Afrofuturism In Moonwalker, Space Is The Place

In The Venus Hip Hop and the Pink Ghetto, Imani Perry argues that the over-sexualized, unattainable bodies of black women in popular culture will lead to the breakdown of feminism and the positive body image of the everyday black

White spaces trump black experience in Suzan-Lori Parks’s Topdog/Underdog and Lorraine Hansberry’s Raisin in the Sun. According to Elijah Anderson, a Yale professor specializing in black sociology, the domination and subjugation of black experiences in white spaces is a normalized practice: “White people typically avoid black space, but black people are required to navigate the white space as a condition of their experience” (Anderson 10). These aforementioned ‘white spaces’ are defined as any space that is overwhelmingly white and often feel “off limits” for black bodies (Anderson 14). No moment in either of these two plays better encapsulates the sentiment of “off limit” spaces than Lindner’s visit to the Youngers’ home in Raisin in the

As a black man, Samuel Delany has experienced discrimination and racism in a number of settings. However, as a Science Fiction writer he mostly explores racism in that community. Samuel Delany’s, “Racism and Science Fiction” explores how “Racism is a system. As such, it is fueled as much by chance as by hostile intentions and equally the best intentions as well. It is whatever systematically acclimates people, of all colors, to become comfortable with the isolation and segregation of the races, on a visual, social, or economic level”(31). Delany blames social traditions, and material and economic conditions for supporting the system. And not actual individuals. Delany supports his argument by giving three examples of when he has experienced racism in science fiction. The issue of racism in science fiction is presented by Delany when he tells his readers of an encounter with Isaac Asimov, his convention book signing partner, and his habitual panel placement with a fellow writer.

In Blueprint for Negro Writing, Richard Wright makes the argument that all black artists have a social and moral responsibility to use their art to improving and uplifting African Americans and their culture. Wright believed that black artists should use their work to advocate for their race and to help address social issues and make changes for the better. Wright also believed that black artists were too caught up in trying to appeal to white audiences. Wright wanted African American artists to create work for African Americans instead. Wright’s stance on black art being made for a black audience and to address social issues is supported by the celebration of black heritage and beauty in Beyoncé’s “Formation” and Bennett’s “To a Dark Girl”.

In today’s American society, being born black is often life threatening and comes with many struggles and fears. The author Brent Staples visibly demonstrates the presence of black men, in his article “Black Men and Public Spaces”. Staples illustrates to the readers how black men attempt to live their lives as normal as possible, but are unable to because of the fear society has of them. Brent Staples attests to the turbulent lives black men face in society, from their childhood to an adult age. Staples is able to demonstrate the various issues black men face in society with the use of logos, ethos, and pathos.

Furthermore, Biman Basu’s The Black Voice And The Language Of The Text: Toni Morrison’s Sula, investigates what he calls “one of the most significant developments in African American tradition…the formation of a class of intellectuals” (Article). More precisely, Basu is speaking of individuals like Morrison, who have not only broken down barriers for herself as a woman writer, but the others whom have followed in her footsteps to publish a rich tapestry of African-American literature. Furthermore, Basu’s investigates the conflict that arises when one class overtakes another stating that the conflict “on one hand, is between African-American and American Culture, and on the other, between this class of intellectuals and the ‘people’”(article).

In looking at Derrick Bell's "The Space Traders" as an allegory, the characters personify the abstract subjects of late twentieth-century racial politics. In the text the politics of the United States revolves around anti-black thinking, and many white subjects believe that all the environmental and economical problems in the U.S. is due to the black race. Secondly, "the space trade" comprehends Bell's concept of "the permanence of racism" in the Unites States. Bell believes that "the space trade" is somewhat familiar to the first African slave trade, and that these two events occur because of "the permanence of racism" in our society and the structures that allow this repetition to exist. In this essay I will discuss the political

Imagine being wrongfully persecuted and mistreated based on assumptions painted by society. The portrayal of the young black male in the late 1980s has not changed much in the United States. Brent Staples is able to reveal the truths of racial stereotyping in the United States, and the stigmas placed on young black males with the use of imagery in Black Men and Public Space. Appealing to the readers’ senses allows for better understanding of the time period Staples is writing about. Visual imagery is used to contrast how Staples appears to his “victims” and how these “victims” appear to the public. The fear the general public has of black males is exposed by appealing to the auditory senses. Non-verbal reactions and body language of those around Staples uncovers their true sentiment towards black males. Imagery is an essential tool in uncovering the racism and stigmatization of black males in the United States. Appealing to ones senses is a very effective way to bring depth and meaning to a message.

