Biases In African American Studies

African American Studies arose from necessity because of the biases in the American education system. To respond to and attempt to rectify these biases, African American Studies became an educational field in which students could examine history through a new lens; a lens that allowed for closer examination of the experience of African Americans in the United States, a subject which had previously been miniscule. The tendency to examine the achievements of Europeans while disregarding the achievements of African Americans had become a significant issue, and many scholars and students wished to bring about change. Thus, African American Studies was born, in order to examine the achievements and struggles of African Americans which had previously been unfairly excluded from the education system. Since the inclusion of African American studies in educational institutions, new perspectives of the African American experience have arisen. Educators also employ new teaching methods to effectively teach their students. Through African American Studies, new perceptions of the African American experience have arisen, which have been assisted by new teaching methods in the classroom.
However, with the creation of African American Studies, and through research, “most scholars today acknowledge the persistence of African culture in the United States. They no longer accept the idea that African Americans passively acquiesced to oppression, recognizing that, on the contrary, they actively resisted oppression in a variety of ways” (Harris 18). Harris’ quote from The Black Studies Reader demonstrates a positive step forward for scholars in their understanding of African American culture, which was accomplished by the formation of African American Studies