--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I didn't learn black history in school. I…" description: "\"I didn't learn black history in school. I had to go find Malcolm X books.\" — Rza" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a92/rza-1981_black-history_i-didn-t-learn-black-history-in-school-i_29117.png" --- # I didn't learn black history in school. I had to go find… ![“I didn't learn black history in school. I had to go find Malcolm X books.” quote by Rza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a92/rza-1981_black-history_i-didn-t-learn-black-history-in-school-i_29117.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a92/rza-1981_black-history_i-didn-t-learn-black-history-in-school-i_29117.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a92/rza-1981_black-history_i-didn-t-learn-black-history-in-school-i_29117.png) > “I didn't learn black history in school. I had to go find Malcolm X books.” [Rza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rza/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The speaker highlights gaps in formal education about Black history, emphasizing personal initiative to seek knowledge through Malcolm X's writings. **In simple terms:** Self‑directed learning fills curricular voids. Key Takeaway Education systems often omit marginalized histories. Themes Education History Self‑learning Racial awareness Activism Mood Reflective Motivated Critical Type Personal anecdote Social commentary When to use this quote - Studying history outside school - Exploring civil rights literature - Seeking diverse perspectives - Filling knowledge gaps Key Concepts Curriculum gaps Black history Malcolm X Personal agency Practical Applications - Developing inclusive curricula - Encouraging independent research Questions to Reflect On - How can schools better integrate Black history? - What motivates individuals to seek alternative sources? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Black history](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/black-history/) [History](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history/) [School](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/school/) ## Related quotes > [One must learn how to be black in America.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-louis-gates/one-must-learn-how-to-be-black-in-america/) [Henry Louis Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-louis-gates/) > [It was funny, though, the things you didn't learn about people until after they died.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cynthia-leitich-smith/it-was-funny-though-the-things-you-didn-t-learn-about-people-until/) [Cynthia Leitich Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cynthia-leitich-smith/) > [See my father knew a lot about music, he played the piano and he would do theory and stuff like that, but I didn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-fahey/see-my-father-knew-a-lot-about-music-he-played-the-piano-and-he-would/) [John Fahey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-fahey/) > [A man can learn a lot if he listens, and if I didn't learn anything else I was learning how much I didn't know.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-l-amour/a-man-can-learn-a-lot-if-he-listens-and-if-i-didn-t-learn-anything/) [Louis L'Amour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-l-amour/) > [Even when you win you lose... if you didn’t learn something.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-kiyosaki/even-when-you-win-you-lose-if-you-didn-t-learn-something/) [Robert Kiyosaki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-kiyosaki/) > [I learned English in a pub. I didn't learn it in school.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guenther-steiner/i-learned-english-in-a-pub-i-didn-t-learn-it-in-school/) [Guenther Steiner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guenther-steiner/) > [I have never spent a day in my adult life where I didn't learn something, and if there is a born-again quality to me,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-jennings/i-have-never-spent-a-day-in-my-adult-life-where-i-didn-t-learn/) [Peter Jennings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-jennings/) > [I never played a round when I didn't learn something new about the game.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-hogan/i-never-played-a-round-when-i-didn-t-learn-something-new-about-the/) [Ben Hogan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-hogan/) > [I certainly didn't learn anything in school. My education was the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diana-vreeland/i-certainly-didn-t-learn-anything-in-school-my-education-was-the-world/) [Diana Vreeland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diana-vreeland/) > [You know over 20 years I played for a number of managers and dozens of coaches. I don't know any of them that I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-yount/you-know-over-20-years-i-played-for-a-number-of-managers-and-dozens/) [Robin Yount](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-yount/) > [I didn't learn for years that you generally find your Self after you quit looking for it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peg-bracken/i-didn-t-learn-for-years-that-you-generally-find-your-self-after-you/) [Peg Bracken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peg-bracken/) > [I'm mostly self-taught. I didn't learn much in school.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agnes-denes/i-m-mostly-self-taught-i-didn-t-learn-much-in-school/) [Agnes Denes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/agnes-denes/) > [I learned how to do absolutely nothing - I didn't learn one thing in high school. If I had to get a job at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-iovine/i-learned-how-to-do-absolutely-nothing-i-didn-t-learn-one-thing-in/) [Jimmy Iovine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-iovine/) > [“Lex, do you think, six weeks without you, I didn’t learn my fuckin’ lesson?” She blinked. He kept going. “I learned, baby. Lived raw…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristen-ashley/lex-do-you-think-six-weeks-without-you-i-didn-t-learn-my-fuckin/) [Kristen Ashley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kristen-ashley/) > [I've never had a real job in my life. I didn't learn anything, I was terrible at school. It was just this thing. Music…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hans-zimmer/i-ve-never-had-a-real-job-in-my-life-i-didn-t-learn-anything-i-was/) [Hans Zimmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hans-zimmer/) ## More by Rza > [I have to make beats every day. Wherever I go, I got a keyboard waiting for me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rza/i-have-to-make-beats-every-day-wherever-i-go-i-got-a-keyboard-waiting/) [Rza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rza/) > [It is sad that the world has gotten more of my time than my children, but my children benefit from it through their financial…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rza/it-is-sad-that-the-world-has-gotten-more-of-my-time-than-my-children/) [RZA](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rza/) > [When I first heard hip-hop, in 1976, there were maybe only 500 people that could do it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rza/when-i-first-heard-hip-hop-in-1976-there-were-maybe-only-500-people/) [Rza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rza/) > [Grew up in Stapleton House village, where blood flood the waters in the streets like oil spillage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rza/grew-up-in-stapleton-house-village-where-blood-flood-the-waters-in/) [RZA](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rza/) > [I love the Bee Gees, and I love Barry Gibb and Andy Gibb. I listen to them almost every day.