Identity of African American Men

Thesis Statement: To examine societies contribution to the destruction of the urban African-American male, one must further explain the educational system, racism toward the African-American male, and male role models in society; in doing so it will interpret the meaning to Jawanza Kunjufu first volume: Countering the Conspiracy to Destroy Black Boys (2004).

African Americans males are considered dangerous based on a false identity, misconceptions, and misinformation that are available in the media; this includes but is not limited to rap music, news, and TV shows. This misconception can be traced as far back as slavery.

This study was only a snapshot of how African American males felt about their experiences at Morehead State University. There is a need on campus to find ways of helping African American males connect with others. Whether it be in the classroom or outside the classroom. If I were to continue this study, one area I would think would be interesting is to examine the results of students who lived on campus, and those who were solely online students. The online learners would likely give a different perspective on the social viewpoints of college.

“I turn on the news each night and what do I see again and again? African Americans alleged to be killing, raping, mugging, stabbing, gangbanging, looting, rioting, selling drugs, pimping, ho-ing, having to many babies, dropping babies from tenement windows, fatherless, penniless, and Godless” (Moore 59). The media has devoted too much time and space perpetuating these negative views of African Americans and far too little time describing the background problems of African-American communities. “What is not a crisis is not usually reported and what is not or cannot be made visual is often not televised” (Racist America 154). The news media respond quickly and with keen interest to the conflicts and controversies of racial stories. For the most part, “they disregard the problems that seep beneath the surface until they erupt in the hot steam that is the live news story, ‘The suspect is a black male’ we’ve all seen it” (Racist America 154). The media has not studied important events in the African-American community today. Issues such as urbanization, education, and poverty, just to name a few that have and will continue to have a

On the local news shows, young black men are disproportionately presented as criminals and white young men as victims despite the egalitarian norms we purport to hold Dixton (2008). They are many historical and contemporary examples of media portraying young black men in the way

In 2015, Charles Campbell gave a TED Talk about language, symbols, and the connotations we give them. Charles is a successful person, he is a musician, poet, author, and a Professor at Bryant & Stratton college. His TED Talk brought up valid points that everyone could agree with such as connotations that go along with words, colors, or flowers, nothing too serious. He also asks the audience about what connotations or stereotypes they would affiliate with the term black male, the crowd giving him mostly negative connotations or stereotypes that they have heard. He explains the negative impact this has on black men, that some may see it as an easier way to live than if they were to go against the stereotypes. This brings him to the case of

“The soul was the body that fed the tobacco, and the spirit was the blood that watered the cotton, and these created the first fruits of the American garden” (Coates 104). In Between the World and Me,” and within this quote alone, Ta-Nehisi Coates argued not only the importance of black identity, but also how and why black identity was so deceivingly shaped in response to the dark history behind it. Through Coates’ recollections and fair warnings to his son, the relationship between black identity and “The Dream” becomes clearer. In spite of the “white supremacist” trademark that comes stamped upon “The Dream,” Coates provides impermeable evidence as to why black identity is not only more invested in history than white identity, but more importantly why it is the investment to be made in “The American Dream.”

Race was a primary factor used to shape the identity of African Americans which was seen through their culture. Race is portrayed through the narratives such as The life of Frederick Douglas by Frederick Douglass and the Autobiography of an Ex-colored man by James Weldon Johnson.

The intended audience for this article is mostly females and feminists. Staples uses females as his intended audience because he could connect to them through experiences and feelings. Staples argues that his audience have some misunderstanding about him and other African Americans based of their appearances. Even though Brent Staples wrote this article for a specific audience, this doesn't mean that It can't be for other

Race is a socially constructed term that society uses to distinguish and categorize people by the color of their skin. With race, unfortunately, comes stereotypes, a distorted image of a particular person or group of people that is widely known and unconsciously recognized throughout society. The strongest stereotypes of Blacks in society are that they are unfriendly, dangerous, or are criminals. There is a correlation between the relationship with race and crime. The stereotype that will be discussed is, African Americans as criminals.

From past to present there’s not much of a difference. The idea is that all men are equal, but in reality there are boundaries and hardships that prevent other races from being included in equality, next to the white man. The absence of diversity in the United States, interferes with the ability for black men to transition into manhood. Thus, continues this interminable cycle of a black man fighting for his identity, power, respect, and trying to understand who he is as an individual. Black men are portrayed to be lazy,

“Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we’ve been waiting for. We are the change that we seek” Barack Obama. The question is always asked does the media reflect the reality of society, or does society try and imitate the reality shown by the media? There are a number of stereotypes associated with African Americans in our society such as African American men are athletes, rappers, criminals, deviant, streetwise, uneducated, and unemployed just to name a few. African Americans in the media have changed through the years. The history of African Americans on TV or minorities in general is hampered by the racial conflicts and segregation that are embedded in American society. Historically, black actors have been grouped stereotypically and assigned to comedy. This has often been traced to the genre of black minstrelsy that was popular in the early 20th century.

“The sensitivity around stereotypes and distortions largely arises, then, form the powerlessness of historically marginalized groups to control their own representation.” Since Black people are the minority, they have no control over how they are represented in the media. As Shothat had mentioned in his article, “In the media there is a tendency to represent Black males as potential delinquents.” The misrepresentation of most Black males, affects them significantly; therefore, since they

The African American community has sat at the end of a discriminatory lens from the moment they set foot in the United States. For that reason, black communities have undergone the process of community building to ensure that all members feel a sense of belonging.

I have hear of women holding their belonging when they see a black men. Most of the people of my country do not take a taxy if it is a black man who is driving in NYC. On last June I took a taxy and the driver kept looking at me and I ask him for his name to start a conversation, I was wondering why he look so confused about me. and after a few minutes he ask me where you from, and I responded Dominican why, and he told me that most of the Dominicans never want to get in the car because he was African American. I was not surprise by what he told because my mother never get in the car with an African American. I told the driver "I know but not all people think the same way".