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“The African American community does need your support just not in the form of you teaching history.”

            I believe this statement to be a great starting point for class discussion. My only regret is that the individual who wrote this statement removed themselves from our class. I feel like he or she may have provided valuable in-depth context into what exactly is meant by this comment. It is always disconcerting when one individual takes it upon themselves to speak as the voice of an entire community. Too often, my actions have been taken to represent an entire group of people. This has become synonymous with MY Black experience in the United States. I take great offense to this because it strips me of my individuality. It is because of this fact, that I will take this as an opportunity to regain my autonomy, and speak to my personal experience in African American history class, as one voice, who is a part of the larger African American community, as well as the UWT community.

Whether or not professor Morrow has any “Black friends” is of no concern to me. The company one keeps is not indicative of one’s ability to educate. Maybe I am naïve, or maybe my mind is shackled through a lifetime of racialized socialization, but I am not from the popular school of thought that, in order to teach Black history, one must be Black. I grew up in a single parent household, in which my mom taught me more about being a man than any men I’ve ever encountered. That being said, I do feel it important that the individual teaching an African-American history class, do so with great respect, honesty, and sensitivity. It is in my humble opinion that Alex has done all of these things.

I agree with the individual who critiqued our class in that, we did spend a lot of time focusing on the racism, discrimination, and economic disadvantages experienced by the African American population in the United States. However, I disagree with the notion that by focusing on these things, we perpetuate negative stereotypes. I believe that having these conversations puts into context the struggles that African-Americans have faced, and highlights the courage, strength and fortitude of the African American spirit. W.E.B. Du Bois, Cornel West, Marc Lamont Hill, Mumia Abu-Jamal, Ta-Nehisi Coates, and the great James Baldwin have all gone to great lengths and expended much energy in order to have the conversation regarding racism, discrimination, and economic disadvantage, therefor the classroom of the University of Washington seems a fitting place to continue to talk.

I have learned a great deal this quarter in both my labor studies class, and my African American history class. Both classes were taught with the same amount of fervor, and both were taught by the same professor. I feel privileged to be in a position where I am able to continue my education, as I am the first in my family to attend college, and I am honored by the individual who critiqued our class because it gives us all the opportunity to continue to have difficult conversations.

Damion W. Smith