On Thursday February 5, more than 100 SU students, staff and Syracuse community members gathered in Gifford Auditorium to hear psychologist, political scientist and Pan-Africanist Dr. Umar Johnson give his Black History Month commemorative lecture, Black to the Future: The Attack on Civil Rights and the Return of Jim Crow Justice.

 

Johnson’s lecture was controversial to say the least. Johnson began by talking about the racial disparity in the number of African American boys diagnosed with “learning disabilities” like Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). He has written a book called Psycho-Academic Holocaust: The Special Education & ADHD Wars Against Black Boys that debunks the common beliefs about ADD and ADHD and the tests that diagnose these “disorders.”

 

“IQ tests, and achievement tests, and SAT tests, and MCATs, LCATs, and GRE tests, do you know why they give tests in America?” asked Johnson. “Tests, tests, tests, tests, tests. Test culture! You know what that’s about? It has nothing to do with whose learning and whose not. They already know that. You know what the purpose of a test is in America? Testing is about sorting people into groups. Sorting them into groups to determine who gets an opportunity and who doesn’t.  That’s why we test children. We live in a hierarchical society. Tests are necessary because it excludes without looking racist. The IQ test discriminates without looking racist! The SAT excludes without looking racist.”

 

Using slides from a PowerPoint presentation, Johnson gave visual aids that allowed the attentive audience to follow his train of thought from point to point. Johnson’s delivery was fluid and genuine as he responded to the energy of the audience while speaking passionately to topics that created an emotional response from the audience, such at the prison-industrial complex.

 

“Do you know that special education is the school to prison pipeline?” asked Johnson. “That’s the biggest pipe in the pipeline! And now since No Child Left Behind, if you’re in special ed, you don’t even get a regular diploma anymore.”

 

The following are a series of reactions to Dr. Umar Johnson’s lecture from current students and Syracuse community members.

 

 

“I thought Dr. Johnson was very provocative, honest, and real! He was very blunt and unapologetic about his thoughts/views. He was not afraid to push the envelope, and I think that is imperative when speaking on controversial issues and exposing truth. I truly enjoyed his passion and insight,” said Tamar Smithers, Director of education at the Community Folk Art Center.

 

“There were many topics that resonated with me. However, when he spoke on our education system and how they are so quickly to misdiagnose our young black boys with Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD), Learning Disabilities, etc. and place them in Special Education, this hit home for me. I have a nephew that was just recently diagnosed with ADD and put on medication. His talk has inspired me to talk with my sister and see if there are other alternatives,” said Smithers.

 

“I would really love for Dr. Johnson to be invited back to speak in the Syracuse Community to our young black men. I feel that he has the ability to speak raw enough to relate to our youth and truly make a difference. Even if we are able to touch one young black man. We have made a difference.”

 

“One of the ideas that resonated the most with me was the frequent, unnecessary and often damaging effects of diagnosing black children with learning disabilities. He also talked about the concept of historic and modern systematic oppression being found in schools, prisons and other aspects of life. His proposal of economic empowerment to combat this was just icing on the cake,” said senior National Association of Black Journalists President Wayne Smith.”

 

“Because I can see many of Dr. Umar’s points being considered controversial, I was pleasantly surprised to see the majority of the audience still in attendance by the end of his speech. I believe that was a testament to Dr. Umar’s extensive record and accounts and legal cases that strongly back up the majority of his points,” said Smith.

 

“I appreciate you for bringing Dr. Umar Johnson to Syracuse University. I have never met someone so passionate about the empowerment and the advancement of Black culture. I found myself having difficulty trying to describe my experience at the event. I could not bring myself to call it a seminar or a lecture; it was much more than that. It was somewhere in between a presentation and a performance. He was so uplifting and reflected a vivacious aura. He was exceptionally knowledgeable on so many topics. I would like to believe that I am somewhat conscious of different things in that impact the Black community but rarely do I think about how interconnected they are. He brought a different perspective to common ideas such as the link between mental illness and Blacks,” said freshman Gerald Brown.

“Even though he was very stern in what he said, Dr. Umar was very genuine and kindhearted. I could hear the love and passion he had for Blacks. I could feel the energy and confidence he had for his people. I love my culture and believe that we have the potential to do incredible things; however, it was so inspiring to see someone else who carried the same belief,” said Brown.

“Again, thank you Black Voice for this opportunity. I will never forget this moment.”