The Negative Stereotypes Of The Black Wall Street

As African Americans we have such a rich diverse culture filled with different cuisines, languages and traditions. We definitely should be proud of the many accomplishments that we have made as a people. But in terms of black history it dates back to some of the most inhumane and repulsive actions that African Americans were subjected to. Aside from the racism and segregation that occurred to black people we were also seen as a joke in TV/movie culture back in the day that perpetuated many stereotypes. In the article “Black Stereotypes as Reflected in popular culture” by J. Stanley Lemons he talks about these clichés that were portrayed but most importantly the action of blackface. For me blackface was the most detrimental and had the most

As I sit here and think about what it is to be Black in America. I realize how there are so many factors that affect African American people daily. One of the most damaging forces tearing at young black people in America today is the popular culture's image of what an "authentic" black person is supposed to look like and how that person is supposed to act. People assume all black males where raised in a single parent home. People assume that if you are a black male, that you sale drugs or you are really great in some type of sport. If you are a black female, they assume you will have kids by different men, referred to as “baby daddy” or they may not even know who the fathers of their children are. This same society expects African

Throughout history, African Americans have encountered an overwhelming amount of obstacles for justice and equality. You can see instances of these obstacles especially during the 1800’s where there were various forms of segregation and racism such as the Knights of the Ku Klux Klan terrorism, Jim- Crow laws, voting restrictions. These negative forces asserted by societal racism were present both pre and post slavery. Although blacks were often seen as being a core foundation for the creation of society and what it is today, they never were given credit for their work although forced. This was due to the various laws and social morals that were sustained for over 100 years throughout the United States. However, what the world didn’t

However, the media also plays a major role in promoting some negative effects and stereotypes in our society. A good example of stereotypes is the way African American males are described. The media normally depicts them negatively as violent, cruel, criminals as well as having other antisocial behavior that the causations don’t have. These negative representations of dark guys are promptly obvious and passed on to general society through the news bulletin, films, music features, realty TV and other programming and manifestations of media (Abraham & Appiah, 2006). As a result, the media has created a crooked and damaging perception of black African Americans in the public’s eye thus promoting hatred and racism which all affect the lives of the blacks (Holt, 2013). This

As equality has become a prevalent issue and has furthered the significance of how all races are represented in all types of media. It only makes sense for there to be an increase in the effect of the stereotypes because it is what is being shown on television. On everyday television shows, African Americans are commonly: thieves, hookers, robbers, drug dealers or dumb. In the early 60s, African Americans were used as comedic relief in white television shows, creating stereotypes that black people are only used for talent or comedic relief. However, in this world, African Americans are pushed into the similar lives of the weird kids and/or losers that don’t accept their race. This

Asians always have perfect scores on the test and aspire to be doctors. African Americans have serious attitudes, are thugs and live in poverty. While all Hispanics are illegal immigrants, who can not speak English and commit vicious crimes. If you watch much television, all of these previous statements may seem true. Television is a powerful source of knowledge that in some ways help us understand others in humanity and ourselves.

Many people may not find anything positive about regular African Americans. “According to the FBI Uniform Crime Reports, in the year 2008 black youths, who make up 16% of the youth population accounted for 52% of juvenile violent crime arrests including 58.5% of youth arrest for homicide and 67% for robbery” (Wikipedia). Spike Lee films such as Malcom X and Get On The Bus depict black people coming together instead of tearing each other down and shed a more positive light on African American culture. There are many stereotypes on every ethnicity and culture, but African Americans in particular may have the worst rap sheet. Spike Less criticized the way African Americans are portrayed in films and television (Yale Bulletin & Calendar). Long before television and film took over as leading forms of entertainment, African Americans have been cast in roles that aided in the perpetuation of racialized stereotypes. During the latter half of the 1800s minstrel shows were a popular form of entertainment among white Americans. These shows portrayed both free and enslaved African Americans (who were mainly played by whites) in an extremely demoralizing fashion. The minstrel show is the birthplace of “Jim Crow”. Jim Crow is most popularly seen in the context of the Jim Crow laws, which enabled white Americans to legally separate themselves from African Americans in nearly every facet of life (Antiracist

