Privatized Education and the Church

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In black communities education has its roots in the private sector. As a result of enslavement and subsequent segregation black Americans did not have access to adequate public education.

Black Americans long recognized the importance of education. During slavery learning to read and write was seen as the first in a long series of steps toward equality with their white masters. After Emancipation, black Americans pursued these skills openly for the first time. They found the existing school system closed to them.

Black Americans found alternatives to the public education system. For this they turned predominately to the home and to the church. These outlets provided an atmosphere not only for typical education, but for cultural assertion and preservation as well. This reliance on privatized education came as a result of a segregated society that would not acknowledge or encourage black culture.

The church served as the primary educational institution for black Americans. Here they could retain and express their African heritage. During slavery, the church remained the one place where blacks could legally gather in large groups without the interference of whites.

The church allowed them to keep their African identity while still pleasing their white masters. The church became a place not only of worship, but of non-traditional learning. This learning began as spiritual education. In the South Carolina low country the praise house served as the center of the black community. All generations received a spiritual education: scripture memorization, biblical stories, and worship skills. It was here that blacks first received formal education. Motivated by their desire to read the Bible. This push towards literacy became a focus of the praise house.

The praise house served as a place where African and American culture converged. Young blacks were able to learn about their ancestry and to incorporate such knowledge into their daily lives. It was this merging of cultures and ideologies that gave blacks a strong sense of identity.

Today, the church continues to pass on such knowledge. It is in the church that many young people learn about their past, through interaction with older church members, singing of spirituals, and the continuing religious education which takes place there.

 

 

 

 

 

At the First Baptist Church in Mound Bayou, Mississippi, children share what are called "historical reflections" with the congregation each Sunday. The reflections highlight significant people and events throughout black history. The message is positive. Because the public schools rarely discuss black history the church has felt the need to incorporate it into their services. The reflections not only serve to educate the young, but to remind the old.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In many communities there is a strong relationship between the church and the school. The two institutions assist each other in educating the community’s youth. In Starkville, Mississippi the church provides school supplies for children who cannot afford them. In order to affect any kind of community change, teachers in Marianna, Arkansas work with the church. In Mound Bayou, Mississippi a forum was being held to discuss problems facing the school system. Teachers, politicians, and community members all gathered at the church to discuss possible solutions to the problems.