Abstract This paper takes a look at racism-- what it is and what is the root of its power.
From the Paper "Racism is leftover baggage from the slave trade and slavery. In the year 2002 there are people who believe that there is no longer any racism and there is only one race, the human race. Many of the people that accept these views as true, that it is only the human race, are a part of the majority group in the United States, which are white people. The majority group of people uses the ideology of racism to justify the injustices that are set upon the minority groups. A few of the injustices that they try to justify are how people differentiate between the Black community, versus the White community, in terms of the job opportunities and the types of training that are received. Therefore, racism is based on ideology or belief systems."
Abstract This paper examines the practice of profiling by looking at the psychology that underlies it, which is the habit of people to use stereotypes to set off one group of people from another. The author mainly discusses cases of racial profiling amongst policemen in the United States.
From the Paper "Few issues provoke more intense controversy within minority communities than the police practice of profiling. If a single arena of society could be singled out to demonstrate the inequalities faced by African-Americans ? especially in public life ? it might be in the treatment of blacks by police officers engaged in racial profiling. A great deal of the controversy that has swirled around a number of recent police incidents involve accusations of institutional and embedded racism in the police departments as officers in a number of cities have come forward to say that racial discrimination is an integral element of the daily practices of the police force, with training officers instructing rookies to routinely stop minorities ? such as Latinos with old cars or black men with their hair in corn rows ? and invent after-the-fact justifications, such as a cracked windshield (Harris, 1997, p. 545). It will be useful at this point to define what exactly we mean by racial profiling.
"Racial profiling" occurs when the police target someone for investigation on the basis of that person's race, national origin, or ethnicity. Examples of profiling are the use of race to determine which drivers to stop for minor traffic violations ("driving while black") and the use of race to determine which motorists or pedestrians to search for contraband.
Racial profiling is prevalent in America. Despite the civil rights victories of 30 years ago, official racial prejudice is still reflected throughout the criminal justice system. For people of color in cities large and small across this nation, north and south, east and west, Jim Crow "justice" is alive and well (www.aclu.org)."
Abstract This paper shows how the biography of Malcolm X by author Alex Haley helped the author understand the true derivation of racism.
From the Paper " The constant references to racism by Malcolm X made me curious about the concept of race. I discovered that almost 200 years ago, Johann Friedrick Blumenbach, a German naturalist and the founder of Anthropology, decided to use differences in head shape and skin color to classify mankind into five different races. Although there has never been any scientific evidence to support "racial inheritance" by blood type, mankind has clung to Blumenbach's concept of people being of different races."
Abstract This paper discusses the controversy surrounding the African American boxer who was falsely accused, convicted, and imprisoned in reference to the Bob Dylan song. . The author examines the movie "Hurricane" and how it portrayed the racism in America that condemned a successful black man in the worst way.
From the Paper "Rubin "Hurricane" Carter was born on May 15, 1937 in New Jersey . He was a rough street kid from a lower-class family in the inner city. After having run-ins with the law at an early age, he joined the Army and later became one of the greatest boxers of all time. He should have been the middle weight boxing champion of the world, but instead spent almost 20 years in a New Jersey prison for a triple homicide that he was falsely accused of in 1976."
Abstract The following paper critically analyzes the concept of "Melting Pot" which is a term that supposedly defines America as a land of the free and home to all cultures, races, and ancestries. The author makes reference to two journal articles which claim that "Americanness" is an idea that has always been linked with "Whiteness" and that "whiteness" can not exist, without something against which to define itself - "blackness".
From the paper:
?But in the 1960s and '70s, a more inclusive ideology was suggested -- "a stew" or "mixed salad" term was beginning to emerge as the American label. This term recognized that immigrants to America might maintain their distinct cultures, languages and traditions, their ethnicity or ancestry, while at the same time recognizing their ?Americanness.? (Chideya, 1999) While this term equally recognizes the presence of many different cultures, in my opinion, it doesn?t quite articulate the mixture and combing and cultures as it is in America.?
Tags: cultures, races, and ancestries assimilation ideology white black individual development
Abstract This paper investigates the growing problem of homeless children in the United States. It pays special attention to Washington, D.C., the nation's capital, which has one of the highest homeless rates in the country. The affects of homelessness on a child is examined, and the author shows how health, emotional development and school performance are adversely affected in these children. Current solutions to the problem are examined, and found to be inadequate, and the need for new, solutions, that will address the long-term needs of this special population is advocated.
From the Paper "According to research done by The Better Homes Fund, homeless children have very high rates of acute illness- half suffer from two or more symptoms during a single month. They suffer twice as many ear infections, five times more stomach problems, six times as many speech impediments, and are four times more likely to be asthmatic. Homelessness also has a huge impact on a child's emotional development, as homelessness presents a myriad of stressful and traumatic experiences. Studies indicate that more than one-fifth of homeless children between three and six have emotional problems serious enough to require professional care and that children between seven and seventeen suffer from very serious mental health problems."
