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"Each one teach one" is anAfrican-Americanproverb. It has been adopted as a motto by many organizations.[1]
The phrase originated in the United States during the time ofslavery,[2] whenAfricans were deniededucation, includinglearning to read. Many if not most enslaved people were kept in a state of ignorance about anything beyond their immediate circumstances which were under the control of owners, the lawmakers and authorities. When an enslaved person learned or was taught to read, it became their duty to teach someone else, spawning the phrase "Each one teach one".[2]
Many of the political prisoners onRobben Island, South Africa held duringapartheid (1948–1991) were illiterate. Their mail was highlycensored and reading materials limited. The inmates used the term, "each one, teach one" as a battle cry to ensure everyone in the movement was educated.
The phrase is used as a slogan in literacy campaigns inNigeria.[3]
In the first half of the 20th century, the phrase was applied to the work of aChristian missionary,Dr. Frank Laubach, who utilized the concept to help address poverty and illiteracy in thePhilippines. Many sources cite Dr. Laubach as creating the saying, but many others believe that he simply used it in order to advance the cause of ending illiteracy in the world.[4]
The phrase is the party slogan of theCommunist Party of Great Britain (Marxist–Leninist).[citation needed] It is also the name of an organisation based in Berlin, promoting empowerment of Afro-European German citizens:Each One Teach One (association) [fr].[5]
The phrase has also been adopted by theDelancey Street Foundation, a nonprofit organization based inSan Francisco that provides residential rehabilitation services and vocational training for people with history ofsubstance abuse or criminal convictions. The organization incorporates the "each one, teach one" principle by having each client act as a mentor to successive clients in academic subjects and trades varying frommasonry tocatering.[6] It is also the motto of theDozenal Society of America,[7] a non-profit advocating for the use of duodecimal in research and education.[8]
In the 1996novelPush bySapphire and the 2009movie based on it,Precious, the expression is used as the name of analternative school that the principal character is attending after being transferred out frompublic school.
Each One Teach One was used as the title of a memoir by homeless activist Ronald Casanova. Published byCurbstone Press in 1996 and subtitledUp and Out of Poverty, Memoirs of a Street Activist, the book recounts Casanova's life as a New York City orphan, his youth in a series of detention centers, and ultimate success as an officer of theNational Union of the Homeless, where he campaigned for low-income housing and greater federal and local assistance to the homeless and to squatters.[9]Northwestern University Press announced the re-issue of the memoir scheduled for 2023.[10]
Jeff ist Leiter eines Antidiskriminierungsprojekts beim Bildungsverein „Each One Teach One"