Education, Hope, and Change
The famous and historic works of
Frederick Douglas, Martin Luther King Jr, and Cornel West all have important
aspects that tie them together. All
three works have to do with the fight for equality for African Americans in the
United States. Douglass and King talk mainly about education, but they also
touch on social change. West talks about
active social change and the hope people have. I believe that the simple formula
of education plus hope or active participation brings about social change and
brought it about in the past. In our
modern society does this still ring true?
With our very powerful and influential media, can individuals still
bring about social change? Or does social change require media influence and
cooperation? With our large markets and
ultra- competitive economy is money needed to gain the influence for social
change to be possible? With the price of
higher education rising are the lower class simply left unable to pursue
education and therefore push forward social change? Is social change just for
the rich and well-endowed? The
education aspect Douglas and King discuss leads to West’s definition of hope
which is pushing and pursuing active social change.
In our society today, education is
thought of much differently than in the time of Frederick Douglas and Martin
Luther King. In our time, the government
is pushing for the education of each and every child, at least until the completion
of high school. Our government doesn’t just passively pursue education for all;
the government runs public schools to educate the masses. In Douglas’s time education was reserved for
only the whites, and mostly just the upper class. When Mrs. Auld tried to educate Douglass and
gets reprimanded by Mr. Auld, Douglas learns the power education holds and why
it is being kept from him. “I now
understood what had been to me a most perplexing difficulty-to wit, the white
man’s power to enslave the black man.(Douglas 330)” Douglass tires to do whatever he can to
become educated, and eventually with the
help of the local children, learns to read and write.
This form of education is necessary for
Douglass’s liberation and freedom. I
believe that every child deserves at least basic education, because every child
deserves a chance to find success and a future here in America. I believe that although most every child in
America receives a free public education that not all schooling is equal, so
not all children have a fair chance from the beginning. I believe currently we have “separate, but
equal schools.” Even though the children
in schools are no longer separated by race, I believe schooling is now
separated by income bracket. Children
who have families that are better off will start with a competitive advantage
because schools in their areas will usually be better or they can afford a
private education. This problem has been
an ongoing one, and has been attacked many different times with acts like No
Child Left Behind. I think this is a
start, but I think the main issue in the disparity of schooling is that some
areas and families just don’t have the revenue and income needed for a top
level, competitive academic environment.
I think this problem is very difficult to remedy, but could be possible
through smarter budgeting and spending by the federal government along with a
reduction of redundancies in the federal government like having a Congressional
Budget Office and an Office of Management and Budget along with many other
examples.
Education is a powerful weapon against
slavery, but also causes Douglass more pain due to his new lack of ignorance. “I often found myself regretting my own
existence, wishing myself dead; and but for the hope of being free, I have no
doubt that I should have killed myself, or done something for which I should
have been killed. (335)” Douglass’s new education allowed him to see the pain
and trap that was slavery and it deeply depressed him to the point of
considering suicide. In Douglass’s work,
he shows education as being very powerful, but also very dangerous and painful. Douglass’s interpretation of education is in
a social and academic sense. He
discusses reading and writing, but also discusses social education like
learning of the condition of the slaves and abolitionists and understanding why
the white man rules the black man.
I
think Douglass’s interpretation of education is very accurate for his time and
his ideas on education pen power, pen mightier than the sword etc. are a very
accurate description of education and ideas throughout time. For example the Native Americans may have
been more physical formidable than the Europeans, but were not match for the tactics
and advanced weaponry the Europeans brought.
Martin Luther King’s take on education
seems to be purely the social aspect of education. Martin Luther King’s main problem in his
letter is that the white moderates aren’t pushing harder for abolition now, but
are sitting on their hands. They say it
can happen later or they passively support the cause.
“That the Negro’s greatest stumbling
block toward freedom is not the White Citizen’s Counciler or the Ku Klux
Klanner, but the white moderate who is more devoted to “order” than to justice;
who prefers negative peace which is the absence of tension to a positive peace
which is the presence of justice; Who constantly says I agree with you and the
goal you seek, but I can’t agree with your methods of direct action. (King
282-283)”
Martin Luther King is calling for the
moderate whites to become more social educated and see that tension needs to be
created to make change and passively supporting a cause will change nothing. “I had hoped that the white moderate would
understand that the present tension in the south is merely a necessary phase of
the transition from an obnoxious negative peace, where the Negro passively
accepted his unjust plight, to a substance- filled positive peace, where all
men will respect the dignity and worth of human personality. (283)” King says
action and tension are necessary to push change forward and that the white
moderates need to realize this. King is
trying to education the white moderates on how change needs to be pushed
through, and that tension is what brings about change in any society. King’s words fit the scenario he was in, and
any scenario to do with social change throughout time. The only way to make a change is to actively
push and fight for it, not to passively support it. While Douglass’s work doesn’t translate to
the modern world as well, it can still teach us much about our country’s past,
and King’s letter can teach us about any social conflict throughout time, past
or present. King’s action for change
mantra can fit into anyone’s life throughout time very easily. If you want something changed you have to
fight and start it yourself. If you
don’t like how you look or feel go to the gym push for change. If you don’t like something at your school
(ie athletic director) arrange a rally and petition to try and be a catalyst
for change. The athletic director at the
University of Michigan, Dave Brandon, recently resigned. I believe this was due to vast student
pressure and activates like the formation of a petition and a student rally. If you want something done you can’t just sit
there and wait for someone else to do it because if everyone did that who would
start the push for change?
