African American Distinctiveness

If a black woman had dark skin she would resemble a man, therefore making her ugly in society’s standards. This pressures black women to constantly be "compatible with the white female standard of beauty" (Ashe 580) in order to be socially accepted in society. Intuitively black women understood that in order to be considered desirable, the less black they had to look. This unfortunate perception of beauty stems from a long pattern of "sociohistorical racial injustices" (Bealer 312) towards darker skinned African Americans. Maria Racine states in her review that since slavery black people who approximated closer to whites were sexually sought after by black slave men and white plantation owners and were considered to live a somewhat "easy coexistence" because of their appearance (Racine 283). Since it’s start, colorism laid the pathway of racial prejudice towards dark skinned individuals. The result of treating dark African Americans as subhuman beings led to the altering of the black psyche by creating a "pervasive hierarchy" of beauty that black woman constantly combated or were forced to accept. (Bealer 312).

The African American experience is one that is quite different from other racial/ ethnic groups. The majority of the first African American came over, unwillingly, on ships from various African countries. They were brought to America by white, European settlers to be used as slaves in an order to plant and harvest their crops and make money for the white man. This racial group was treated as if they were property and not people. However, with the ending of the American Civil War, African Americans gained freedom, freedom that not all white American were quite ready to handle. After gaining their freedom came the need for education, jobs and suffrage rights. Now in America this racial group has come a long way, having elected its first African American present for two terms, yet still there are many issues that are very prevalent. This racial group has been fighting their way to equality since the birth of this nation. African Americans have experienced an array of conflict, violence, stereotypes, prejudice acts, and discrimination against them throughout their history in America.

The idolization of lighter skin colour that has occurred within black communities within America, as mentioned earlier, stems from colonization and has persisted into the modern age through racialized beauty standards, as well as economic and social opportunities. Due to their perceived proximity to white individuals within the racial hierarchy, lighter skinned black Americans are considered to be more beautiful and are presented with the opportunity to receive a higher income and level of education than darker skinned individuals based on their physical appearance, as examined by Margaret L. Hunter. Nevertheless, these individuals are still barred from reaching the same levels of opportunity as white individuals, which is depicted through a lower employment and income rate, indicating their inability to transcend beyond their social racial category. Instead, there appears to be an unhealthy racial hierarchy created within the black race which stigmatizes and divides coloured individuals from collaborating, as per the wishes of early colonizers in my perception. Through accommodating to the desires of early European colonizers, colorism exhibits tendencies of Nobles conceptual incarceration, in which coloured individuals are still submissive and uncritical towards their reasons of perceiving lighter skin as being more socially acceptable based on a European

Now this is when the confusion sets in because I look up and a young African American woman has slipped in the door. She then proceeds to announce that she is a student volunteer and that her name is Amani!! Everyone looked up dazed, confused and trying to figure out who this girl was. I have never met someone with my own name I’ve been introduced to Imanis (ee-mah-nee) Armanis but never another Amani. This student then calls the volunteer offices and realizes that there has been a mix up the man in charge thought that this woman was me! After learning this information I she disappeared. The judge in charge off all volunteers was momentarily distracted and as quickly as the student had come she also left never to be seen again. Thankfully,

The abolishment of slavery has never made America Exceptional because the systematic oppression of African Americans occurred for decades after they were freed. American Exceptionalism is the belief that Americans are superior because the United States follows a different set of laws and norms that govern other countries. Supposedly, these differences account for the freedom that Americans have, which other countries lack. However, not all Americans have had been able to practice this freedom, such as African Americans. Even though slavery was abolished, African Americans never received the same rights as other Americans for decades. Even after receiving the same rights, African Americans were still oppressed. A country that can not guarantee the same rights to everyone is not exceptional.

