Personal Response To Bessie

Imagine being born in a place where people don't mix with one another and keep to their own kind. Imagine not being able to walk into a store because it is white owned. How would it feel if you were black, lived in a city that was run by a white government, where poverty, unemployment and lack of education were all problems of everyday life? If everyone were treated equally, then it would not be a problem. But for inner city African Americans that isn't the case. As humans, there is only so much we can take when it comes to segregation before we act out. There is only so much hate a person can take before letting it be known, once a person is pushed over that threshold there is no holding back. Overwhelming hate and anger with

Known as the “Empress Of Blues”, Bessie Smith was said to have revolutionized the vocal end of Blues Music. She showed a lot of pride as an independent African-American woman. Her style in performance and lyrics often reflected her lifestyle. Bessie Smith was one of the first female jazz artists, and she paved the way for many musicians who followed.

Would you let people hold you back from doing what you love or would you overcome the obstacle? Misty Copeland was one of the first professional African American dancers. This is important because if she hadn’t done it then we still might not allow African Americans to be professional dancers. Also with her being brave and strong enough to not give up even when they didn’t like her she is teaching kids that you should not let others decide what you will do and who you will be. Misty Copeland’s obstacle was racism and persecution; it changed her because she gained strength to do what she loved despite the hatred.

When I think about white privilege, I see it as something I must understand to truly feel a relation to my own privileges with race. “As a white person, I realized I had been taught about racism as something which puts others at a disadvantage, but had been taught not to see one of its corollary aspects, white privilege, which puts me at an advantage.” (McIntosh 1988) When comparing other privileges McIntosh sees that her life is more influenced by her skin color than class, religion, ethnic status, or geographical location. Tim Wise explains “even though there is more than one type of privilege, they can never fully eradicate white privilege.” “Understanding the persistence of privilege requires recognizing the sleight of mind that occurs on the subject of individuals as members of groups” (Wildman 2005). Early work done by African American sociologist W.E.B. DuBois (1868-1963) showed that studies with white workers over time came to see themselves as white unlike the developing working class with recently freed black slaves. DuBois was one of the first people to initiate the concept of white privilege.

According to Peggy McIntosh, her reasons for feeling that whites have privileges were legitimate reason, like I said, fifty or sixty years ago. For instance, “I can turn on the television or open to the front page of the paper and see people of my race widely represented.” (McIntosh) This is a true statement for all races. The United States has done a good job at trying to display all races equally in public broadcasting and publishing. She also says that if she was to move, her neighbors would more than likely be pleasant with her. This also isn’t true for white people. I lived in a predominately white small town, and my neighbor legitimately hated my family. I never knew why, but she would do things that were dangerous to my family. The only thing we could think of was because we were Catholic. That’s the only thing that was different about us. We even had African American neighbors also, and this lady was nice to them. One time she even lit a match and threw it in a pile of mulch that

The stereotypes White people have we don’t acknowledge them like we do with other races. White people feel other races get to have scholarships and they don’t because we think all white people have money, Which is an stereotype. Everyone struggles no matter what the race is no race is set to never struggle in life. After watching a part in the documentary some people thought the same as white people felt about themselves and goes the same for most black people.

As a 19 year old, I know what racism feels like. I work at the Loft, a store that expanded with Ann Taylor Company. As a sales associate, I welcome the clients,acquainted with them, and ring every one of the customers' items up in the front of the store. Now and again, I felt tension that the white individuals can manage the cost of these pieces of clothing than dark individuals, Because of that, white individuals are monetarily advantaged than blacks. Perpetuating racism is the philosophy that somebody who demonstrates indirect racism by their conviction that their race is unrivaled. As such, a white individual may state that he or she needs to promote an anti-lynching play, yet amusingly approve historical

