S. However, on the issue of empowerment, both racial and national, Jamaica certainly lags behind.
So, no, sir, the decision to incorporate Black History Month into our educational system is not, in my view, a "thoughtless importation of another offshore idea". Rather, it is a necessity for the development of our children's strong sense of self and national identity.
I am, etc.,
J. SMITH
smithja@lafayette.edu
Pennsylvania, USA
Via Go-Jamaica