As an African-American, I've seen the world through a different lens than most of my contemporaries. Different attitudes and different perceptions have created this continual Gap and where my people and others stand in our country. Since the late 1800s after President Abraham Lincoln freed the slaves, African Americans have been fighting for basic rights that were promised to everybody else in the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence. As we remember the Reverend dr. King On this day in January, we remember the values he fought for and what it means to have can Americans across the country in this present age. What this man, Louis Stokes of the Congressional Black Caucus understood was that if we hold together we will overcome. Heard

I am an African American and I want to give my perspective on how I think about events involved with the Civil War. My perspective on the Confederate States of America is that it is a lot of Southern States eleven to be exact. The Confederate States seceded from the Union and that’s what started the civil war. The war had a big effect on us they wounded about three million slaves. My perspective on African Americans serving in the army is not really good back because they just want to use us and if one of us dies the whites wouldn’t care. They basically treat us like slaves making us work in the army fighting their battle.

KC is a public charter school located in Kennesaw, GA that employees approximately 62 full time teachers for 870 students. The grade levels range from K-4, which gives the school, a significantly lower than national average, teacher-student ratio of 14:1. The school has a good balance in male versus female attendance with male attendance at 49% and females at 51%.

A feeling of affiliation with community and strong interaction with all of its members serve as the basis of the peculiarity of Black community. Membership of community has been always more important to African Americans than the feeling of individualism and competition among its members. Jagers and Mock (1995) have talked about Afro-cultural communalism. This communalism is the tendency of African Americans toward collectivist orientation or the preference for interdependence among people. Students who are driven by this communalistic orientation cannot describe themselves in individualistic terms. In fact, much of their self-identity is grounded in their social concern for, and need to be with, others [3]. Being a member of community young African Americans always relate themselves to it, because as it has been mentioned above, individualism is not a characteristic feature of Black community.

The abolishment of slavery has never made America Exceptional because the systematic oppression of African Americans occurred for decades after they were freed. American Exceptionalism is the belief that Americans are superior because the United States follows a different set of laws and norms that govern other countries. Supposedly, these differences account for the freedom that Americans have, which other countries lack. However, not all Americans, such as African Americans, have been able to practice this freedom. Even though slavery was abolished, African Americans never received the same rights as other Americans for decades. Even after receiving the same rights, African Americans were still oppressed. A country that

African Americans lives are getting better. Once the Jim crow era ended passing was almost a thing of the past in the Black Culture. In today’s society Blacks still do not have equal rights as White people but they are working on it. There are a lot more African American doctors, lawyers, dentist, educators, philosophers, police officers and we even have a Black president of the United states. However, racial discrimination is still in full effect. We live in a society where the poor is made fun of, the elderly get treated badly, and women still do not have equal pay. In one way or another we have to pass for something we are not in order to get where we need to be. Whether you have to lie about your sexuality, religion, age, race, and your

Arriving in the southern landscape centuries ago, the African Americans are still Racing in hope for their own identity and survival in the New Dream World.

Being a resident of South Carolina, African-American Culture was chosen as part of the applied learning project for the Intercultural Nursing class, because African-Americans make up more than a quarter of this state’s population. According to the 2010 United States Census Bureau, the total population for South Carolina (S.C.) is 4,625,364, with 27.9% being of African-American descent. The purpose of this paper is to develop an understanding and sensitivity to issues and cultural variances or phenomena that are unique to the African-American Culture. Another goal is to identify nursing interventions that are important for the nurse to consider in caring for this population. These phenomena’s include variances in social organization,

Music is a creative art form that allows the artist to construct something that expresses a purpose. It evolves over time and changes as the world changes, taking on many different motivations behind the melody and lyrics. In today’s society, anger, oppression, racism, and negative opinions rule the media and popular culture. I believe that African Americans need to show their self worth and not let white people hold them back. With the music in white culture often mocking African American culture and portraying negative stereotypes, African Americans have to find ways to gain respect. In acknowledgement of the negative portrayal of their culture, African Americans respond by creating songs and videos that express their pride in their culture and heritage, react to white oppression, and communicate their independence.

The African American community has sat at the end of a discriminatory lens from the moment they set foot in the United States. For that reason, black communities have undergone the process of community building to ensure that all members feel a sense of belonging.