Black Indians: an American Story

Radical Teacher, Summer, 2004 by Michael W. Simpson

Written by Daniel Blake Smith; directed by Chip Richie. 60 minutes. Available from Rich-Heape Films, 5952 Royal Lane, Suite 254-4, Dallas, TX 75230. sales@richheape.com. $24.95 plus $5.00 shipping and handling.

Race is just a black and white matter, right? Wrong. Yet, we often teach racial issues as simple, easily determined categories, categories that deny voice to millions of Americans of mixed racial-ethnic-cultural heritage. This video offers us the voices of a great many Americans that are both African American and American Indian.

This is a moving and scholarly tale of the experiences of some remarkable people who often find themselves accepted nowhere. James Earl Jones's narration and a wonderful musical score enhance the story. This video allows teachers to present the concept of "race" as socially constructed. We are led through a discussion of the contrast between how the Indians viewed "race" and how the dominant European culture viewed it. This contrast emphasizes the social nature of distinctions based upon skin color.

Teachers may be surprised to learn of historical and present famous persons with this mixed heritage. The Census Bureau now allows people to check more than one race and ethnic box. This has created a political and legal firestorm. Yet these voices must be heard.

Teachers constrained by a 50-minute period can easily choose places to stop and open up discussion. It is also possible to select portions of the video depending on the lesson the teacher wishes to emphasize. Research suggests that helping students to see the world from multiple perspectives enhances intellectual and ethical development and promotes cross-cultural understanding. Black Indians: An American_Story is an excellent resource in this regard.

I used this video in an Upward Bound high school summer American Indian class I taught at Oklahoma City Community College. Usually, I don't show whole videos, but the students wanted to watch all of this one. In Black Indians, people tell their own stories in powerful ways. My students responded and we were able to criticize categories and what I call "cute history." We treat our children to a fairy tale history and wonder why they don't believe anything we say. In Oklahoma, most of us are mixed-blood and have long family histories of abuse and oppression. This film helped us discuss.

Michael W. Simpson

University of Wisconsin-Madison

Is there a book, film, essay, poem, or story you've found particularly useful in the classroom and want to share with other Radical Teacher readers? We are especially interested in "Teaching Notes" on new materials not widely known, but we would also like to hear about newly rediscovered older works as well as new ways of teaching familiar ones. Contributions should be about 500 words and should include the following kinds of information: school, course, kinds of students, how you taught the work, difficulties as well as triumphs. Also, please supply the title, author, publisher, and current price (or comparable data for a film).

In an effort to expand this column, we would also like to invite submissions of another sort, namely brief descriptions of classroom experiences that challenged, encouraged, or frustrated you. Has something unexpected happened in class, something--whether you handled it well handled it badly, or are still trying to decide--that you believe our readers can learn from? Again, please try to keep your Teaching Note to under 500 words.

Please send a hard copy to Bob Rosen, Department of English, William Paterson University, 300 Pompton Road, Wayne, New Jersey 07470--and also an e-mail, with the header "Teaching Note," to: rosenr@wpunj.edu.