African Students in America: reconstructing new meanings of "African American" in urban education.Find More Like This

Traore, Rosemary L. "African Students in America: Reconstructing New Meanings of "African American" in Urban Education." Intercultural Education; 14.3 (2003): 1-13. 22 May 2008 . In this article, Traore shows African and African Americans faced many negative stereotypes, myths, and misperception in the urban school settings. Students who came from Africa came to America to find a better education and live a good life; however it seemed to them to be very deceiving. In Jackson High School, the Africans and African Americans are portrayed as “savages,” “jungle bunny,” and/or “heathen.” According to the article, the Africans and African American were known as violent and are hostile toward each other. The author discusses about a father who worked during the day and went to school at night to pursue his Bachelor's Degree. His children went to an urban school named, Jackson High School. As the children continued to go to Jackson High School, the father realized that his children were losing their African heritage such disrespecting their elders, and not fulfilling to their own standards. The father began to question and asked what the reason was for his children attending school, if his children were not receiving the proper education. According to the article, Traore quoted, “School are not designed to educate Africans or African Americans about Africa, but they are designed by colonial masters. The author also discusses how the media portrays the stigmatism of African. The African students are often ridiculed and categorized because of what other has seen through the media. The author wanted the readers to understand the African heritage. The author points out in the urban school settings, most teachers do not teach their students about the African Heritage. She wants to the school to start teaching about the heritage, to open the minds of the students. The author is a teacher and is making a difference in the classroom. She is educating her students about her African heritage and she will like other teachers in the urban to teach their students the same as well.