African American Influence On Society

Oprah Winfrey has had an outstanding career and has emerged as the most significant female African American of her generation and those following her. From her early childhood Oprah has faced many obstacles and family distortions such as

One of the most influential and inspirational women of all time was Rosa Parks. By one action she helped change the lives of a majority of African Americans and more importantly society as a whole. Rosa Parks sparked the attention of America when she refused to settle for the black (lower class)standards. Not only did she help change the lives for many African Americans but she helped equality for all men and women in the United States. By one brave women our world will be forever thankful.

There were many people throughout the history of the United States that helped to get equality for African Americans; however, one man's voice moved an entire race. That one man is Martin Luther King, Jr. He has a way of making you listen when he speaks and of making you understand his ideas. Many people did listen and he motivated a whole race of people to strive with him on his quest for equality. The events in his life from early life, civil rights, and later life led him to be one of the most powerful people in the movement towards civil rights.

African American influence in music has been an ever present and controversial subject in American history. Stemming from many different cultures, religions and backgrounds, large portions of American music was introduced by, and credited to African Americans. Although in many cases, this music was used for entertainment by the masses or majority, contrary to popular belief, black music served a greater purpose than just recreation. Dating all the way back to the beginning of slavery in the U.S. during the 17th century, music has been used to make a statement and send a message. As African American music progressed over the years, there were common themes expressed as the genres evolved. It has been an open letter to the world, documenting and protesting the ongoing oppression faced by blacks in the United States, as well as an outlet for frustration. For many African Americans, the music gave them the only voice that couldn’t be silenced by their oppressors.

Many black entertainers believed that they needed to advocate against racial discrimination and white supremacy for every nation since it wasn’t just a problem for the U.S.. They believed that their efforts could achieve decolonization of other nations and promote independence for all. In response to violent events that were overtaking the U.S., black women activist-entertainers used their platform to expose the injustice of racial discrimination and promoted the civil rights movement. For example, Miriam Makeba used her platform and created music to broadcast content and their own perspective on the global racial issues toward their consumers. Another example would be Cicely Tyson, a high-fashion model who used her position to expand the boundaries of black beauty by using her hair and clothing as valuable props. She challenged what it meant to be a black woman and how race and sexuality played intersecting

African Americans have endured many trials and tribulations over the centuries. Our people have suffered from war, violence, and anguish simply because of the color of our skin. Our history has been so blatantly missing from textbooks and the K-12th grade educational atmosphere. Our educational system continues to neglect the history of our African American ancestors and fail to provide them with the educational resources to inform them of our past and allow them to learn about the true origins of our culture. We have made many significant contributions to the world but those have also been highly ignored as well.

Whether we know it or not, black inventors have impacted our lives drastically. From the time we wake up, until we go back to sleep at night, we use at least one thing that has been made by an African- American inventor. Whether it is something as big as a traffic light or as little as a hair brush, black inventors have made major contributions to our everyday lives. Many people know about the big inventions, but both small and big inventions have impacted America. (Lund 2008)

I believe one of the most influential African Americans of all time is Marcus Garvey. Marcus Garvey achieved accomplishments in not just one, but many areas. His accomplishments ranged from a worldwide Black political organization, The Untied Negro Improvement Association, to the first, and to this day the largest Black-owned multinational businesses, the Black Star Lines. Marcus was criticized by many of his fellow African American leaders because many of his projects failed. In despite of that, Marcus Garvey talent to attract followers towards his beliefs is inspiring.

In Life, you can inspire or be inspired. Whatever you dedicate yourself to and become successful in what that plan, it is important to represent yourself, leaving a legacy for others to follow in your footstep. Many people of different backgrounds, race, and cultures all have a story to tell, a story that will be told years from now and impact someone to do even greater things in their time. As black history month approaches, a time where we acknowledge those who had great accomplishments, and how they impacted others as well as their community. Many African-Americans in Florida’s history, are not recognized as often as they should. One person, in particular, would be Joseph W. Hatchett.

The African American community has experienced many triumphs and tribulations throughout its history. Jackie Robinson is an iconic and inspirational figure within this community. I admire him because his successful life has allowed me to have the confidence to overcome adversity in the classroom and on the tennis court because of my race.

There are many African American public figures, who have inspired the hearts and minds of eager Black youth. These individuals have instilled within the community a sense of purpose and promise which has carried over into following generations. Some of these persons are household names and familiar pop culture icons. Many, however, are the unsung heroes who have continued to work in the shadows, while bringing others into the light of hope. One such individual, Dr. Calvin Williams, began his journey on the concrete slabs and in the dilapidated houses of New Orleans, Louisiana's Lower Ninth Ward.

“Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we’ve been waiting for. We are the change that we seek” Barack Obama. The question is always asked does the media reflect the reality of society, or does society try and imitate the reality shown by the media? There are a number of stereotypes associated with African Americans in our society such as African American men are athletes, rappers, criminals, deviant, streetwise, uneducated, and unemployed just to name a few. African Americans in the media have changed through the years. The history of African Americans on TV or minorities in general is hampered by the racial conflicts and segregation that are embedded in American society. Historically, black actors have been grouped stereotypically and assigned to comedy. This has often been traced to the genre of black minstrelsy that was popular in the early 20th century.

February 1st signals the beginning of Black History Month. While there are many disputes arising from this celebration, including its brevity and timing, being able to have time dedicated to honoring the history of the African population who now call the United States of America home. Even this, however, is marginalized by the history books. We as a society spend weeks learning about the famous faces of the Civil Rights Movement. We know all about Dr. Martin Luther King and Rosa Parks. I personally have respect for them and their contributions to black culture. However, we often overlook other important heroes in our culture. These individuals also fought for change, progress, and equality. But we do them a great disservice by neglecting their

Black musicians gained respect and a consistent audience. Names such as B.B. King, Aretha Franklin, The Temptations, Little Richard, among others, would not be recognized if it weren’t for John Hammond. The fact that black musicians were accepted and even respected, translated to a beginning of the civil rights movement.3 This attitude slowly carried over from music to the world as a whole with the help of civil rights leaders.

African Americans have been through so much since being uprooted from their home in Africa. Most people do not understand what happened to African Americans and they understand what they had to go through to be where they are today. It went from being kings in the comfort of their home to being thrown on a boat packed like sardines to be forced to work in the fields. The trip was a massacre itself because many did not make it due to the treatment from others. African Americans have always been treated like outsiders and it took many people to sway the perception of others to be where they are today. Through all the ups and downs African Americans persevered and made it out the struggle. African Americans has always been treated badly all groups of people and they always looked down on African Americans. Throughout the history involving African American, it showed the constant inferiority treatment. African Americans were slaves years ago, people still look at blacks as less important than other people. Slavery has a huge impact on our society today because people are still bias and unfair towards African Americans, most African Americans are still living in poverty and don’t have proper education beyond high school which is why they don’t have the equal opportunity for jobs. African Americans still continue to sit in the shadow behind white people.