Being an individual of color has certainly taught me a few valuable lessons in my 17 years of life. The social constructs of slavery and racism is not over. No matter how much wealth you posses or how much “freedom” you’ve acquired, you still are considered a “nigga.” Even though being black in America varies and differs from every person, I live in a generation where I am systematically oppressed and have to rise up beyond the stereotypes of being black. I’ve learned that saying hello is just another way of saying goodbye. I’ve experienced and witnessed individuals judge and become prejudice towards African Americans because of the melanin in our skin. Being black in America causes us to be placed under specific stereotypes and expected …show more content…
I am not considered an authentic black person because I ‘talk white’ have beautiful curly hair, am not pregnant, attend school with a 4.0, have both of my parents in my life, and understand, know and speak out against the stereotypes, brutality and oppression that we are put under. People assume all black males were raised in a single parent home. People assume that if you are a black male, that you sell drugs or the only reason you’re ‘prospering’ in school is because you play basketball or football. . If you are a black female, they assume you will have kids by different men, be referred to as “baby mama” or you may not even know who the father of your children are. People come to the conclusion that all black people are ghetto and ratchet, however, they use these words without knowing the true definition of them. (Rachet: a device consisting of a bar or wheel with a set of angled teeth in which a pawl, cog, or tooth engages, allowing motion in one direction only. Ghetto: put in or restrict to an isolated or segregated area or group) This same society expects African Americans’ to be uneducated and lack the knowledge of their government or their surroundings in
The history of the struggle for the advancement and progression of African Americans is a larger-than-life story. It reveals their endeavors for the initiation of change in political, financial, educational, and societal conditions. They did everything to shape their future and that of their country i.e. the United States of America. This struggle for the attainment of equal rights has helped them to determine the path and the pace of their improvement and development (Taylor & Mungazi, 2001, p. 1).
Being a black person within society has never been an easy thing to do. Society has constantly been stereotypical of black people, although blacks have molded history and are very vital to society for the things that have happen throughout history have been big contributions toward modern-day life. African Americans in the 1890’s encountered stereotypes most of which still exist in today’s society. African Americans have come a long way and earned many rights but still live with the destitutions that they had in the 1890’s. Many black people have internalized the negative stereotypes of their race. therefore, internalizing the hatred of their blackness to the fact they began to self-oppress. Due to this internalized racism, many Black result
“You are the whitest black girl I know”. Throughout my academic career these words have followed me. From a very early age my parents instilled a drive in me to always do my best and take pride in everything I do, because some people aren’t given the opportunity to do so. As a result, I naturally stood out from others who were not as driven. Growing up, I became ashamed about of my accomplishments and demeanor when nicknames such as “oreo” replaced the name my mother had given me because I didn’t act “black”. According to my peers, I was “dark on the outside and white on the inside.” because I “talked like a white girl” and “tried too hard in class”. I believe these undesirable circumstances have taught me the hard way to love myself.
African American Studies is a very complex subject. To confuse African American studies with black history is a common occurrence. African American studies is much deeper and more profound than just Black history alone. There are many unanswered and unasked questions among the Black American culture which causes confusion and misunderstanding in modern day society. In unit one there were many themes, concepts, and significant issues in the discipline of Africana studies. Both W.E.B Du Bois and Vivian V. Gordan touched on many concerns.
Being apart of the African American community has never been easy. Early on I realized that regardless of how much money I make, how educated I may become, or where I chose to live, I will always be less than. Despite the great deal of hardship that comes with being a black women, it is the group that I am most proud to be apart of.The role given
1 . What issues most concerned black political leaders during Reconstruction? Reconstruction brought important social changes to former slaves. Families that had been separated before and during the Civil War were reunited, and slave marriages were formalized through legally recognized ceremonies. Families also took advantage of the schools established by the Freedmen's Bureau and the expansion of public education, albeit segregated, under the Reconstruction legislatures. New opportunities for higher education also became available with the founding soon after the Civil War of black colleges, such as Howard University in Washington, D.C., and Fisk University in Nashville,
Inmy research paper I will be defining African American Culture and I also will be discussing things such as slavery, family relations, hairstyles, art forms, food, heath issues, symbolism, traditional beliefs and also why this topic is relevant to today culture and how this information can benefit Black American in today society. African American Culture in the United States refer to the cultural contributions of African ethnic groups to the culture of the United States, either as part of or distinct from American Culture. African
As I am beginning to grow into my own person enhancing my spirituality, mindfulness, and physical health, I have developed an eagerness to discover what it truly means to be an African American female in today’s society. Being an African American and a female make up two subgroups in the minority classifications however each are suppressed disproportionately. Gender inequality has served as a significant issue in society for decades and continues to be an issue today. Beginning in the education system, society ingrains particular gender norms and expectations for males and females to abide by. Males are expected to pursue STEM career pathways, be the bread-winner, provide for the family, play a dominant role and not typically do household chores
African Americans now constitute nearly 1 million of the total 2.3 million incarcerated; that is 60% of 30% of the African American population. African Americas are incarcerated at nearly six times the rate of whites. “Between 6.6% and 7.5% of all black males ages 25 to 39 were imprisoned in 2011, which were the highest imprisonment rates among the measured sex, race, Hispanic origin, and age groups." (Carson, E. Ann, and Sabol, William J. 2011.) Stated on Americanprogram.org “ The Sentencing Project reports that African Americans are 21 percent more likely to receive mandatory-minimum sentences than white defendants and are 20 percent more likely to be sentenced to prison.” Hispanics and African Americans make up 58% of all prisoners in 2008, even though African Americans and Hispanics make up approximately one quarter of the US population. (Henderson 2000). Slightly 15% of the inmate population is made up of 283,000 Hispanic prisoners.
