Amerika Vs Nigga

America in the 1960’s was a dark, despairing environment for African Americans, or Negroes. Conditions in all areas of life were poor, chances of success were slim to none, and appreciation or acceptance in the community was barely a dream. Negroes of this time were downtrodden, disrespected, and poorly treated. In his book, “Why We Can’t Wait,” Martin Luther King uses historical allusion, emotive imagery, rhetorical questions, and juxtaposition to convey the negative, daunting poor social conditions of Black Americans in the 1960’s.

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald shows many examples of modernism. Fitzgerald shows many modernism techniques like loss of control, alienation, corruption of the American Dream, breaking society’s rules and feeling restless. Fitzgerald also shows modernism through the fragmented writing.

Black people still call America their home, even though they are consistently discriminated against. Consistently hated on because of how they look like. Black people have been viewed as trouble, suspicious, no good, and will never be anything respectable (Goldberg 2). When young black children cannot be protected from this everyday, so they adapted to this way of life and was to never believe otherwise. Racism and discrimination limit not only black people, but everyone of color. People of color believe they will never be like a white man because of all the advantages a white man has. However, people like Benjamin Banneker, Kenneth Clark, and Toni Morrison are showing their skin color does not relate to their success or intelligence (Goldberg 3). These people are showing how even with all the injustice in America, they were still able to be successful. It is not about what the color of one’s skin is, it is about the mindset and perspective of each

In the article “Somewhere between Jim Crow & Post-racialism” the author Lawrence Bobo reflects on the racial justice struggle from the mid 1960’s in the South. Post-racialism in America was hoped to collapse after the election of the first African-American President Barack Obama of the United States in 2008. Post-racialism is defined to signal signs of racial change of a hopeful trajectory for events and social trends (Bobo, 2006, p.93). Three key questions discussed were racial boundaries, the degree of racial economic inequality, and what is known about changes in racial attitudes from the 1960’s in the United States to 2017.

No matter the struggle, fight through it. In Source B, the song states, “Sing a song full of the faith that the dark past has taught us, Sing a song full of hope that the present has brought us; Facing the rising sun of our new day begun, Let us march on till victory is won.” The author encourages listeners to “march on” despite the problems that they have faced. The fight takes a mindset of determination. This mindset is present in Source E. The author states, “When we started our propaganda toward this end several of the so-called intellectual Negroes who have been bamboozling the race for over half a century said the we were crazy, that the Negro peoples of the western world... could not live in Africa.” People told them that they were not going to be able to do it. But they did it anyway. This is what human nature is in times of change such as these. The will to fight for what you

“I Am Not Your Negro” displays the adversities that Black Americans face in American society.

The song” The Revolution will not be Televised”(Gil Scott-Heron) holds a powerful meaning. Heron is a longtime musician, poet, and author in the ‘70’s. One of the most acclaimed pieces of his spoken word has resonated and echoed in 2017 struggles for black rights. During the creation and publication of this Grammy nominated song: The Civil Rights movements was gaining momentum. Activist like Jessie Jackson, Al Sharpton, and Muhammad Ali are redefining what is means to be catalyst for change for the Black Community. Gil Scott-Heron illustrates attention, identification, and hope for the African-Americans living in White-America.

     There is so much richness in Negro humor, so much beauty in black dreams, so much dignity in our struggle, and so much universality in our problems, in us-in each living human being of color-that I do not understand the tendency today that some American Negro artists have of seeking to run away from themselves, of running away from us, of being afraid to sing our own songs, paint our own pictures, write about our selves-when it is our music that has given America is greatest music out humor that has enriched its entertainment media for the past 100 years, out rhythm that has guided its dancing feet From plantation days to the Charleston…Yet there are some of us who say, “Why write about Negroes? Why not just a writer?” And why not-if no one wants to be “just a writer?” Negroes in a free world should be whatever each wants to be-even if it means being “just a writer…” (Hughes, 773)

All society hears is the history of slavery and the pain that began with racism, rape and mistreatment of African-Americans. Lines 29 through 43 describe that with African-American history there is hope for success:

In the fight for equality, people of color often feel isolated and separated from those whose privilege reinforces their oppression. However, there are and always have been white people who see the inequalities that are practiced in society and speak out against them in hopes of reaching equality for all. Langston Hughes used his voice in poetry to express his experience as a black man in the United States during the Civil Rights Movement, and his is a household name. There is no doubt that his words have power. The reader expects to feel his experience and gain empathy and understanding through his poetry. In his poem, “Let America Be America Again,” Hughes presents his experience of American life in a powerful contrast to the experience

Within Sam Cooke’s “A Change is Gonna Come,” the Black Community is seen to have had to face too many trials that have made them want to give up. These men and women were not accepted within their communities, and they were brutally treated for years. However, Sam Cooke still believed throughout his song that a change would be soon to come. Cooke uses a simile to portray the idea that he has had to run “like the river” that he was born by his entire life. This image explains the instability he had to face in his life even as a young child. Instability is still a factor being faced by many black children that are not able to grow up in a safe environment with guardians of a good influence. He readdresses the point that a person of his color is told that he is not wanted around. He was not able to go to places such as “downtown” or the “movies” to just enjoy the life he was given without being reminded of the oppressor who did not accept his presence as a human being longing for a fulfilling life too. Even his own brother “knocks him down” just like his oppressor rather than helping him move forward, creating a motif that the black community needs to stop bringing each other down and lift each other up if they want a true change to come their way. This relates to a common topic today in which black on black crime is still at a high and steady rate, and not enough is being done to solve this issue. Even though the author writes that there have been points he did not believe he could

In the January/February 2017 edition of The Atlantic, Ta-Nehisi Coates takes a look at the last eight years of American history, a time when the Commander in Chief of the United States of America was an African American. The article, entitled “My President Was Black” focused on the implications of having an African American in office. Within the first subheading, which focused on the different styles of music that were being performed at the White House, my mind was off on a number of tangents. This article really showcased how much music can matter to an African American.

“Some things never change” would say an adult after seeing something that reminds them of the ol’ days. It’s like a wave of nostalgia when they see the younger generation going through similar things like kids selling lemonade on the sidewalk, teenagers preparing for their prom, or adults pimpin’ out their lowriders and 1955 Chevy Bel Air cars. It’s all good memories until they dig deeper into the good ol’ days and uncover some of the ugly truths that lay hidden. It’s also about recognizing that the Jim Crow laws existed and how discriminatory they were to the African American community. Today in age it seems like nothing has changed because the discrimination hasn’t gone anywhere, but it’s making an especially big comeback with today’s mass incarceration.

This poem is written from the perspective of an African-American from a foreign country, who has come to America for the promise of equality,

In “Let America be America Again,” Hughes reflects on the current discrepancy between the promises of justice and equality in the Constitution and Declaration of Independence and the current situation that Hughes faces. Anaphorically using the phrase “I am,” Hughes mentions the different types of people, including poor whites, Native Americans, and immigrants, that share the same struggle that African Americans face regarding the pursuit of equality and the American Dream. Emphasizing his ideal America with a caesura pause, Hughes writes, “and yet must be--the land where every man is free.” This line encapsulates Hughe’s desire for a America that includes African Americans and other minorities and finally upholding the nation’s promise that all Americans were created equal. Hughes also realizes that his ideal America will still require