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African American Discrimination

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Similar to Native Americans, African Americans have also been a targeted group for discrimination and oppression for generations. The earliest forms of discrimination against African Americans can be traced back to the beginning of the slave trade, if not even earlier. Because of the horrible conditions on the slave trade being handed down by White Europeans, “the slave trade necessitated race as the most salient mechanism of human categorization,” dooming African Americans for generations to come (Hall 119). As slave was the most common occupation of African Americans when they first came to America, most were viewed as being incompetent because they could not read or write. This created a stigma that has been around forever, and it can even be found in African creation myths. Often times, African Americans are also racially profiled and “falsely accused of being active participants in criminal activity,” even though most times this claim is not accurate (Hall 121). Because of the classification that was established when Africans first encountered whites, whites still believe that all their problems or wrongdoings can be pushed off onto a different race or ethnic group that is viewed as inferior. Classic examples of African Americans being accused of such crimes are drug searches along busy roadways, professionals driving expensive cars, or even teenagers walking along streets with their hoods to sweatshirts over their heads. In recent years, these activities have seemed to

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