In his book, The Miseducation of the Negro, Carter G. Woodson addresses many issues that have been and are still prevalent in the African American community. Woodson believed that in the midst of receiving education, blacks lost sight of their original reasons for becoming educated. He believed that many blacks became educated only to assimilate to white culture and attempt to become successful under white standards, instead of investing in their communities and applying their knowledge to help other blacks. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas is a prime example of Woodsons argument on miseducated blacks. Although Thomas benefitted from programs like affirmative action, once he reached the high point in his career he supported legislature to end such programs. Hampton University and other Historically Black Colleges and Universities must take it upon themselves to teach their students the importance of contributing to their communities once they graduate and enter into the business world. Colleges like Hampton, Howard, Spelman and Morehouse have the opportunity to produce professionals that can restructure and save the black community. Students who graduate from these institutions have the resources and knowledge that are needed to revive the African American community and their economy. Black colleges must educate their students on the need for black businesses, role models and the importance of staying connected to their culture and community.Clarence Thomas and the many blacks like him also contribute to the class rift in the black community. The many educated blacks who do not give back to their community are labeled as sellouts by their peers and family members who still remain in the ghetto. Their high levels of success cause them to lose the sense of responsibility that they once had for their former community. Those who remain on the less privileged, less educated side of the black community resent their peers who have ...
