Before our visit to the Penn Center I was unaware of the unique development of black society and the circumstances that brought about this experiment in reconstruction in the isolated islands so close to Charleston. The Penn Center and the community of St. Helena Island were the result of geography and turned out to be a place of experimenting with education and self-sufficiency even before the Emancipation Proclamation was signed. Like other sea islands on the coast of South Carolina and Georgia the isolation from “civilization” was a benefit and allowed the freed slaves the opportunity to demonstrate that they were more than capable of fending for themselves if given the freedom from restrictions hindering their success.

I believe that one of the main factors in the success of the Penn Center was the ownership and investment made by the community. Unlike other areas of the country where the federal government came in and took over the education and welfare of the freed slaves, the people in St. Helena Island took control of their own destiny.  By disregarding the orders of the fleeing plantation owners to destroy the crops as the Union troops advanced, the slaves in St Helena established that they were not relying on others to come to their aid. This action really emphasized that the slaves had been able to resist the efforts of the plantation owners to create a learned helplessness and to strip the slaves of their identity, independence and self-respect.

Education is more successful when it is a community effort and students do better in a school setting where their culture and heritage are supported. This was true in St. Helena and should also be applied today to address problems of success in the American education system. (Sefa Dei 2008) For example, an African American child today grows up learning white history, celebrating white holidays and learning about white accomplishments. It is easy to understand why this student could become disengaged if they must give up their heritage and history in order to be successful in moving through the education system. After our visit to Penn Center I have begun thinking more about how to give communities more ownership and control over the education system that is supposed to be serving them while at the same time preparing the students to be successful in an America that is still dominated by the white power structure.

REFERENCES

Sefa Dei, George J. 2008. “Schooling as Community: Race, Schooling, and the Education of African Youth.”Journal of Black Studies 38(3) Retrieved March 13, 2013 (http://www.jstor.org/stable/40034384)