Cornel West starts off his work
“Prisoners of Hope”, by discussing the bleak condition of America in his time. West explains America by saying “A specter of
despair haunts America. The quality of
our lives and the integrity of our souls are in jeopardy. Wealth inequality and class polarization are
escalating-with ugly consequences for the most vulnerable of us. The lethal power of global corporate elites
and national managerial bosses is at an all-time high. Spiritual malnutrition and existential
emptiness are rampant. The precious
systems of caring and nurturing are eroding. (West 293)” West then discusses
the rage that results from this unequal and cruel society and says how some
people take out their rage through violence.
West says this is not the answer as using violence will only get you in
trouble and put you and your family in a worse situation. “This rage needs some targeting and
direction. It has to reflect broad moral
vision, a sharp political analysis of wealth and power. Most important it’s got to be backed up with
courage and follow-through. (295)” Next comes the most important part of West’s
work in my opinion; the difference between hope and optimism and the best
outlet for rage. “This hope is not the
same as optimism. Optimism adopts the role of the spectator who surveys the
evidence in order to infer things are going to get better. Yet we know that the evidence does not look
good. The dominant tendencies of our day
are unregulated global capitalism, racial balkanization, social breakdown, and
individual depression. Hope enacts the
same stance of the participant who actively struggles against the evidence in
order to change the deadly tides of wealth inequality, group xenophobia, and personal
despair. Only a new wave of vision,
courage and hope can keep us sane- and preserve the decency and dignity
requisite to revitalize our organizational energy for the work to be done. (296-297)”
What West is saying is that the outlet for rage is hope. Instead of blindly
making your life harder through physical violence you can use your rage and
anger to improve your life and the lives of those people in your same
situation. This hope is the active pursuit of a better life and better America.
The hope that West discusses in his work
links directly together with the education discussed by Martin Luther King and
Frederick Douglass. To be able to
articulate what you want to say to others you need to have the academic
education to be able to read and write and articulate your thoughts and
ideas. To be able to connect with others
and know what’s right and what your want to change you need to be able to understand
society and what’s going on around you, which requires the social education
King stressed in his “Letter from Birmingham Jail”. Education directly correlates to hope and is
necessary for the active hope to turn into social change. These ideas are all still very prevalent
today. I believe that if a person wants to make a difference action is
important, but to effectively take action you must be able to communicate what
you’re thinking effectively to others so they can take your stance and join the
fight for whatever cause or causes you believe in. Now education comes in because you need a
good education not just academically following Douglass’s definition or just a
more socially based education like King says, but a mix of the two kinds of
education so you can articulate yourself properly in the language sense, but
also have accurate and relatable opinions about the social or economic climate
and activities your are discussing with others.
The main point in all three works by
King, Douglass, and West was the need for social change in society through the
removal of oppression. Every single
person in a society is important for social change to happen. It can be compared to our representative
democracy and votes. Even though you
think you vote may be useless, every single vote counts. You need voter efficacy and to attempt to
make a difference and bring about change by doing the small things even though
it may not work out in your favor all the time. In pushing for social change
every voice and every person makes a difference because all the small things
eventually will lead to one “breakout” moment like when Rosa Parks wouldn’t
move on the bus of when India was finally free after all of Gandhi’s peaceful
protest. If just one person stands up
alone nothing will get done and society will stay stagnant and unchanged. If many individuals start to stand up and
support change, the gradual push for social change will begin. The first step
necessary for social change is the education of those who want social change;
both a formal academic education, along with a social education to understand
issues of the day and how society works are needed. Education is the catalyst that sets off
social change. After being educated and
realizing what the issues are, individuals in society need the “hope” that West
describes. Individuals need to push
actively for social change in society and can’t just sit passively and wait for
change to happen around them. Once the
active push for change begins, there will be tension and eventually though
enough hard work and active participation by many individuals social change
will come about. This has been seen
throughout time in the abolition of slavery, women’s rights, and the abolition
of prohibition. This simple formula of
education plus active participation or hope bringing about social change has
worked many times in the past, and will work in the future. That is the reason these three works by
Douglass, King, and West are so important, because their messages are timeless
and can be utilized anywhere anytime to bring about social change.
I believe the model King, West, and
Douglass have lain out of education leading to hope or active change is still
applicable today. For example, in the
movement for gay marriage how much violence has there been? Even though it has
been a struggle for both sides, there have been very few if any stories of
violence or physical out lash even though this issue is very important to many
people. Some areas such as the
Netherlands and Belgium have already legalized gay marriage and little if any
violence has been reported. Another hot
button topic that has had limited violence is the fight to legalize marijuana.
Marijuana has become legal in a number of states and it’s not due to any government
revolt or violence, its due to peaceful and logical protest. In closing I believe these works by King,
Douglass, and West are indeed so important because they are timeless. Whether for the Civil Rights Movement,
Women’s Suffrage Movement, or the same-sex marriage movement the works of King,
Douglass, and West are all very applicable.
Works
Cited
Douglass, Frederick. Narrative
of the Life of Frederick Douglass. Oxford: Oxford UP, 1999.
333-340. Print.
Martin Luther King Jr. “The
Impossible Will Take a Little While: A Citizen's Guide to Hope in a
Time
of Fear”. Ed. Loeb, Paul Rogat. New York: Basic, 2004. Print.
West, Cornel. The
Impossible Will Take a Little While: A Citizen's Guide to Hope in a Time of
Fear.
Ed. Loeb, Paul Rogat. New York: Basic,
2004. Print.
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