Fugitive Pedagogy

A fresh portrayal of one of the architects of the African American intellectual tradition, whose faith in the subversive power of education will inspire teachers and learners today. As departmentsscramble to decolonize their curriculum, Givens illuminates a longstanding counter-canon in predominantly black schools and colleges. Boston Review Informative and inspiringAn homage to the achievement of an often-forgotten racial pioneer. Glenn C. Altschuler, Florida Courier A long-overdue labor of love and analysisthat would make Woodson, the ever-rigorous teacher, proud. Randal Maurice Jelks, Los Angeles Review of Books Fascinating, and groundbreaking. Givens restores Carter G. Woodson, one of the most important educators and intellectuals of the twentieth century, to his rightful place alongside figures like W. E. B. Du Bois and Ida B. Wells. Imani Perry, author of May We Forever Stand: A History of the Black National Anthem Black education was subversive from its inception. African Americans pursued education through clandestine means, often in defiance of law and custom, even under threat of violence. They developed what Jarvis Givens calls a tradition of fugitive pedagogya theory and practice of Black education epitomized by Carter G. Woodsongroundbreaking historian, founder of Black History Month, and legendary educator under Jim Crow. Givens shows that Woodson succeeded because of the world of Black teachers to which he belonged. Fugitive Pedagogy chronicles his ambitious efforts to fight what he called the mis-education of the Negro by helping teachers and students to see themselves and their mission as set apart from an anti-Black world. Teachers, students, families, and communities worked together, using Woodsons materials and methods as they fought for power in schools. Forged in slavery and honed under Jim Crow, the vision of the Black experience Woodson articulated so passionately and effectively remains essential for teachers and students today.