The notion that anyone who works hard enough will be rewarded has been made difficult for the individuals that are not defined as white by the social construction of race which comes from society’s beliefs, racism and stereotypes. Being white comes with numerous privileges like higher education and citizenship and other supplementary increased equities that people of color don’t receive. In the video, the narrator states “immigrants were learning that whiteness was more than skin color. It was the privilege of opportunity. And above all, exclusive.” This is a very powerful statement that the narrator makes because firstly, it shows how immigrants who are experiencing a new environment or perhaps experience a culture shock LEARN that color is
If they did not adapt to the lifestyle of the newly constructed America and abide by what was considered to be the cultural norms for Americans, they needed to be removed. Cultural conflict deems to be the source of pleasing variety, tension and even violence. The Plain Indians, Cheyenne, Kiowa, and Comanche all lost control over their territories because they did not abide to the idealistic “melting pot.” The melting pot is the blend of various nationalities into one American culture, however the Native Americans simply could not change their value and beliefs to confine to Americas perfect “melting pot”
Douglass claimed that although slavery was abolished, blacks were living under a different kind of slavery after the Civil war. Discrimination and racism was prominent and there were few laws enforced. “So long as discriminatory laws ensured defacto white control over Southern blacks, then ‘slavery by yet another name’ persisted. ‘Slavery is not abolished,’ he contended, ‘until the black man has the ballot’ with which to defend his interests and freedom.” (Howard-Pitney 485). Here we see Douglass using logic in order to reach his audience.
Historically, African American history has been deemed as an unimportant subject. Ancestors before us were not given recognition for the success they attained, and many ideas and inventions were stolen from African Americans by Caucasians, so there is still a great quantity of unknown achievements of African Americans. Frankly, without Black History Month, many would not know the
This absent word has caused an insubstantial disconnect of empathy towards people faced with racial discrimination. Many people, whether conscious or unconscious, categorize everything to keep their lives “neat”. In turn, the missing word has many repercussions, such as people not being able to distinguish when a racial injustice is occurring because they do not have the information or a word to categorize it into. This added to the fact that “the majority do not believe their is major racial discrimination widespread across this society” (Coleman, 179) has become a huge factor in the decrease of racial equality. Before attempting to reverse peoples views on all things race; a knowledge of what minorities are actually fighting for and the reasons inequality is still a leading dispute in the world needs to be addressed.
Stereotypes form from the way someone talks to the group they are in. While misconceptions are formed from people assuming what the others personality is, but it is not the truth. In About Men by Gretel Ehrlich, states how cowboys have been idealized into this person who is courageous, however they are truly being spontaneous and do not care about courage. The states idolized the cowboys and created more stereotypes. These stereotypes created misconceptions as they gradually stopped applying to the majority.
Mbiti has taken a step forward in trying to Christianity and Islam must be considered indigenous and traditional religions in Africa, because of their deep historical roots of the continent (223). So powerful is the argument may seem, it is worth noting that the view has not gained acceptance by many researchers. Some researchers, for example, E. Bolaji Intogou, Christopher J. Opuku Ejizu Kofi Asare and others want to keep and use the "traditional" word for the initial experience of the sacred is grown from the African people and the expression of this practical experience through various different ecological and socio-historical. What should be stressed, however, that the term "traditional" does not mean that African religion is static or unchanging from one season to another. According to the original meaning in Latin, trader, the term implies that the life experience and expression are delivered from one generation to another.
The Civil Rights Movement brought equality and finally marked a new beginning for black Americans. They would still experience countless cruelties and injustices, but they finally had laws on their side to gain equality. It took over one hundred years after being freed from slavery for African Americans to gain a voice and they were finally able to vocalize their opinions on their own
Finally taking a course in African American studies has allowed me to truly tap into the accuracy of black history. Most of my current knowledge of African American history has come from being in college and learning about the different inequalities still affecting African Americans. Learning about the Gullah culture that can be traced back to specific tribes in Sierra Leone and the importance of historically black colleges and universities has enhanced my academic experience. The information that I have learned during my few weeks here at College of Charleston have been more than I have learned since primary school. The depth and diversity of the conversations in class and the openness to different perspectives of the African American narrative showcases the luxury of a college level class specifically about African American
African writers generally struggle to see their literary work published while writing in their mother tongues. Indeed, Ken Saro-Wiwa witnesses, “I am, indeed, working on a Khana novel for the moment... But I am also writing this novel because I can self-publish it. I am lucky to be in a position to do so, none of the established publishers in Nigeria or anywhere else in the world would have accepted to publish it for the simple reason that it would not be profitable to do so”, The language of African literature: A writer testimony. Furthermore, the audience is restricted which the African languages as the main language of African Literature.