Indiana

Teaching A Lesson

By Abdul Hakim-Shabazz

You guys know that in addition to the broadcasting and politics, I teach college part-time.  I had something interesting happen this past week.

While in class Thursday and going over the course schedule, I had one student (a young African-American male) ask me if we had class on Inauguration Day?  I told him “yes, why wouldn’t we?”  He said because he thought since it was the day Barack Obama was getting sworn-in as President that class would cancelled so they could all go watch history.  I told him since we had class at three in the afternoon and the main Inaugural functions were at noon, he should probably be in class instead of at home.

After class we chatted, and I told him it would be one thing to take a few minutes during the middle of the day and watch history being made, it would be another thing to take the whole day off; when if you look at what Obama embodies it is that a good education can open limitless doors.  I also told him he will need as much education as he can get because with Obama just a few hours from being President, there is a new age of self-accountability coming (which I will elaborate on in Tuesday’s post) that may not be kind to Blacks on the lower socio-economic ladder.

My student got the point I was making and I told him as he left, while Tuesday marks the beginning of history you will need your education to not only fully appreciate, but to make some of your own 20 years down the road.

Full post as published by Indiana Barrister on January 18, 2009 (boomark / email).