This paper is an analysis of Cornell West's book, "Race Matters", providing an interesting critique of current black society and the way in which it is trying to become a part of dominant white society.
Abstract This analysis of Cornell West's book, 'Race Matters', examines the current situation of black society primarily in the United States. This book gives the reader an understanding of the damage that contemporary liberalism actually does to the black community and the inherent self destructive nature of black America. It states Cornell West's ideas of improving race relations which promise some possibility for success. Cornell West's argument centers around a censorship of the market forces which is like a herald for the utter loss of freedom and the enslavement of capitalism to politically correct liberal ideologies. This book encourages black people and their leaders to work among themselves to shrug off the spirit of depression and irresponsibility, so that a future policy of reconciliation and mutual respect may actually exist.
From the Paper "One would be hard put to disagree that the black culture in America currently seems to be largely one of nihilism, despair, and cultural unrest. Black women are more likely to give birth to out of wedlock children, and to try to subsist on public aid. Black people in general are far more likely to commit serious crimes and serve serious time. In fact, a majority of black men have served time in prison for one reason or another. Black neighborhoods are more likely to have high crime rates and be plagued by sweeping urban decay. Graffiti is more common; the houses are less likely to be kept up, the yards less likely to be groomed, and the entire appearance of the neighborhood is sure to be more dirty and unkempt. This lack of respect and concern for public and private property is one of the surest signs that this cultural depression does exist. In the same way that clinical depression and mental illness is often accompanied by laziness and lack of personal upkeep, so cultural depression surely results in a mass refusal to beautify and clean up the neighborhoods. Artistically as well, black culture is represented by lyrics and music that defies conventional morality, religion, and hope. Rap lyrics are far more likely than any other popular music to glorify violence against women and outsiders such as ?faggots,? and even more likely to promote black on black crime and gang warfare. Black "art" tends to promote not only rabid violence, but also drug use, irresponsible sexuality, a lack of family concern, and poor usage of the American language."
Abstract This paper studies Langston Hughes and his many contributions to society. It includes excerpts and an analysis of his poems "The Negro Artist", "Racial Mountain" and "In Dream Boogie". It examines his philosophy on African-Americans living in the 20th century. It details his life and the progress he has made for African-Americans.
From the Paper "Langston Hughes felt that African Americans should be able to live in freedom in the 20th Century. He saw African Americans as a vibrant race, full of live, compassion, and love. He didn"t approve of complacent people. Because Hughes was at the center of the Harlem Renaissance, he naturally felt that African Americans should speak up and demand what they want. He felt that African Americans should be proud of their heritage"they shouldn"t try to be something that they are not. They shouldn"t try to fit into the white culture. More specifically, they should embrace their heritage and love themselves as described in the following:
And so the word white comes to be unconsciously a symbol of all the virtues. It holds for the children beauty, morality, and money. The whisper of "I want to be white" runs silently through their minds. This young poet's home is, I believe, a fairly typical home of the colored middle class. One sees immediately how difficult it would be for an artist born in such a home to interest himself in interpreting the beauty of his own people. He is never taught to see that beauty. He is taught rather not to see it, or if he does, to be ashamed of it when it is not according to Caucasian patterns (Hughes)."
Abstract This paper discusses the passing of specific laws in the colonies of the New World where the first plan was to provide cheap labor in the form of indentured servants and local natives instead of slaves. The author discusses how it was this shift to indentured servitude which gave rise to slavery for the Negroes in the New World.
From the Paper "However, the British did not begin with a conscious plan to colonize the New World, establish plantations and garner great wealth by enslaving Africans. During the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, British and other European societies were suspicious of people of other races and believed themselves superior to other races. This facilitated the domination of New World lands, which were all populated by indigenous people of darker and presumed inferior races. Nevertheless, the enslavement of darker-skinned people such as Africans wasn"t a formal plan at first, at least partly because they did not welcome being in proximity with people of other races. By the time the American Revolutionary war had begun, the American colonists owned more slaves than any other European colony, and English traders transported more slaves to market than any other country. (Bernhard , 1999)?
Abstract This research paper focuses on 3 rap artists who produced negative rap lyrics: Tupac Shakur, Christopher "Notorious BIG" and Ice-T's lyrics. This paper describes the negative influence rap lyrics have on young minds. This paper also shows the negative outcome of these rap artists from their heated lyrics.
From the Paper "According to data gathered by the Recording Industry Association of America, nearly half of the recordings sold in 1995 (47.3 percent) were purchased by teens, with people over 30 making up 25.1 percent of the buying force. Those older styles of music like jazz and classical constitute a mere 5.9 percent of the music market (Considine 76). Rap music reaches a lot of impressionable young minds. Violence in rap music is very destructive and some rap artists set extremely bad examples to teens and this is why rap lyrics need to have a positive influence. Rap lyrics are blamed for several deadly incidents involving both rap artists and innocent bystanders. Two of raps biggest names, Tupac Shakur and Notorious BIG, live out their lyrics leading to their deaths. Ice-T's lethal lyrics of his song "Cop Killers" are just about the worst influence a rap artist can have on teens."
