NEWARK, NJ — Three decades is a long time to spend in the front of a classroom. And over that time, Bashir Muhammad Ptah Akinyele – a history teacher at Weequahic High School in Newark – has learned some valuable lessons himself as he educates his students.
Akinyele began his teaching career as a substitute in 1996, spending three years at the job before earning a permanent position in 1999. Since then, Akinyele has also become known for his local activism, speaking up against community violence and pushing to give Black history a more prominent place in the curriculum.
Patch recently got a chance to ask Akinyele a big question as he marks his third decade as an educator in New Jersey: "What lessons have YOU learned over your 30-year teaching career?"
His reply follows below:
"After decades in education, I have learned that on a mass level students of every culture are being intentionally and unintentionally miseducated on the contributions Black people made to the development of humanity, civilization, democracy, and religions, especially students of African descent.
"Let me give you some examples.
"In 1959, at one point in history, paleontologist Dr Louis S. B. Leaky discovered the oldest human bones in history in the Olduvai Gorge in Kenya. In the search for cradle of humankind, Africa was now being looked at a birthplace of human beings. Unfortunately, some scientists worked to refute Dr. Leaky's discovery for years. But Dr Leaky's discovery was backed up by another paleontologist. His name is Dr. Donald C. Johanson. And back in 1974, this American scientist discovered the world's oldest human bones in world history in Ethiopia to this date. The human remains were that of woman. Dr. Johanson called the female human remains Lucy. From the bones of ancient humans, who existed for millions years, to modern man (scientists call modern man Homo Sapiens), humanity begins its journey in Africa. Modern beings (Homo Sapiens) populated all of Africa. Then, from populating Africa, modern man and woman (Homo Sapiens) populate the five continents (i.e., Europe, Asia, Australia, North America, and South America. Although scientific evidence now shows that Africa is the birthplace of humanity; students are still learning that the Tigris and the Euphrates Valley in the Middle East is the birthplace of humanity. In some spaces in America, some students are still learning that Europe or Asia were birthplaces of humanity.
"Many historians and scientists argue that on the world stage of human progress, civilizations began in the Nile Valley, and there were many major civilizations in that area of Africa, but ancient Egypt of the Nile Valley reaches the zenith of human civilization first before Mesopotamia, Sumer, China, India, Assyria, Persia, Greece, Rome, England, France, Germany, and the entire Western Civilization.
"Egypt's African name is Kemet. It means the Black land. Ancient Kemet in Africa reflected humanity's march toward creating the world's first highly advanced civilization in times of antiquity. It played a central role in the development of mathematics, philosophy, medicine, science, government, architecture, a written language, art, monotheism, education, ethics, morals, and religion. Many cultures and nations and religious societies borrowed from the knowledge and wisdom of the ancient Kemites to push their civilizations and religious traditions forward towards the foundations of modern society.
"Unfortunately, White supremacy and Arab racists have made ancient Kemet an European or Arab civilization. They have taken Kemet out of Africa. This fabricated lie is still being taught to students in America. But historical and scientific evidence shows us that this great and ancient civilization was clearly a Black civilization in Africa.
"But Africa was home to other great civilizations, such as Ghana, Mali, or Songhay on the western part of the continent. These great West African Empires existed before coming of slavery, colonialism, and the system of apartheid. Unfortunately, very little education is devoted to West African Empires. We still receive misinformation and disinformation about the three great West African Empires of Ghana, Mali, or Songhay. The three great West African empires existed when Europe was in its dark ages. Ghana, Mali, or Songhay massively contributed to human civilization. For example, Mail pushed forth an idea of democracy hundreds of years before Western Civilization's democracy.
"When we usually think of democracy, we have been taught about the European Magna Carta
(1215-1297), the English Bill of Rights (1689), France's Declaration of the Right of Man and of the Citizen (1789), and the American Constitution (1789). We haven't been educated on the African contribution to democracy. We don't know about the democratic document called the Manden Charter.
"At the founding of the Mali Empire, the Mande Charter was born. Sometime in the 1200s, a great warrior named Sundiata Keita helped to created it.
"This democratic document is a constitution that contains a preamble and seven chapters. It speaks on social peace, the sanctity of human life, women's rights, the right to an education, food security, and even to self-expression. The charter gave equal rights to citizens including women and slaves. The aim was to provide peace and social stability. It advocated diversity and spoke of abolishing slavery. All of this was founded before there existed an European Magna Carta, the English Bill of Rights, France's Declaration of the Right of Man and of the Citizen, and the American Constitution.
"What is disheartening about pervasive education in America. Students are not being educated about Black people going into Europe. Our young don't know about African people helping to bring Europe out of its dark ages. African Muslims known in Europe, and to the world as Moors, occupied Spain for 800 years. Moor was an European word for black.
"In schools, students are taught about the three great world religions: Judaism, Christianity, and Al-Islam. But students are not taught about Kemet being the foundation of the world's three great religions.
"The people of ancient Kemet taught the world that there is only one supreme God in the universe. Their ancient word for that one supreme God of the universe is called Amen. In another part of Kemet's 10,000-year history, the oneness of God was called Aten. Whatever the word ancient African Kemetic people called the one God, they taught the world about the oneness of God. Ancient Kemetic people used a word for the oneness of God called Amen. It is still in existence today. Billions of people of all faith traditions end their prayers with Amen.
"When Amen is translated from the hieroglyphics, it does not mean 'it is so.' By the way the original African name for the hieroglyphics are called Medu Neter. The Medu Neter word for Amen word means hidden one, unseen one, and the Lord of all the worlds.
"Ancient Kemetic people also created a word for peace called hotep. Whatever the people went in their society, hotep was offered as a greeting or a goodbye. Some scholars, historians, Egyptologist argue that hotep is the oldest written word for peace in human history. But students in America are only taught about Jewish and Islamic words for peace such as shalom or salaam.
"Ancient African Kemetic culture also taught the world the belief in the afterlife, the belief in a heaven, a belief in a hell, a belief in a soul, and established moral and ethical codes called the 42 Laws of Ma'at. When Ma'at is translated into english from the Medu Neter, it means truth, balance, order, law, morality, and Justice. Ma'at is symbolically portrayed as an angelic Black woman with wings in the Medu Neter. She is sometimes scene in the Medu Neter holding the scales of justice, morality, and ethics. Some scholars, historians, and Egyptologists argue that the 42 Laws of Ma'at are the foundational roots of the 10 Commandments. All of these concepts were establish thousands of years ago in Africa before Judaism, Christianity, and Al-Islam existed in humanity.
"In closing, based upon the evidence of factual history, Africa and Black people played a major role in the development of humanity, civilization, democracy, and religions. Unfortunately, due to White supremacy and racism the facts have been skewed to support a false narrative of history. Miseducation has become the rule of the day in the classroom. The major contributions that Africa and Black people have played in human society are intentionally and unintentionally removed in history books to promote the contributions of only non-Black cultures. This is done to concoct a fabricated narrative that the cultures of Africa and Black people are inferior in the world."
– Bashir Muhammad Ptah Akinyele is a community activist, a member of the Muslim community in New Jersey, and a member of ASCAC (the Association for the Study of Classical African Civilizations). He is also a history and Africana Studies (Black Studies) teacher at Weequahic High School in Newark, NJ.
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