In My Audacious Opinion

Thank you Kalana Hotep for the inspiration.

In response to a recent discussion on the Colonial Age, the Industrial Age, the Information Age, and Black students' relative educational advantages (and disadvantages), I noted the following. I call this piece "In My Audacious Opinion."

I think that the Information Age is a great opportunity to close the gaps of educational disparities in Black communities. However, I think it's not gonna be through the traditional education system. Those who have bought into the largely imperialistic, class oriented, and greatly European educational structure in America will probably graduate with inadequate preparation for the society they will be living in...not to mention starting their adulthood in copious unforgivable debt. However, this unfortunate reality is no longer limited to just Black folks. All students of all races and cultures are at a disadvantage through the "remember this, fill in bubble, get A" model of education in the University systems. The only way to advance in the information age is to learn how to acquire, understand, find, use, evaluate, and synthesize information. This knowledge is learned by anyone who is vigilant about their own education. Libraries are free. Going and talking to elders is free. Volunteering with various organizations like Teach for America, Habitat for Humanity, and even global volunteering initiatives will equip young people with the tools to interact with people from various cultures and communities, learn useful information, and communicate effectively. The internet is full of information and opportunities for personal growth. We no longer live in an age of classroom textbook knowledge, as the textbooks are watered down and extremely biased toward white male perspectives. Classroom/textbook information for the first time since the colonial age is actually digressing toward the slave model of education (i.e., teaching students to be employees instead of critical thinkers and creatives). As a result, I predict that over the next 10-15 years, we will see a swell of college dropouts who are beginning to own their businesses and employ people in their community because they understand (1)exchange and (2)people...and college graduates are gonna become more and more disgruntled as a result of fighting to procure "jobs" that ultimately degrade their minds, limit their creativity, and create a false sense of superiority to people without "jobs". We are in the Wild West of information acquisition and those with a goal to LEARN (as opposed to collect social status through institutional affiliation) will be successful in the Information Age, regardless of race.