Walker has shown that the remedy for self-hatred is teaching people of African descent to love their whole black-selves, mind, body and history. In essence if we don't teach African history and self-love, then western culture will teach Africans European history and to aspire to be European which will destroy the self love and mental health of any person of African descent who lives in that society. For what little history is taught about Africans institutionally and publically presently, it used as a tool to disempower people of African descent. To start present interpretations of African history denies the feats and accomplishments done by Africans as well as the roots from which all people come from. Presently history is made for people …show more content…
They say history is decided by the victors, so clearly the history Europeans present is intended to uplift Europeans and disempower people of African descent, especially those living in racialized societies. We can say that the history presented today is intended to disempower Africans because it is self evident in European writings as well as contradictory to actual facts. For starters, after the slaves regained their freedom in America history was used to disempower them people believed that the freed negro would “regress to his former self before slavery, i.e a wild, oversexed, bestial, uncivilized being bent on rape, drunkenness, and crime”(Byrum,1999 p.267). This lead the free negro and his family to be segregated in every area of social life under the jim crow. This was because history was used to describe Africans as primitive and uncivilized and in need of slavery to protect Europeans from Africans and Africans from themselves. A false history was used to justify the unequal treatment of Africans and though it is not outrightly spoken today African history is not spoken of positively and further reinforces an inferiority belief amongst Europeans and African-Americans as well. This disparity in the presentation and receiving of information promotes white supremacy and the disunion amongst African …show more content…
The answer to this question is both yes and no depending on the viewpoint that this question is being looked at. In relation to white people of power the answer is still both yes and no. This is because white people are very aware of African-American history and to acknowledge their part in it would mean to admit fault. By admitting fault they would now become responsible for the state of African-Americans presently. Which is why it's easier and more economically and politically better for them to continue funding prisons to incarcerate African-Americans rather than fix the root issues that stemmed from slavery. I say yes only because if Europeans knew of the impact African history had on civilization then maybe we wouldn't have a highly racialized society in America intent on the incarceration of African-Americans. However, from the viewpoint of an African perspective the answer is most definitely no. It is important for any culture or race to understand their history from a psychological and developmental standpoint, especially when faced with
In the article ‘Black People in a White People’s Country’ by Gary Nash, he explains how slavery gave Africans a low role in America’s society, and how because slavery was allowed in the New World, they were “Socially and legally defined as less than people...”. It wasn’t just the fact that they were enslaved that made people treat them horribly, but also where they came from. In the eyes of a European, Africans were very different,
Most importantly, incorporate the authentic history of African descents’ in our educational
The history of America is one that can’t be discussed without talking about the Negro. Whether we want to admit it or not, the Negro has played an integral part in making what America what it is today. If it wasn’t for the profits generated from slavery, there would have been no way that America would have been the country that it is today. The slavery that the Negro endured has produced some positive and negatives, but it is the negatives that have been something that the Negro hasn’t been able to overcome for hundreds of years. It is these same negatives that have compelled some of the greatest black minds in history to create solutions to these problems. Minds such as Crummell, W.E.B Du Bois are some of the minds that have come up with
It all started from brutal tormenting, name calling, antagonizing and other troubled acts. Results of this provoked behavior caused Self hate, segregated cities, African Americans being seen as entertainers, and mistaken identity. All of these long term effects has impacted the African American culture drastically, ‘Slavery, racism, sexism, and other forms of bigotry, subordination, and human rights abuse transform and adapt with the times”(John Prendergast) This quote shows how slavery adapted to modern times. Self hate came from the psychological effect of slavery which affected the minds of slaves for years.
Barbara Cooper argues that the gap between African historians and the general field of historians is derived from the many debates surrounding the legitimacy of oral sources as a tool of understanding the evolution and development of Africa and its past. As a result of this, the exciting developments occurring within African history have been “…rendered unintelligible to academic historians in general” (Cooper 211) as the methodological research that Africanists put into acquiring and using oral sources are overlooked and ignored. She encourages other historians to utilize this research and for African history scholars to do their part as well by participating in conversations with other historians and debates to bring their work to light. All in the hopes that African history becomes relevant and exciting to a larger audience including historians outside the African field of work, as this history is too important to be
It would be easy to give the names and accomplishments of a thousand great African ancestors, but to do that diminishes the contributions of the community. In African societies, it is the collective works of the people that make our nations great. We know the names of Ahmose I and Ahmose the son of Ibana, and we’ve read the stories how they drove the Asiatics out of Africa saving Kemet from the foreigners, but how many countless and nameless ancestors were actually responsible for the revolutionary event? For every name that we know, there are millions who we don’t that are equally ancestral. Equally involved in our conquests and discoveries.