The perception of African Americans in America will stay the same. The perception of African Americans is that we always play the race card and we always act as the victim in any situation. In most situations the outcome or conclusion can be perceived in many ways, African Americans are never giving the benefit of the doubt. The Opportunity Agenda conducted three studies to gain knowledge on the perception of African Americans in society. One of the best-documented themes in the research is that the overall representation of African American men and boys in the media is a distortion of reality in a variety of ways. The perception is that we are all criminals, live in poverty and do not try to succeed in life besides playing sports or having musical career. The positive images and attributes with which African American males are associated tend to be

Knowledge and understanding is key to success and that’s what African Americans developed over the previous battle with black codes. Blacks saw opportunity in adverse situation, such as overcoming black codes which led to overcoming sharecropping. Through that adverse situation, blacks created a way to go around the sharecropping system by eventually forming the “Colored Farmers National Alliance.” African Americans saw the opportunity to sponsor their own cooperative stores where members could obtain necessary goods and equipment at a reduced price, published newspapers to help educate

History is not expounded on in the Wall Street industry. Brokers are remembered simply on their sales or their big portfolios. The trials of how African American owned firms were founded and the triumphs and accomplishments that were made afterwards was written in an interesting narrative way by the author , Gregory S. Bell in In the Black: A African American History of Wall Street. Bell being the son of one of the first African American black owned member firm in the New York Stock Exchange, he emphasizes on the background stories of the works of the firms and entrepreneurs of the 20th century. In the book he gives references to validate his stories and research. His intent is shown throughout the book to persuade the readers to commemorate and recognize the history of African Americans on Wall Street.Being that Bell was born into the industry he obviously had some insight of the history of the African American pioneers of Wall Street. His research was supported by magazines, newspapers, personal interviews, personal stories and reference books. During the book he often had the argument of the reasoning that Wall Street was not succesful for African Americans due to the "good old boy" Caucasian system that was used for keeping African Americans out of the industry. Based on his findings in research and personal stories from his father I can agree with that partially. Sometimes during those times the industry was not doing so well. When the market was doing well the firms

The stereotypical misrepresentations of African-American women and men in popular culture have influenced societal views of Blacks for centuries. The typical stereotypes about Black women range from the smiling, asexual and often obese Mammy to the promiscuous Jezebel who lures men with her sexual charms. However, the loud, smart mouthed, neck-rolling Black welfare mother is the popular image on reality television. The typical stereotype about Black men is the violent, misogynistic thug, and the ever-enduring pimp. These images portrayed in media and popular culture createpowerful ideology about race and gender, which affects daily experiences of Black women in America. With few healthy relationships portrayed in the media, Black women

Black women have to face the effects of being over-sexualized through media. As a result of African American women being over-sexualized and used for only their appearances, they feel obligated to focus on their appearance and sexuality. This is because they are shown through media

“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 way entertainment in the media portrays us has greatly affected how others identify us. Movies and shows like; Madea’s family Reunion, Bringing down the House, Love and Hip Hop, and Basketball Wives all portray us in a degrading way. People sometimes find it comical of course, but the fact that it is comical does not justify it being debasing. This image of us has evolved from things in the media, and its’ power to shape people’s idea of us. We as a race must stop living up to our stereotypes. As soon as we take action in not succumbing to our own stereotype, people will not think we are “Ghetto” or any other undignified term they think of us; therefore in the media we won’t be perceived in that way. As Colin Powell once said, “Fit no stereotypes. Don't chase the latest management fads. The situation dictates which approach best accomplishes the team's mission.” Although African American stereotyping is prevalent in the media now because of its’ entertaining quality; it perpetuates a cycle of harmful stereotypes. As long as this cycle continues, our culture will always be illustrated negatively.

Greenwood, Oklahoma, a suburb of Tulsa, was the type of community that African Americans are still, today, attempting to reclaim and rebuild. Black Wall Street was modern, majestic, sophisticated and unapologetically Black. Tragically, it was also the site of one of the bloodiest and most horrendous race riots (and acts of terrorism) that the United States has ever experienced.