Henry Dumas 'Building On The Tradition'

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.

The audience of this poem are the people who want to learn about how America was during segregation. Teachers have taught us what they have been told to teach. However, Angelou has lived through this time and has experienced segregation. She is a credible

In this analysis ,”Letter from Birmingham Jail” by Martin Luther King’s was exhibiting his skills in the usage of Ethos, Logos ,and Pathos to respond to his fellow Clergymen who blamed him for organizing the blacks to demonstrate and make the whole world aware of how they are been treated in the Birmingham community. After reading King’s letter I have realized that he was such a passionate and strong man who was able to fight to the end to achieve his goal, had it not because of his actions the injustice will still be going on in this country up till now. Despite everything his opponents do to bring him down, he still stood strong to fight for the black community. I was also impressed about his work of art and the choice of words that he uses to make his letter a success. After I finished reading the essay I felt sad for him going to jail and the punished he experienced over there, but it takes one person’s sacrifice to save the rest.

When explaining to his nephew how to resist the toxicity and oppression of white Americans, Baldwin states, "You must accept them and accept them with love. For these innocent people have no other hope. They are, in effect, still trapped in a history which they do not understand; and until they understand it, they cannot be released from it" (Baldwin 8). Therefore, the only way to break white Americans free from their prison of ignorance is to love; then they will truly see they were imprisoned the whole time. Concluding the letter, Baldwin says to his nephew, as well as all black Americans, "We cannot be free until they are free" (Baldwin 10). This statement further drives home the point that love is the key to untangle Americans from the quagmire of institutionalized racism.

Allison Joseph and Sekou Sundiata are both great writers who engage the world by expressing their struggles through poetry. Both authors write about how people make assumptions because of what they hear and see around them. Their poems discuss the altercations and obstacles they have faced only because of the color of their skin. In the poem “On Being Told I Don’t Speak Like a Black Person,” Joseph incorporates a wide breath of experiences from her point of view. She expresses her strong emotion by using descriptive language which allows us to read with emotion. In “Blink your eyes,” Sundiata shows the intensity of his feelings by using the repetition of phrases and reinforcing the poems irony.

As most of us know, the typical white household consists of a husband and wife, a son and daughter. By using the two examples that involve a heartbroken son and daughter, MLK is able to get his white audience to perceive the text on their own personal levels. How many times has a parent stumbled over what to tell his children when something depressing happens? For example, what might a father say to his son and daughter when their dog dies? This is a predicament that most of MLK’s audience can relate to. Now that the white audience knows how segregation is affecting the blacks, they might have a change of heart and start supporting MLK’s cause. This shows that whenever an argument or situation is presented in a more personal way, mainly through to use of pathos, it becomes more powerful and controlling.

African-American men and white men are born and raised within the continental U.S.; each of their own faculty empowered to change the social injustice of a society. The innate qualities of the African American do not compare to those of the white man, yet - “empowered” they are with character. The foundation for the concept –“character” is best defined as “holistic,” meaning of physical, mental and social qualities – A. Adler’s school of thought, as well as A. Maslow and C. Rogers’ thoughts –“[a]n equal human being… cognitive, emotional, and volitional” (Ambrus, 33 -34)

What cultural values, customs or traditions are presented in the book and how do they contribute to a legacy of the African American experience in America-be specific and use some examples to illustrate?

One of the most powerful messages encountered in the book is the importance of valuing yourself as a black being in a predominantly white and racially divided society. Coates explains how despite the fact that this nation has been built on the bones and bloodshed of blacks, the black body has lost almost all

Blacks in the United States have had to persistently fight against torture, racism, and segregation and still do. For years, in the United States people of color were not given the same rights as white men. In “Letter from Birmingham Jail” by Martin Luther King Jr., “Graduation” by Maya Angelou and “A Homemade Education” by Malcolm X, the authors discuss their experiences and fight against inequality. Martin Luther King Jr., Malcolm X and Maya Angelou were just a few of the hundreds of thousands of blacks who restlessly fought for civil rights. Martin Luther King Jr., Malcolm X and Maya Angelou showed that in the face of adversity to persevere you must always remain strong and steadfast if you wish to succeed. Even with Malcolm X and Maya

My objective for writing this essay on the black family was to examine and interrogate a myriad of stereotypes surrounding this family structure. Slavery and its inception need to be explored because it enables one to acquire a better understanding of the modern day black family. It is my hope that once we achieve this level of understanding, if not acceptance, that we may be able to start the healing process that is so necessary.

Thesis: Even with the creation of Black Studies as an academic discipline, the culture and influence of white dependency still seem to block people of color’s mental potential, and inherently their ability to progress as a group.

The Afrocentric Perspective acknowledges the beginning creation of blacks in America. It is a way of thinking about people from diverse cultures and backgrounds. It is used as a tool to define the strengths and problems faced by African Americans and other groups. Afrocentric Perspective identifies African Americans search for freedom, justice, and equality. This perspective emphasizes to the group of people that are promoting the different laws or labels towards the African American class as a lower class ranking. For example, while researching the two study issues the statics were only focusing on African American culture. The two study issues were how binge drinking may play a role in health issues and academic failure, which are stigmatizing the African American class as lower than others. It places value on the strengths, resilience, and uniqueness of different population groups and offers service responses that respect cultural integrity of these groups. It also points out the different survival patterns of African American so that people from other cultures can get a clearer understanding of the circumstances that are affecting the way they live or work. This perspective looks to educate people, evoke a spiritual awakening in people, and elicit political power and activism in people as a means to enhance all lives (Wiley,1991).

Introduction to African American Studies was the class that I decided to take this summer because I am genuinely interested in learning more about the cultures and lifestyles of African Americans through out history and I want to further my knowledge beyond just learning about what was taught to me in secondary school. I do not know much about African American studies as I have not taken any courses on it or relating to it in the past but I hope that I can gain a lot of information on the topic through out this intellectual experience. I also hope to gain a better understanding of the history of Africans and African Americas and be able to dive deeper into this topic instead of just hitting the surface as I feel as though my previous experiences with this topic have covered. In just this first weeks lesson I have learned about the three great principles that characterize the “Black Intellectual Tradition” and how these three principles are used and perceived.

He wrote about the injustices present He wrote of the capacity of black people to endure, while even taunting the belief that blacks would overcome. (Pinckney 773).