Nothing Yields Nothing

One statement that left me contemplating well after the lecture was “As things get better, people tend to do less.” I realized that this expression is accurate because I find myself doing it sometimes. For example, if I have a good grade I might not work as hard as if I was trying to get a good grade. It surprised me when Dr. Richard Wright came in the room and he did not have a PowerPoint presentation. I did not know what to expect without the visual, but it turned out he did not need one. His lecture kept my attention without a PowerPoint and left a lasting effect. This was my favorite lecture so far.

Dr. Wright did not only describe what segregation was, but why it came up to par. Black people were thought so little of. When, where, who, how and what blacks did was monitored. The white society felt that if they isolated blacks together it would keep them out of the way. They felt that “nothing with nothing yields nothing.” (Dr. Wright) What they didn't realize was that sealing them off together was more deadly than splitting them. The isolation only promoted unity and perseverance.

I did not realize that “everybody” tried to get educated in the "Black Community" during the times of segregation. They knew the purpose of going to school was to become an effective learner and they became just that. It became necessary to guide and prepare the young while ensuring education for them. “Education was for liberation.” I became aware that education for "blacks" was really the only way to soar from the ashes of circumstance and not become ignorant. Suppression is a struggle that one has to be prepared for and the best way is through education. Education was viewed as a weapon against the oppressor and if you had poor education you "aligned yourself with your oppressor"(Dr. Wright). Being black in a white supreme society meant one had to “be twice as good to get half as much”(Dr. Wright).

African-Americans have to recognize that we don’t use knowledge for personal use, but for the people around us. “You can not be an irrelevant intellectual that is not dedicated to the liberation of our people” (Dr. Wright). Howard Students of this generation especially need to make their voices heard and become students with purpose. Today Black education is steady declining and weakening. We,as students, must be the ones to make the changes and let the universities know what we want from the institution. “We must lead the character of our institution” (Dr. Wright).

People are not working as hard; making the struggle that the "Black Community" went through during segregation less worth it. There are many today that do not recognize education as a privilege and the power it holds. People cannot go into the endeavor without the power of the mind because they would not get anywhere without it. Therefore, as students we need to be more than knowledge, but intellectuals that are engaged in the community and the struggle of the black race. We are not completely free from struggle, there are still issues that exist today. The effort is forever existing and through it all we must always remember “We deserve better” (Dr. Wright)