The Afrocentric Curriculum

Some educators (e.g. Moses, 1991; Singer, 1993) feel that standard educational curricula over-focuses on European achievement and ideas thereby presenting a Eurocentric perspective that does not adequately address the educational, sociopolitical, or psychological needs of black students. Vann and Kunjufu (1993) put it this way:

A strictly Eurocentric perspective will not properly prepare students for a successful future in a multicultural world. Because students internalize what they are taught, schools profoundly affect children's confidence and self-esteem. (p.490)

The authors further note that an Afrocentric, multicultural curriculum would benefit both white and African-American students, because both would learn that all cultures have made outstanding contributions.

Based on sentiments such as those expressed by Vann and Kunjufu (1993), many educators favor a multicultural approach to education which, according to Ornstein and Hunkins (1993) can be defined as an educational approach that:

(1) introduces materials that are multiracial, multiethnic, and nonsexist;

(2) teaches values that promote cultural diversity and ind

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ts provided the curriculum is introduced within an instructional framework that is culturally compatible. In this regard, he calls for a new rhetoric in the classroom based on the "Afrocentric idea," which incorporates Black rhetorical devices. These include the call-response process, indirection (the approaching of a subject in a circuitous fashion), styling (the manipulation of language or mannerisms to favorably influence listeners), and appeals to a subjective or emotional sense rather than Eurocentric logic. An example of what Honeman is discussing is given through a twelfth grade English teacher's suggestion that to learn from the Afrocentric ideal, educators can: (1) bring rap music into the classroom; (2) let the study of rap lead to a study of what the rappers are saying; (3) incorporate Black studies across the curriculum at every educational level; (4) do away with tracking; and (5) allow oral presentations of students' written work. The Afrocentric Curriculum/Multicultural Education Empirical Research Is there empirical evidence of the educational efficacy of the Afrocentric curriculum? A study designed to examine for this evidence was conducted by Hale (1990). Specifically, Hale reports evaluative data for th
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