Over the past few years tragic events seem to be surrounding our society. An array of killings, social protests, police brutality and racism have startled the nation. Lately celebrities have been addressing these issues more and more on TV, in interviews and in the public eye. One incredible artist just used her talent to address all of these issues and more in her new music video "Formation". Beyoncé is an iconic figure in our culture, spreading her talent, feminist views and activism worldwide. This video is one of a kind. It is not centered on her but on Black America. There have been many critics disagreeing with Beyoncé 's video. They felt that she spread negative messages of police throughout her video. Others, however, loved her video. They felt she used her platform to reach out and address issues. Supporters and critics of the video have expressed their opinions in many different ways. In this paper I will analyze this video that has been shared worldwide. The question I ask is: "How does Beyoncé depict the complexity of Black Americans?" In order to answer this question, I will apply Pentadic criticism to analyze this discourse.

Systematic racism continues to perpetuate the marginalization of people of color in the 21st century despite belief of living in a post racial society. This unfortunate reality is seen in many different forms of current culture. One of the ways systematic racism takes current form, is in the negative portrayal created by a single narrative, or the lack thereof, minority groups. This lack of representation or diversity of people of color in different forms of art and platforms, not only affects those subject to misrepresentation, but perpetuates negative attitudes and discriminatory behavior towards those subject to misrepresentation. It is necessary to look into the ways this single narrative in different art forms affects marginalized group, and the current move to dismantle the component power plays in who gets to tell these stories.

The cool-toned beauty within each her figure and landscape is continually at odds with the sense danger looming within the scenes. Hank Willis Thomas, a conceptual artist, works with photography to explore the themes of history, identity, and pop culture. On display at the time of my visit was Kara Walker’s “Salvation” and Hank Willis Thomas’s “And I Can’t Run.” Their respective works are in a Black Box exhibition that provided a dark, chilling atmosphere emphasizing the complexity of race relations within the two pieces. These are conceptual representations of slavery that offer insight into psychological warfare that is slavery and race relations in America. These images also depict the physical threat, or suggestion of a threat, associated with

When talking about the perspective of Assata Shakur, we always remember her radical style. Assata felt the power of oppression when she was a child. As she narrated in her autobiography, there was a zoo near her grandparents’ home. Everyday she would beg, plead, whine and nag her grandmother to take her to the zoo. However, one day her grandmother told her that they were not allowed to enter the zoo because they were black (Shakur 27). This childhood memory left a deep impression of segregation on Assata. When discussing the origin of Assata’s radicalness, we can conclude that her childhood memory was one important reason.

In the film Maangamizi: The Ancient One, directed by Mhando and Ron Mulvihill, is a very unusual story that shines light on the strong holds past situations in or lives can have on our current and future lives. The characters in the Maangamizi change drastically during their liminaity through knowledge and forgiveness. Maangamizi also gives viewers a small glimpse West African culture and traditions through interactions with characters in the story. The way Black individuals are portrayed in this in film are similar to the stereotypes that are placed on African Americans in America.

(This will become a smooth transition into the next chapter which deals more broadly with the reclaiming of forgotten histories.) This version of Afro-futurism steers Science Fiction in a direction it seemingly did not know it needed to go: a science factionalist therianthrophy, or an anti-Cartesian synthesis of mind and body at the site of the exploited female body-of-color. Although the characters she references use their abilities as means of escape, it’s important to note here they are embracing (as opposed to revert back to) animal shape-shifting (in other words, effectively curtailing the black-woman-as animalistic

Frantz Fanon’s “The Fact of Blackness,” a chapter from Black Skin, White Masks describes the anxiety felt while held in the gaze of the colonizer. A reading of Judith Butler’s Gender Trouble in conjunction with Fanon’s work raises questions and possible strategies on how to reject neocolonialism and contemporary white supremacy. Fanon’s idea of blackness is performative but not for the gain of the black man, rather for the white man. Butler suggests that regaining control of the black man’s fate comes from interpellation, the act, of interrupting the white man’s claims or ideas, or rather their misconceptions of the black man. A way of disregarding the white man’s claims is a form of rejecting that normativity, similar to Butler’s analysis of drag where one rejects normativity altogether. The black man’s lack of interpellation enhances the white man’s performativity furthering white supremacy; a way of rejecting neocolonialism that disregards societal norms.