In recent years, the culture wars have raged in the sphere of public education: from school prayer to school curricula, issues in public education are fertile ground for political battles in state and local races this fall. One of the most controversial elements of this debate is multicultural education. Some predominantly African American urban schools have begun to incorporate what’s called Afrocentricity into their curricula in attempt to provide students with an educational experience that better reflects their culture. Afrocentricity is a term coined by Temple University professor Molefi Asante. Asante believes the educational system in the U.S. promotes white supremacy because it focuses primarily on the achievement of white men in American history and examines and reveres only the contributions of white Europeans over the centuries. In contrast, Afrocentric education draws on the history and philosophy of African cultures in the diaspora.

Includes excerpt from a recent speech given by Temple University Professor Molefi Asante, author of the new book African Intellectual Heritage.