Biologically speaking, all people are made up with approximately 99% of the same genes (Robbins et al. 2013:80). It does not matter if a person looks different or has a different skin colour; we are all humans and thus should be treated equally. Unfortunately, this is not the case in most of the world, especially in America. In America¬ (and other parts of the world), several communities and companies believe in white privilege. One of the first reports of white privilege in America was in the 1600s, when white people enslaved black people (Nkomo & Ariss 2013). Back then, having slaves raised a white person’s power and identity, while also making it beneficial from a business standpoint (Nkomo &

The social, cultural and political history of America as it affects the life course of American citizens became very real to us as the Delany sisters, Sadie and Bessie, recounted their life course spanning a century of living in their book "Having Our Say." The Delany sisters’ lives covered the period of their childhood in Raleigh, North Carolina, after the "Surrender" to their adult lives in Harlem, New York City during the roaring twenties, to a quiet retirement in suburban, New York City, as self-styled "maiden ladies." At the ages of 102 and 104, these ladies have lived long enough to look back over a century of their existence and appreciate the value of a good family life and

People sometimes have tough ordeals. Some may act negatively toward the problem, but the people that act positively toward the problem are able to see hope in places where they wouldn’t expect it to be in. People have been through cruelty, yet they continue to stay positive. People still have the positivity to cling onto their last hope, or even continue to think positively when there is no hope at all. People like Anne Frank, in Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl, continue to stay positive throughout the horrible ordeals that have happened. Some of the Japanese in Dear Miss Breed: True Stories of the Japanese American Incarceration During World War II and a Librarian Who Made a Difference have continued to stay hopeful while in internment

When a person of color says something offensive towards a person who is white, it doesn’t enforce anything onto white people that has deep, cultural, or historical background behind it; and it doesn’t affect their ability to get jobs or how they are perpetually viewed in society. It isn’t right, but it wouldn’t affect them in life-altering way. If it were the other way around, it would be a different story.

I feel like I would make a good Derby Queen because I have been to snowmobile races and other races many times over the years. I feel like I also make a positive impact wherever I go. One of my goals as an 8th grader in middle school was to make everyone smile whenever they see me. And I have done just that! Wherever I go, I like to tell people that they are amazing and try to help them with any problems they may have along with doing anything in my power to make them feel great. When I was younger I wanted to do this as well, but never set it as an actual goal until 8th grade. I would always go to the different classes around the school when I was in 5th grade to spread awareness about the Ronald McDonald House. When I was about ten

McIntoshs adds “Whiteness protected me from many kinds of hostility, distress, and violence, which I was being subtly trained to visit in turn upon people of color (4). Having been born into the white race I find this to be very true. I can’t name a handful of times where my race has been the cause of discrimination, injustice, or even inequality. However, a friend of mine can name countless times where her African-American descent has put her in unfortunate situations. A few years ago we decided to go out to dinner together. Quickly after being seated our waitress came back to the table stating she needs to move our seats. She said, “one of our customers feels threatened by your party and asked for you to not be seated in the same section.” I was so taken back on how two females myself being white and my friend being back could cause someone to feel the least bit “threatened.” Looking around it was quite visible to me that I was not who they were talking about. The restaurant was packed with all white people. I was furious with the whole situation that someone could say something like that because of one's race. My friend was beyond mortified and so upset. In my perception, it’s horrible that racism is still around today. Why should a person be judged because of the color of their skin? We are born into our races not by

We are taught not to see this type of racism growing up in a white dominated country. We are taught that racism is an act that is intentional and seen as blatantly racist, such as accusing a black man of shoplifting over a white man, or a white woman getting a job over a black women strictly based on race. But we overlook the small things in our daily life that effect Black people in our culture every single

There once lived a woman named Bessie Wright who lived in Thompson Georgia. She lived with a family of 4 . Mom, dad, and 1 sister who was 5 at the time. Bessie Wright was born on May 5, 1816 in Thompson GA. She lived slightly poor. Her mom was a stay at home mom she wasn’t allowed to work . Her dad worked as a stableman. His job was to clean up after the horses and make sure the saddles were ready for the riders. Bessie did not work because she was too young, so she just stayed at home and played with the animals that were around the house.