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rza/i-love-the-bee-gees-and-i-love-barry-gibb-and-andy-gibb-i-listen-to/) [Rza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rza/) > [We put out real hip-hop at a time when it was turning into pop or R&B ... We brought the focus back to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rza/we-put-out-real-hip-hop-at-a-time-when-it-was-turning-into-pop-or-r-b/) [RZA](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rza/) > [What happens to a lot of artists in the music industry right now is the following: The music industry is plummeting real fast. So…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rza/what-happens-to-a-lot-of-artists-in-the-music-industry-right-now-is/) [RZA](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rza/) > [There are lawyers advising to sue, so the lawyers can keep their retainments.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rza/there-are-lawyers-advising-to-sue-so-the-lawyers-can-keep-their/) [RZA](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rza/) > [I could never be a control freak. If Wu-Tang is a dictatorship, how does every Wu-Tang member have their own contract, their own career,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rza/i-could-never-be-a-control-freak-if-wu-tang-is-a-dictatorship-how/) [Rza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rza/) > [I think as time goes on that generation of rappers who's making it now is gonna face the same thing that my generation was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rza/i-think-as-time-goes-on-that-generation-of-rappers-who-s-making-it/) [RZA](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rza/) > ['Grease?' I watch that film over and over.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rza/grease-i-watch-that-film-over-and-over/) [Rza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rza/) > [I'm glad Wu-Tang was able to inspire other producers and artists, but I would never want to be erased or removed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rza/i-m-glad-wu-tang-was-able-to-inspire-other-producers-and-artists-but/) [Rza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rza/) > [I'd hate to compare art to life but I think a movie is an entity of its own, and when it's done, you want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rza/i-d-hate-to-compare-art-to-life-but-i-think-a-movie-is-an-entity-of/) [RZA](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rza/) > [When we was making a song called 'Bring Da Ruckus,' we took the snare, and we put it in an elevator shaft and recorded…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rza/when-we-was-making-a-song-called-bring-da-ruckus-we-took-the-snare/) [Rza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rza/) > [Wu-Tang Clan's first album, '36 Chambers,' there wasn't a lot of money given to make that album.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rza/wu-tang-clan-s-first-album-36-chambers-there-wasn-t-a-lot-of-money/) [Rza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rza/) [Explore all 193 Rza quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rza/) ## More Black history quotes > [“Later that year, the Voting Rights Act opened the door for thousands to register for the first time.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/junius-williams/later-that-year-the-voting-rights-act-opened-the-door-for-thousands/) [Junius Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/junius-williams/) > [“Any ministry to black people which is not designed to effect their empowerment is designed to perpetuate their enslavement.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/any-ministry-to-black-people-which-is-not-designed-to-effect-their/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [My horizon on humanity is enlarged by reading the writers of poems, seeing a painting, listening to some music, some opera, which has nothing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wole-soyinka/my-horizon-on-humanity-is-enlarged-by-reading-the-writers-of-poems/) [Wole Soyinka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wole-soyinka/) > [Whereas our ancestors (not of choice) were the first successful cultivators of the wilds of America, we their descendants feel ourselves entitled to participate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-allen/whereas-our-ancestors-not-of-choice-were-the-first-successful/) [Richard Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-allen/) > [“The war that killed my grandfather and great-uncles and thousands of other blacks is only a footnote in our history books.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cristina-garc-a/the-war-that-killed-my-grandfather-and-great-uncles-and-thousands-of/) [Cristina García](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cristina-garc-a/) > [When you have a large amount of the workforce being laid off, some of them have no other choice but to go out there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daymond-john/when-you-have-a-large-amount-of-the-workforce-being-laid-off-some-of/) [Daymond John](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daymond-john/) > [The majority of the Negroes who took part in the year-long boycott of Montgomery's buses were poor and untutored; but they understood the essence…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-jr/the-majority-of-the-negroes-who-took-part-in-the-year-long-boycott-of/) [Martin Luther King, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-jr/) > [I do consider myself part of black history.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-j-blige/i-do-consider-myself-part-of-black-history/) [Mary J. Blige](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-j-blige/) > [ \[W\]e are the heirs of a past of rope, fire, and murder. I for one am not ashamed of this past. My shame is… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-jr/w-e-are-the-heirs-of-a-past-of-rope-fire-and-murder-i-for-one-am-not/) [Martin Luther King, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-jr/) > [Happy Black History Month everyone. I challenge you blacks to change how other races view us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/happy-black-history-month-everyone-i-challenge-you-blacks-to-change/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“That was when I realized we weren’t born to be slaves. It was ignorant for any man to think he could be the master…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-grewal/that-was-when-i-realized-we-weren-t-born-to-be-slaves-it-was-ignorant/) [Jay Grewal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-grewal/) > [For children, diversity needs to be real and not merely relegated to learning the names of the usual suspects during Black History Month or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ridley/for-children-diversity-needs-to-be-real-and-not-merely-relegated-to/) [John Ridley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ridley/) > [Unconditional love will have the final word in reality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-jr/unconditional-love-will-have-the-final-word-in-reality/) [Martin Luther King, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-jr/) > [I was often filled with excitement to be given a platform to showcase Black history to others. I never questioned why Black history wasn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judi-love/i-was-often-filled-with-excitement-to-be-given-a-platform-to-showcase/) [Judi Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judi-love/) > [I have observed this in my experience of slavery, that whenever my condition was improved, instead of increasing my contentment; it only increased my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-douglass/i-have-observed-this-in-my-experience-of-slavery-that-whenever-my-2/) [Frederick Douglass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-douglass/) [Browse all 299 Black history quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/black-history/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I didn't learn black history in school. 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