Narrative Essay: Comparing Two Black Girls

Growing up I was always called a “Oreo” which means a black person who is white on the inside. In school, I was always called the white girl because I was the opposite of what the stereotypical black girl was. Constantly people would say “you’re pretty for a black girl” “you’re the whitest black girl I know” etc. I took offense to these comments, because last time I checked my skin color shouldn’t categorize how I should behave, appear, or determine my interest. My school and hometown. especially is mostly more whites than anything. I played club volleyball in high school most of the time I would be the only black girl on my team, my brother played baseball growing up, he was the only black person on his team for years, so growing up I was

You have a dream. Do not let your dreams be dreams. Althea Gibson and Barbara Jordan both had a dream. Some people thought it would never happen, but with some perseverance and determination, they made their dreams come true. Although these two may seam alike, they also have some key differences. According to the articles Althea Gibson and Barbara C. Jordan, it is evident that they were both very successful African American women with the odds against them. On the other hand, both had different achievements.

“The double jeopardy of being black and female in a racist and sexist society may well make one less afraid of the sanctions against success. A non-subservient black woman is by definition a transgressive - she is the ultimate outsider.” This quote was written by Mrs. Mamphela Ramphele, a South African politician, who identifies the pain and troubles of Black women. Black women for centuries have been treated unfairly and belittled by their race and sex. Black women are the outsiders of America. They are a minority inside a minority. Black women are mistreated by individuals of society in social media and the workplace.

As Americans, we are privileged with diverse experiences. With this comes a perceived understanding of many cultures and their influences but in fact full cultural literacy is impossible to achieve.

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.

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,

Black women’s bodies have always been seen as different. They are deemed as exotic and highly sexual because of the protruding nature and curvaceous shape of their hips, butts, and breast. An example of this exoticism and ridicule can be traced back to the early 1800s. Sarah Baartman, also known as the “Hottentot Venus” became an object of fascination, degradation, and humiliation. Her features were not foreign to Khoisan Women. However, the Europeans who kidnapped her and the people who went to view her body as an exhibit could not believe how big her butt, breast, and hips were. Sarah did not fit into the white standardized image of the body, so her body was seen was unnatural and even un-human. One online magazine writer asserts that, “what

Sometimes being different than others can make you more successful than others. This difference was in physical form for when A.G and B.J became the first of their kind to do the great things that they did, that was better than others before them. Although they have many similarities like both being successful African American women, and both having determination, and also how both had the odds against them. They also have differences like both have different achievements, and both have different environments, also socio-economic, and both had different education. Many people can share some similarities and some differences, but here are some main ones.

OWN Launches a New Documentary Series Called Black Love Photo Credit: The Knot News OWN recently premiered its newest documentary series called Black Love. In the first episode called Where Love Begins, Oscar winner, Viola Davis, shared her personal love story to the public as she recounts her 14 years of married life to Julius Tennon. She tells the viewers how they met, how their first date went, the biggest challenges they went through, and the lessons that came along with it.

Symbolism varies from culture to culture. The messages of different factors are interpreted differently. Also, there are varying strengths to symbols within a culture. While suicide is a bold statement in any culture, it is represented in a variety of ways with many meanings. For instance in the movie "The Ballad of Norayama" suicide is looked upon as a good thing in that the old woman was helping the rest of the village to thrive. In a movie like "The Black Girl," suicide is the only option that the girl had, and she kills herself to make a point to her former mistress. Suicide has a negative connotation, but it is with that connotation that it serves its point. Some of the most striking points are made with the dramatic use of suicide.

“Only by experience can any one realize how deep, and dark, and foul is that pit of abominations.” (Jacobs, 120). These words are spoken by Harriet Jacobs (also known as Linda Brent) and after reading about her life experience as a slave, I have come to believe that slavery was far worse for women than it ever was for men. Jacobs never states that black slave men had it easy during the slave years, in fact she tells a few stories about how some slave men were beaten. She also tells about the life experience of a slave girl, herself. Her own experiences made me feel blessed that I was never born as a black woman during the time of slavery. I do not think that I would have been strong enough to endure

Compare to racism of Jim Crow South in the 1930s, the racism of today is different, but also similar in some ways. The way they are similar is the cases by racism of both time periods. Even as the time passing by, violence caused by racism still keeps happening. The difference they have is that the Jim Crow Laws caused segregation between colored people and white people in the south, but there’s no separation in nowadays anymore. Also, the place of colored people is quite different in nowadays.

Film is a series of artistic moving images that make up a story. In every film, the director visually presents the storyline, different characters, the problems they encounter and how they were deal with. There is a wide range of ways to study films of various genres. We focus on film language, genre, mise-en-scene, representation, stereotypes, etc. In Black Girl, it was depicted as an allegory and had a lot of mise-en-scene.

Crash. It is the perfect analogy of how we as a human race deal with life, people and our own experiences. Physical characteristics and racial differences may be interpreted as two distinguishing traits that separate us. I think it’s what keeps us apart. That leaves several abstract questions that the film Crash illustrates. What are the origins of personal prejudice? Do individual experiences fuel standing stereotypes? Is it easier to perpetuate existing stereotypes because “things will never change?” Can people battle internal struggles within their own ethnic group? What prohibits us from overcoming these prejudices? The writers of the Crash managed to extend my viewing experience beyond the 90 minute film, thus forcing me to analyze my

I don't think I quite remember when I started to identify as a black feminist. There was never that moment of clarity because to me black women are equal to everyone, we deserve to be recognized and celebrated just like everyone else. This movement was founded on the historical disadvantage of women. Black feminism to be specific is the desire for equal access to opportunities for females, not systemic racism, sexism, mass incarceration etc. People get so hung up on the word but fail to realize that feminism fights for gender equality in a culture that has historically devalued women. Feminism isn't about making women stronger, we're already strong. It's about society acknowledging that strength and treating us as equals. What everyone fails