The Importance of Intellectual Conversation in the Black Community
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. stated “Nothing in all the world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity”. In examining the long history of African Americans in the United States, there is a consistent theme of enforced ignorance. Throughout the enslavement period, continuing through post-abolition, African Americans have been forcibly shielded from the ability to take part in basic rights and basic knowledge. As members of the African Diaspora, our history has been shielded from us by the hierarchical white patriarchal society that governs our world.
In order to move forward, African Americans need to make a conscientious effort to engage in intellectual conversation. Due to a lack of resources in a significant number of predominantly Black communities, people are not afforded the same education and opportunities as their peers. The severity of ignorance, as it pertains to our history, can be diminished if the wealth of knowledge is shared. College educated African Americans need to make the effort to teach and engage with those less fortunate, because the history of our people is rooted in solidarity. In order to heal, we must be aware.
At Historically Black Colleges and Universities, colloquially known as HBCU’s, the institutions offer a curriculum that provides knowledge of black history that is more in-depth than what is commonly presented in American high schools. At Spelman College, an all women’s HBCU, the students are required to take a course entitled, African Diaspora and the World. This course sets the framework for students to be able to support their views and opinions with research. This nurturing environment allowed a group of students to take on the task of establishing a peer-reviewed interdisciplinary academic journal, in order to give students a place to contribute to the black intellectual community. The journal is Continuum: The Spelman Undergraduate Research Journal and it features research articles and discussion pieces regarding women of African descent. Research does not need to be limited to a specific race or specific academic field.
Let this serve as a call to action. College educated African Americans need to make the effort to partake in creating a space where intellectual conversation is welcomed. We then need to make this conversation readily available to the communities at large and encourage the creation of collective knowledge. We cannot heal and uplift our community without solidarity.
Continuum is currently accepting submissions of original research articles and other papers from any student at an undergraduate institution. The submissions deadline is February 20th, 2016. For more information visit spelmancontinuum.com or email us at spelmancontinuum@gmail.com.
