When a majority of today's society envisions a young African American, they don't often associate such a person with the terms "successful", "prosperous" or even just "well off". Rather, black people have become a group that is mocked. The African diaspora are often referred to as "thugs", "uneducated" and "lazy". According to a 2015 News Week study, out of the 41% of those that choose higher education, black males make up 33.9% of that pool. Which is significantly higher than the 18% they previously held in 1988. Even more commendable, African American women are surpassing all other groups, despite race and gender when it comes to college enrollment, according to the web series, "Truths You Won't Believe". But why is it so hard to …show more content…
Today's society paints African Americans in such a negative light, growing up it seemed like everyone expected blacks to fail. No matter how "white" we talked, how we did our hair, where we lived or how many non-people of color we surrounded ourselves with, it seemed like the outside world saw us all the same; as people who are incapable of achieving. As I grew in wisdom and stature with this melanin graced skin, there was always something that was structurally in place to discourage me from becoming a successful self loving black woman. Anglo Saxon beauty and supremacy overpowering the media encouraged people to make comments about my worth. I constantly fell victim to people's condescending tone and actions before they realize my vocabulary supasses most adults. Being denied honors classes for 11 years without explanation but handing them over to Caucasian children with less intelligence made school frustrating as a child. I was expected to be and was treated like a failure before I even had a chance to prove myself. Yes, this is the biased world that we live in and these along with thousands of instances are obstacles that my people are not expected to overcome. But being an oppressed minority has only made me more determined to be the best version of myself. Not only for me but for those I will have an effect
The Progressive Era The progressive era was most significant to African Americans for the opportunities to emigrate to Northern cities as the advent of new manufacturing processes and growth of industry meant there were more opportunities for African Americans. This is the main reason why Tianna decided to move her family to Detroit. She moved in order to work in a factory that belonged to Henry Ford. She thought things up North would be easier for African Americans and a way to be more self-sufficient.
They are so prevalent in this prison population that on any day, a male with no degree is more likely in jail than working. Many legal scholars refer to this high incarceration rate among African Americans as a new form of Jim Crow segregation, in which minorities head from high school straight to
13th is a 2016 documentary film that discusses discrimination, mass incarceration, and law enforcement in the context of African-Americans in the United States. Its title emanates from the 13th Amendment to the United States Constitution which states that slavery and any form of forced service is prohibited except in the situation of being convicted for a crime. Speakers are those that condemn the criminal justice system, and are pushing for equality among races. 13th touches on multiple contemporary problems which stem from America’s history, and aims to educate audiences on the effects and impacts these have caused to the black community.
The American education system provides less resources and inexperienced teachers to schools with low-income students, which are said to be mainly African American and Latino. This continuing inequality has detrimental effects on society. In 2013, only 66 percent of African American graduated on time, while 83 percent of White students finished high school in four years. These facts undermine our core beliefs about education and equality. It also undermines our national ability to be competitive in the global
Years have passed but the same obstacles are being faced by African Americans today, as those who have passed. We are still looked at as the less fortunate class and discriminated against. I want you to be better than me at life to know that you can do all things in life if you put your mind to it. I do not want you to be known as the kid from Baltimore because the first two questions majority of people would ask you is “where were you doing the riots” or “how does it feel to live in a city with a high crime rate. These are two questions I get asked all the time because society remembers Baltimore by the riots or the wire.
African Americans living in the Pacific Northwest from the late 19th century to the end of the 20th century faced much discrimination that stemmed from the prominent racist attitudes held by others. In the mid to late 19th century, exclusion laws were put in place to limit their migration to certain areas because white settlers did not want African Americans to live near them. Then, they were denied employment opportunities and even subject to violent harassment. Later in the 20th century, red-line districts existed that sustained racial segregation in cities. These were related to the discriminatory practice and laws that allowed there to be a lack of civil rights for African Americans.
As an African American citizen, I am deeply impacted by the current events. It is another example of how African Americans are treated in a country we built. I believe officers still carry stereotypes society has created among the race. I also believe training is lacking within the Police Department. What surprised me the most, was how quick the investigation and invasion of Micah Xavier Johnson’s home was completed.
Growing up in southwest Atlanta, Georgia, I have been surrounded by ‘black success’ instead of just ‘success’ for the duration of my life. The blacks in my area are equally as successful, if not more accomplished than, the non-blacks, but we are always titled separately and put into a captive box. The box we are held in told young girls that they should aspire to be athletes, cosmetologists, or plain unemployed. The same box told young men that they could only be considered “somebody” if they were able to catch a ball well. These are occupations we would ‘best be suited for’; these are occupations that perpetuate the box.
According to history, race and ethnicity mainly consisted of white and black, however with the recent (last 50 years) influx of immigrants, the trend shows a diversification that will increase in the future. United States is slowly diverging from white and black, where it is now considered as a multi-ethnic and race society. The book states that Latinos and Asians are able to mix with white people due to their skin color and socioeconomic status, though those with darker skin will be often considered as an African American. The predictions for the future refer to a higher amount of interracial families, where the line will no longer be between white and black, but nonblack and
The negative treatment and pain I received as a black girl, and still into my adulthood, it amazes me how I'm still standing tall and strong. It amazes me how people have tried to break me, even my own kind, but I'm still here. Truth is I gotta to have thick skin and protect myself, because I got no choice. If I don't... who will? And that is the everyday life of living as a black woman.
Many people come across roadblocks through their journey of life. I know I've had my fair share of them. The biggest bump in my academic life was changing it completely upside down. Growing up african American or with any skin that holds the slightest of pigment is not easy, but that's obvious due to our nation's past. Racism and stereotypeing has always been there.
The American experience is an experience like no other. This country provides the freedom to do what you want to a certain extend. You can believe in the religion of your choice. There is a right to carry a licensed weapon for protection. In America you have the power to create your own path and strive to be whatever you desire within reason.
However, I have come to terms with the fact that all I have is my story and even though it may not be the saddest or dramatic, what is important is, it is my own and I know how difficult it has been for me to overcome the obstacles in my life. Being a black woman I have learned early on that I need to work twice as hard in order to be taken seriously, and there are certain obstacles that I will face because I am a woman as well as the fact that I am black that many others do not face.
Martha Peraza SOC 3340 Inequality in Education California State University, Bakersfield Abstract In the United States, there exists a gap in equality for different demographics of students. The factors contributing to educational disadvantages include socioeconomic struggles, gender of students, language or culture, and particularly for the scope of this paper, race.
I know just from being from a certain race people believe that sometimes that defines us as a whole. There is always a race being discriminated, oppressed and even treated unequally. I clearly understood that taking this course opened me up to the different events. It is really difficult to see that we live in this environment even though many whose