Problems of African American Education in Literature and Film

African Americans always had to fight for their rights, including their right for education. Even today the educational system in the US does not provide equal education for all. Children who live in wealthy neighborhoods, like the suburbs, are able to get a quality education, whereas children who live in the inner-cities have to attend low- quality schools which often lack school supplies, qualified teachers, etc. The first chapter of the book gives an overview of African American education in the US. It starts with the forbidden education of African Americans during their enslavement, followed by the educational possibilities during the Reconstruction Period, the Post-Reconstruction Period and the Civil Rights Era, and ends with the investigation of the present day education of African Americans. In chapter two other works which deal with similar topics are discussed. Chapter three and four include the analysis of 19th and 20th Century Literature which deal with problems of African American education. In chapter five 20th Century Films which are concerned with the same topic are analyzed.

Autorentext

got a Master's Degree in English and American Studies from Karl- Franzens University Graz, Austria, in 2010. In 2008 she studied for one semester at Syracuse University, USA, with focus on African American Studies. In 2009 she did three months of research for her master thesis at the same university.