One can say that we live in a country that under the constitution states that there is justice for all citizens, we are all granted equal protection under the law, and we have equality for all; but yet people are still fighting for equality. Blacks are being victimized by the system that causes them to be treated unfairly by the police which leads then to dealing with discriminatory sentencings for small crimes, and they would forever live in this vicious cycle that was created to put Blacks away. There are many laws, policies, and legislations that are set in place to keep certain groups of people oppressed without even openly stating which group of people would be oppressed. Race and crime, as two significant social phenomena, are
When I survey the landscape in black America, it does not take long for me to recognize the massive impression of a vehement struggle of a collective group of people to simply keep their head above water. The problem in the black community is that it is where every ill of this nation is felt first. It is the place in which much of the economic devastation is felt and absorbed in order to relieve some of the pressure off of this nation’s more affluent citizens.
The life of an African brought to the United States in the eighteenth century was not an easy one. They were torn from their land of origin, stripped of all of their personal property, had their senses of originality and individuality stolen from them and were then forced to work in brutal environments where they were treated inhumanely. Yet still, many African (turned African Americans) were able to find time to both keep their culture intact and advance themselves and their fellow people. Both Leslie Alexander and Fredrick Douglass detail the tribulations African Americans went through in America who attempted to hold onto their senses of self in a place where everything around them was meant to restrict that very ability and how they managed
Being born black in the United States of America carries certain stereotypical ideas that automatically invade a person’s mind. At the top of the list they come from a single parent home, and more than likely have no relationship with their father if they even know who their father is. I was one of the fortunate few blacks in my community to be raised by my biological parents who were married long before I was born and remained married 48 years and were separated by the passing of my dad in 2014. My parents were born and raised under the harsh oppressive conditions of the Jim Crow Law southern state of Alabama that no doubt left undeniable mark on how they viewed the world; my dad was number seven of eleven children, many of them were adults when my dad was a child; two of his sisters were his teachers in school. My mom on the other hand was the third child of seventeen; four of my uncles are younger than me. I felt it imperative to mention their family order believing it to be indicative of the possible level of parenting skills that was imparted on them from their families of origin. Newly married, they moved to Los Angeles, California and a year and a half later I was born. Dad faced a different form of racism in Los Angeles than he faced in Alabama as a result he turned to alcohol to cope. My mom was a house with my first four years. Dad would drink and physically abuse my mother. I would jump on top of my mother while he would hit her and that would make him stop. My
As stated in Webster's II Dictionary, a woman is defined to be an adult female human. In today's society being an African American woman is a rigid task to live up to. It means to reside to what their ancestors have left behind, which means to be stronger than ever. Rosa Parks was strong, Harriet Tubman was also strong, and Jezebel was even stronger. So what exactly does it mean to be a woman? It means to stand up for what is right, even if that means sacrifice, it means to be strong whether it be physically, emotionally, or mentally. African American women are perceived to be the backbone of the family, meaning that even though the male may support the family financially, that the women have the emotional and mental part in the bag.
Throughout history, blacks have been treated the poorest out of all races. Although everyone under God is to be treated equal, whites thought of themselves as being the superior race. In 1619 a Dutch ship brought 20 slaves to America and it took nearly 240 years for slavery to end in 1865(Ronald, , para. 3).These helpless slaves were taken to America and put to work growing anything from cotton to tobacco. Slaves had absolutely no rights. They were simply property of their “Massa’.” Being disrespectful to a white man could get a Negro killed and they just accepted the facts of the matter. The south was the most notorious in its treatment of slaves and slaves would run away. It was a big risk, but a slave that made it to a