These Black History Quotes on Education Can Inspire You!
Black history quotes about education can be a powerful tool for Black empowerment. These famous Black history quotes about education highlight the importance of knowledge, self-determination, and community upliftment.
Throughout history, Black leaders on the power of education have emphasized learning as a key to success and freedom. In this collection, you’ll discover some of the best Black history quotes about learning, featuring influential voices like Oprah Winfrey, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and Marian Wright Edelman.
Their words serve as a reminder that education is not just about personal growth—it’s about strengthening entire communities and shaping the future.
1 – Harriett AbuBakr & Silis Muhammad: The Divide Among Afrodescendants (source)
Attorney Harriett AbuBakr and Mr. Silis Muhammad delivered many interventions in the United Nations on behalf of Blacks, so-called African Americans, or Afrodescendants from 1994 to 2008. In the Black history quote above, they express how Black people in America lost the knowledge of their mother tongue and original culture during the plantation slavery era. Today, this leaves Afrodescendants in the position of reforming their collective identity through education/seeking self-knowledge or ethnogenesis in order to improve their collective quality of life.
📌 Expanded Insight:
- Harriett AbuBakr & Silis Muhammad’s work at the United Nations was part of a larger global movement for Black self-determination.
- The concept of ethnogenesis, mentioned in their quote, refers to the reclaiming of cultural identity that was stripped during slavery.
- This aligns with the teachings of Marcus Garvey, who advocated for Black unity and self-sufficiency.
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2 – Oprah Winfrey: Books as a Path to Personal Freedom (source)
Ms. Winfrey, an Afrodescendant media proprietor, recounts the first time that she discovered the importance of educating herself through reading books as a child in rural Mississippi in the quote above.
📌 Expanded Insight:
- Oprah’s story reflects the importance of literacy in Black history. Many enslaved Africans were denied the right to read because slave owners understood the power of knowledge.
- Historically, Black leaders like Frederick Douglass and Malcolm X have emphasized self-education as a tool for liberation.
📚 Related Resource:
- Looking for inspiring books? Check out our recommended list of must-read books by Black authors.
3 – Kareem Abdul-Jabbar: Education as an Escape from Poverty – (source)
As a veteran Afrodescendant athlete, Mr. Abdul-Jabbar expresses in the Black history quote above the need for Afrodescendants to make education a way to overcome poverty, which causes are racism, discrimination, and marginalization.
📌 Expanded Insight:
- Kareem Abdul-Jabbar didn’t just talk about education—he actively supports STEM education for Black youth. His foundation focuses on bringing educational resources to underserved communities.
Statistics show that higher education levels lead to higher income levels, yet student debt disproportionately affects Black students.
Higher education is strongly correlated with higher income levels. For instance, individuals with a master’s degree or higher tend to earn significantly more than those with just a high school diploma. However, the burden of student debt is not evenly distributed. Black students, in particular, are disproportionately affected by student debt. They are more likely to borrow, borrow larger amounts, and face greater challenges in repayment compared to their peers.
This disparity is rooted in systemic inequities that have long impacted Black communities, making it harder for them to compete on an equal footing in the workforce. The financial strain of student debt can hinder their ability to invest in assets that would help build intergenerational wealth.
🔗 Related Link:
- Read more about scholarships for Black students here.
4 – Marian Wright Edelman: Education is About Giving Back (source)
Mrs. Wright-Edelman is a long-time defender of children. Mrs. Wright-Edelman shows her passion for the Afrodescendant community in the Black history quote above by stressing that education is a way to improve Afrodescendant lives and community.
📌 Expanded Insight:
- Marian Wright Edelman’s philosophy mirrors that of W.E.B. Du Bois, who believed in the “Talented Tenth”—the idea that an educated Black elite should uplift the entire race.
📢 Sponsorship Opportunity:
- Want to support Black children’s education? [This company] offers affordable tutoring tailored to Black students.
5 – Carmelo Anthony: The Life-Changing Impact of College (source)
Mr. Anthony, an Afrodescendant professional basketball player, looks back on his brief experience of seeking a college education and how it impacted him personally in the quote above.
🎓 Related Resource:
- Check out this list of Black athletes who pursued education after sports.
📢 Sponsorship Opportunity:
- Thinking about college? [Admissions Coaching] helps Black students get into top HBCUs.
Recommended Reads
📚 “Want to dive deeper into Black history quotes? Check out these books on Black education and empowerment:”
- Carter G. Woodson
- Malcolm X
- Maya Angelou
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I am aware of how education can elevate your condition. However, there are many Afro descendants with college educations and we are still on the bottom if the totem pole.
This fact leads me to believe that education is one of a list of tools we need to arm ourselves with, if we are to be successful. Some land we can call our own, and self governance should be added to the tool box. We are already a nation of people with a common experience; slavery. Recognizing that our future cannot be on the same land where we were stripped of being human, will have to be eventually realized.
Thank you for such a VALUABLE comment, Wadiyah. As a people, we must realize the proper steps to take to liberate ourselves from second class citizenship. You give a great high-level summation.
We need a certain kind of knowledge (education). We as an up from slavery people, have plenty of education in America. So why are we still subjects to another people? I would also argue that we have a great knowledge of our self, thanks to the Most Honorable Elijah Muhammad.
We now need Productive Industrial and Economic knowledge, the kind used to build a nation.
Darnell – I agree. We do need that “Productive Industrial and Economic knowledge” that you speak of. Additionally, we need a governing structure that gives us a voice, and enables us to apply all the knowledge that we already have to advance our people. Check the companion sites http://www.LFNOIHouston.org or http://www.NAReparationsTaskforce.org for updates about the Afrodescendant Nation, which is such a governing structure.
I do not see the definition for the term Afrodescendant on the site. Will it be added soon?
Stay tuned!