View from a Pew: Up From Slavery—But Not Far Enough

In 1867, just two years up from slavery, a debate took place in the halls of Congress that still echoes through the generations. The question on the floor was simple yet profound: Should Black people be allowed to attend colleges and universities?

After heated discussion, the ruling came down: “Yes, they can go to college—but not to ours.” And with that, they set the terms for our so-called education. They agreed that if Black colleges were to exist, there would be three sciences that must never be taught to the formerly enslaved — the science of finance, the science of warfare, and the science of mating.

Think about that.
Three areas of knowledge that shape every nation’s power, wealth, and legacy — deliberately withheld from us.

Let’s start with the science of finance.
Today, we spend over $1.3 trillion dollars every year. If Black America were a nation, we’d rank as the 8th richest in the world — yet we own so little that we can truly call our own. Spain has 47 million people — half our number — and produces over $700 billion annually with land smaller than Texas. They have their own banks, industries, and infrastructure. Meanwhile, we have dollars, but no sense. Our communities overflow with beauty shops, barbershops, and barbecue restaurants — but where are our banks, grocery chains, and technology firms? We’ve been consumers of everything and producers of little — and that’s not by accident. When you’re not taught the science of money, you learn only how to spend it.

Then there’s the science of warfare.
Not just military warfare, but strategic warfare — understanding how to defend, organize, and advance as a people. Instead, we’ve turned our weapons inward. We fight one another instead of fighting for one another. We’ve become soldiers without a cause, fighting battles that don’t build anything lasting. The result? A generation more comfortable destroying its neighbor than defending its community.

And finally, the science of mating.
That means two things — how to choose a spouse and how to raise the child that comes from that bond. When you control the Black family, you control the future of the Black community. Too many of us were never taught what love looks like, what legacy means, or what leadership in the home feels like. We confuse lust for love and parenting for punishment. The foundation cracks because no one taught us how to build it strong.

So here we are — up from slavery, but still bound by ignorance in the very sciences that shape freedom.
If we ever want to move from surviving to thriving, we must reclaim these lessons for ourselves:

• Learn the language of money and make our dollars make sense.
• Stop fighting one another and start fighting for our purpose.
• Rebuild our families with intention, love, and responsibility.

Because as long as we refuse to master these sciences, we’ll stay students in somebody else’s classroom — educated in everything but our own power.

It’s time we graduate.