The slave owners would excuse the Africans as an inferior species all together, and labeled them as “lazy” and ‘violent.” Even after slavery was abolished in 1865, an onslaught of hatred came the way of the African Americans in the form of terrorist attacks, lynchings, and the formation of the KKK. In 2016, it is extremely rare to see displays of racism so blatant, at least with the intent to harm people of color proudly expressed. That doesn’t mean Black people do not experience this type of abuse anymore, people have just gotten better at hiding their prejudice. Whether we are aware or not, the habit of discriminating, especially towards those with dark skin, has manifested itself into every part of our lives and society. This leads us to unconsciously act a certain way towards some racial minorities or at least be ignorant to the fact that there is anything wrong with how we behave. Many people refer to 2016 America as a “post-racial society” where race is no longer a problem. These are the same people who think police brutality, and racial profiling isn't real and that the “Black Lives Matter” movement is just a group of overly-sensitive attention seekers. To say institutionalized racism doesn't exist means that they are privileged enough to not have to constantly be aware of the
Abstract: Since the Transatlantic Slave Trade, African Americans have been dependent upon those of fairer complexions to educate them about the culture and history of their own people. Unfortunately, the trip over to the Americas caused them to lose touch with several parts of their being; native tongues, culture/heritage and most of all their self-righteous. Somewhere along the way they forgot that they are creators of every major practice; from metallurgy to agriculture; practices that essentially influenced the entire world. The Transatlantic Slave Trade essentially and effectively brainwashed a group of people. It caused people of the African diaspora to lose sight of who they really are; installing negative and inferior perception of their ancestry, while also installing white superiority through their mindsets. African Americans innately depended on white people for every part of their life, even later slavery. In regards to education, African Americans depended on white Americans to build infrastructures for the education of black people. This unfortunately continued the cycle of white dependency. While African Americans thought they were enhancing their knowledge, all they were doing was becoming more equipped servants to their white
When asked why is there a need for African American studies? One must understand the Eurocentric and political game the American school system imposes on young children African American students are bombarded with negative stereotypes throughout primary school and sometimes even college. The American school curriculum has a conservative effort in glorifying everything European from European art, history and music, while African American history is crammed in the month of February. During this month African American history starts with the slave trade and ends with Martin Luther King’s “I have a dream speech.” They refuse to enlighten students on the great African empires or the great African American inventors. Instead they are educated about slavery and how they were savages before the intervention of Europeans. Therefore, leaves lots of African American students ashamed of their history and creates this negative perspective of not wanting to be black. This leads to the question Malcom X stated in his speech, “who taught you to hate yourself?”
I agree that what we already know and have general ideas of can change how we see things. Like with the AOK history. The concept of history can change the way Caucasians or African Americans view slavery. White people may view slavery as a good thing or a bad thing and view black people as equals or not. They may feel horrible about what their people has done to African Americans in the past and become sympathetic to them.White people may feel guilty. African Americans may not be as understanding to white people.
Africa’s has obtained a poor representation of its deep past, during the past couple of weeks we have watched, read and researched information on this topic. Africa has been known to be backwards, poor, and disconnected from the rest of the world. Which we have proven false throughout this course, as a result, we will focus on five maps and a few readings that have proven Africa’s deep past has had inquired and false truths.
This week’s lecture notes, group discussions, and readings really resonate with me in all aspects. By reflecting on my childhood experiences in early 1980s in the United States of America, where I experienced discrimination from my fellow African American classmates, who believed that they have no association with Africa as a result, treated me very gravely through their verbal and physical abuse. I assumed their beliefs generated from the Eurocentric idea and colonization whereby assimilated and acculturated these African slaves into the European culture. Inevitably, the result generated denouncing any relationship with Africa or its people. At the same time they considered them a minority within their social existences and viewed as second-class citizens in the country they considered their own.
This chapter in Africans and Their History by Joseph Harris presents some of the roots of the stereotypes and myths about Africa in the past and for the most part are still held today. Harris discusses how the “greats” of history, geography, and literature starting a path of devaluation of Africans that writers after their time followed. Harris also denounced the language that these “greats” used to describe and talk about Africans. He asserts that this language inherently painted Africans as inferior and subhuman.
Throughout history African Americans have been treated as if they were the inferior race. Their spirits, mentality, and physical well-being has been beaten tortured and abused since they were first brought here legally in 1651 (National Geographic). As time has passed African Americans are still suffering like their ancestors, but their suffering today is different and not as vicious as their ancestors had to go through. In the progression (or in this case digression) it begins to seem as if African Americans were finally getting the equal rights and respect they deserved, but in today’s society there are still individuals that want to wreak havoc on the African American community. Many of those individuals want the African American community to know that they are not welcomed and that they are still an inferior and disposable race.
Growing up, I was taught about slaves in that they were these savages and Africans would enslave each other. In Howards Zinn’s A People's History of the United States, he explains how the Africans were just as advanced as countries in Europe and had included large urban centers, skilled farming, iron, and remarkable achievements (Zinn, 1980, p. 26). The only difference between the countries in Africa and Europe is the Africans were as brutal as the Europeans. In Roots episode 1 they show the process of the enslavement of the Africans and how the Africans had a civilized form of life. The western world had a need for labor in their capitalist system and used racism to justify enslaving people.