Education For Life Academy
Where Black History Lives!
The Standing on the Shoulders of Giants Curriculum
Instructions: Have the teacher and students become familiar with each other by introducing themselves by answering the following questions:
Activity 1: Class Introductions (Not Applicable for independent study)
Class 1: African History: The Missing Pages of World History
the 10th Mansa, or Emperor of Mali 1312-1337 A.C.E. He is reportedly the richest man that ever lived. Musa was a devout Muslim, and his 1324 pilgrimage
Ma'at is the ancient Egyptian Goddess associated with truth, virtue and justice. The
Instructions: Give students the words below and ask them to say the first word(s) that come to their mind. Write the answers on a chalk board underneath each word:
What do your answers reveal? For many students, the answers to the words related to Africa and African Americans will be negative due to the negative propaganda that has been spread about Africa and people of African descent. Conversely, many students will have positive responses to the word European and American due to the positive propaganda that has been spread about Europe and Americans of European descent.
The purpose of this activity is to demonstrate the power of propaganda. Propaganda against Africa and people of African descent is so pervasive that the mere mention of the words Africa, African, or Black inspire negative feelings.
Activity 2: Word Association
to Mecca (a duty ordained by Allah, according to Islam) made him well-known across northern Africa and the Middle East. His procession reportedly included 60,000 men, including 12,000 slaves who each carried four pounds of gold bars and heralds dressed in silks who bore gold staffs, organized horses, and handled bags. Musa provided all necessities for the procession, feeding the entire company of men and animals.[9] Those animals included 80 camels which each carried between 50 and 300 pounds of gold dust. Musa gave the gold to the poor he met along his route. Musa not only gave to the cities he passed on the way to Mecca, including Cairo and Medina, but also traded gold for souvenirs. It has been recorded that he built a mosque each and every Friday.
"42 Laws of Ma'at," written nearly 2,000 years before the Bible, were the moral principles to which all citizens were to follow in order to be reincarnated in the afterlife. The foundation of universal order was controlled by a woman. In traditional African societies women were held in reverence. They had rights and rank in society and were warriors, artisans and even Pharaohs of Egypt - the most powerful empire in the world at the time.
The Goddess Ma'at
- What is your name and ethnicity? Where are you and your family from?
- Name one or two cool things about yourself (interesting facts like, “Do you play a sport or an instrument? Are you part of a school or community organization/club? Do you have a special hobby, talent or dream? etc…”
- What are your career goals?
Mansa Musa
Africa
African
Ethiopia
Europe
European
Black
White
Intro Unit: The Politics of Education – Enlightenment or Propaganda?
