Educational options available to African-American students, economic and social obstacles in the educational realm and the lack of African-American Studies available in the classroom are all open for discussion on the 11th program in the BLACK ISSUES FORUM series, "African-American Culture: The Education Connection." Five educational leaders within the African-American community were assembled as panelists to address these topics and more.

African-American Culture: The Education Connection" was taped before a live audience in the Great Hall of the Student Union Building at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill on Aug. 10.

Attempting to explain the lack of African-American studies found in today's educational institutions, panelist Dr. Molefi K. Asante, Director of African-American Studies at Temple University, states that, " This is a multi-- cultural, pluralistic society and the educational system has in a way simply forced a Euro-centric, mono-cultural perspective on all facts, all content and all tone in education."

Dr. Hawthorne Faison, Superintendent of Durham City Schools, says that he's "..seriously concerned that our curriculum, our education program is so Eurocentric that we are excluding African-American contribution to our culture, and as a consequence, many of our children are not receiving the kind of motivation and inspiration that they should have."

The problem, according to Forrest Toms, Director for the Institute of Multicultural Education and Training at Lenoir-Rhyne College, is that efforts to introduce diversity into traditional institutions are not met with favorable response. He questions, "How do we educate the system to be responsive to diversity, but simultaneously teach adaptive coping strategies to deal with the issues of racism, discrimination and prejudice?"

Efforts to instill Afrocentric programs into the educational systems is not an easy chore, says Dr. Sonja Stone, Associate Professor in African and Afro-American Studies at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, "We have the burden of trying to institutionalize these studies in, frankly, a very hostile, resistant and condescending environment."

In order to break down barriers presently withholding African-American students from the classroom, Dr. Asante says, " We have to understand that the white world view is not a universal view. It is but the particular experience of a particular people in a shot, brief period of time."

Addressing the consequences of not providing the African-American student with a strong background of cultural and traditional knowledge on a large scale, Dr. Audreye E. Johnson, Associate Professor in the School of Social Work at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, states that " This is an important issues for America, not just for African-Americans, but for all Americans. If we do not utilize our strengths, all we can do is become weaker."

Solutions to African-American Studies entering the mainstream of education are not easily found. Dr. Stone states that, "When there is a consensus between the schools and the parents that Black children can, will and should learn, they do learn." Dr. Faison adds that, "We must get on with the business of embedding factors of culture in the total curriculum and ensure that no child can get out of our schools without having full knowledge of the contributions of our people."

PANELISTS:

Dr. Molefi K. Asante, Director African-American Studies, Temple University.

Dr. Hawthorne Faison Superintendent Durham City Schools, NC.

Forrest Toms, Director, Institute of Multicultural Educational and Training, Lenoir-Rhyne College.

Dr. Sonja Stone, Associate Professor, African and Afro-American Studies, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, NC.

Dr. Audreye E. Johnson, Associate Professor, School of Social Work, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, NC.

The panel discussion is again moderated by Valeria L. Lee, Chair of the North Carolina Center for Public Television and Program Development Officer for the Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation. The Executive Producer is Dr. Paul Vandergrift.