The Early Years, Black Self-Concept, and the Recognition of Black Life, Culture, and Contributions

• In Event: James A. Banks: A Pioneer for the Advancement of Social Justice in a Global World

Abstract

The objective of this paper is to examine the earlier works of James Banks, where the importance of race was most prominent as his work examined Black self-concept and Black history as areas of scholarship to increase the presence, contributions, and histories, of Blacks into school curriculum (Banks, 1969). The scholarly importance of Banks’ early scholarship around the Black studies movement is noteworthy because it offered educational literature an important framing of race, culture, and the experiences of non-White groups. The importance of this work cannot be overstated given its foundational ties to multicultural education, ethnic studies, knowledge construction, and ultimately global citizenship which would become core areas of study of Banks’ 45 year scholarly career. Moreover, the evolution of multicultural education, for which he is widely known for, is tied to the work of intergroup education, the ethnic studies movement, and scholarship concerned with ethnic minority groups (Banks, 1973). Thus, the theoretical framework that guides this work is situated within the pantheon of scholars such as Carter G. Woodson, W.E.B DuBois, Charles H. Wesley & George Washington Williams, whose works sought to offer a counter narrative of Black history, life, and contributions to mainstream literature. The Black studies movement emerged in the 1960’s and 1970’s have historical roots in the early national period for which there was an attempt to reshape the narrative on Black life, culture and history (Brooks, 1990; White, 1973; Woodson, 1919/1968). Banks’ work was instrumental in providing a theoretical foundation that recognized the salience of race, ethnicity, and culture in education. Banks discusses a focus on teaching Black history as critical in the late 1960’s because of the need to “which Black history can be an integral part of the social studies curriculum” (p.4). Banks’ work adopted an explicit focus on Black identity due to the emergence of Black revolts in the 1960’s. As slogans of “Black Power” and “Black is Beautiful” emerged in response to Civil Rights movements and social protests, Banks’ work sought to create more coherent strategies around the teaching of Black studies. These works were done around tying knowledge around Black studies as an essential component of the decision-making process. The work around decision-making stressed the utility of facts, concepts, generalizations, and theories as the basis for Black studies. This paper will address why incorporating the Black experience into a conceptual curriculum was transformative, as it served as a blueprint for other ethnic minority groups to seek greater incorporation of histories that were frequently untold. The development of Banks early work is an example of a way public scholarship can educate diverse democracies.

Author

• Tyrone C. Howard, University of California - Los Angeles