Original Sins

The (Mis)education of Black and Native Children and the Construction of AmericanRacism

By: Eve L. Ewing

Narrated by: Robin Miles, Eve L. Ewing

Why don’t our schools work? Eve L. Ewing tackles this question from a new angle: What if they’re actually doing what they were built to do? She argues that instead of being the great equalizer, America’s classrooms were designed to do the opposite: to maintain the nation’s inequalities. It’s a task at which they excel.

“This book will transform the way you see this country.”—Michelle Alexander, author of The New Jim Crow

If all children could just get an education, the logic goes, they would have the same opportunities later in life. But this historical tour de force makes it clear that the opposite is true: The U.S. school system has played an instrumental role in creating and upholding racial hierarchies, preparing children to expect unequal treatment throughout their lives.

In Original Sins, Ewing demonstrates that our schools were designed to propagate the idea of white intellectual superiority, to “civilize” Native students and to prepare Black students for menial labor. Education was not an afterthought for the Founding Fathers; it was envisioned by Thomas Jefferson as an institution that would fortify the country’s racial hierarchy. Ewing argues that these dynamics persist in a curriculum that continues to minimize the horrors of American history. The most insidious aspects of this system fall below the radar in the forms of standardized testing, academic tracking, disciplinary policies, and uneven access to resources.

By demonstrating that it’s in the DNA of American schools to serve as an effective and underacknowledged mechanism maintaining inequality in this country today, Ewing makes the case that we need a profound reevaluation of what schools are supposed to do, and for whom. This book will change the way people understand the place we send our children for eight hours a day.

*Includes a downloadable PDF containing a bibliography, notes, and images described in the book.

Jaw dropper

This was such an eye opening book. I was dropping my jaw during every chapter.

God help us all

This work really opened my eyes to many of the racial biases I have been holding as a result of my conditioning in American public schools. I recommend this book to anyone who is interested in transforming this society into a healthier place for all of us to thrive.

A must read for educators and everyone!

Dr. Ewing does a fantastic job of exploring the parallel histories of African Americans and Indigenous Americans through themes around colonization, culture, and education. It has definitely made me reflect on my own educational upbringing and becoming an educator in Higher Education. And always, Robin Miles is a fantastic and immersive narrator!

Required reading.

This book should be required reading. It’s not meant to entertain but inform and mortify and light a fire to envision a new way and a better future. Narrator was excellent, though a little slow for my ear, but all in all, wonderful book.

Amazing

This book is a must read for everyone. It is done in a thoughtful and meaningful way.