An examination of the novel "Dessa Rose", by Sherley Anne Williams which explores the complexity of a white woman's relationship with a black slave woman.
Abstract The paper focuses on the experience of motherhood as felt by a white and a black woman in Antebellum South of 1830s. The two women develop a bond as they begin to understand each other's views on different things including motherhood. These women are able to connect to each other when they become mothers and realize that no matter how different was the color of their skin, they feel the same way about their children.
From the Paper "The novel is based on two real events that took place in 1829 South. Since slavery had still been a norm and the Civil War had not taken place, the novel relates the experiences of one pregnant slave woman who was sentenced to death for starting an uprising. Dessa Rose whose real name 3was Odessa but since she was a slave woman, the real name was of no consequence and everyone called her Dessa. She was certainly a strong bold woman who was courageous enough to stand for the rights of other slaves. Elizabeth Ruth on the other hand is a white female who is abandoned by her husband and lives on a farm in North Carolina. The significance of this character also finds its roots in actual history as she was known for providing sanctuary to slaves."
Abstract The paper studies the Harlem Renaissance - the term given to a period in American history where a new focus on the African-American experience emerged. The writer of this paper shows how it was a time when African-American artists began to express their culture and at this time in history there came a new focus on the African-American artist and African-American Art. The writer introduces artist, Aaron Douglas, as someone who emerged from this time period and went on to create works which reflected the Harlem Renaissance. Some of Douglas' works are also discussed.
From the Paper "From this we see how Douglas's paintings represented modern life for African-Americans. Rather than their African life, his paintings reflect the life of African-Americans within America. While the subject of the works was modern, Douglas also incorporated his African culture by his focus on African forms, with his style being described as "flat with hard edges and repetitive designs... heavily influenced by African sculptures, jazz music, dance and geometric forms" (Schomburg Center)."
Abstract This paper introduces us to the author Phillis Wheatley and one of her poems that was written about the lives of slaves in the United States. The author gives a brief historical overview and biography of Ms. Wheatley before going on to discuss her poem, "Being Brought From Africa." Ms. Wheatley's importance as a black author who made significant contributions to American literature is also discussed. The paper illustrates the author's intense religious beliefs which allowed her to have a very unique outlook on life and her position in the family in which she served when she was brought to America in the late 1800s.
From the Paper "This poem is probably one of the most famous of Wheatley's work, and it is often reproduced in print and on the Internet. The simple eight lines are short, but they tell quite a story in only a few words. Marsha Watson said of this poem, ?Read literally, the first quatrain has struck many critics as a shocking example of Wheatley's willingness to ?sell her blackness for a pottage of white acceptability.? But read metaphorically, as multilayered discourse, "On Being Brought" chronicles Wheatley's metaphysical, poetic journey from the hopeless and powerless mortality of an ancient pagan mythos, to the Christian promise of ultimate spiritual liberty and redemption? (Watson 123)."
This paper introduces and discusses some of Richard Wright's social themes (e.g., racism) in his short stories, focusing specifically on ?Black Boy,? and ?Native Son.?
Abstract The following paper examines the way in which Wright's work filled a gap in African-American literature. The writer discusses Wright's power of slave narratives in his collection of four long stories about racial violence in the South. Although many of his themes are difficult or uncomfortable to read, his work is still studied for its power and emotional intensity.
From the Paper ?Richard Wright was born in Mississippi in 1908 and died in 1960. During his rather brief lifetime, he completed several novels, and books of poems, all dealing with black issues and ideas. Two of his most famous works are ?Black Boy,? and ?Native Son,? which this paper will discuss.
While Wright may not have faced many of the problems his slave grandparents did, he still had many hurdles before America accepted him as a writer. "Wright nevertheless was faced with daunting barriers to literary achievement: racism, poverty, family problems, religion, and a modest formal education" (Felgar 1). Wright lived for a time in Chicago, where he set ?Native Son,? and when he died in 1960, he was living in Paris. He worked for a time as a postal worker before he began writing in the 1930s. His work was acclaimed, but he still found racism in the United States, which is why he moved his family to France (Hancuff).?
Abstract This paper is an overview of Afro-American history, beginning with slavery in the 1700s. The author looks at how slavery affected the nuclear family, both economically and psychologically, and how this pattern continues to be prevalent in today's Afro-American families. Some of the issues discussed include, the owner-slave relationship, marriages between slaves and how slavery affected children and their identity. The paper also looks at the post-Emancipation period and the hardships that the freed slaves continued to encounter including poverty, unemployment and racial discrimination. According to the author, migration from the South to the North was one of the most significant changes that occurred as a result of Emancipation. The Afro-American families' strong bond, which may not be categorized as a
'traditional' but 'extended' family can be traced back to the period of slavery and in this author's opinion, shows the strengths of the community as a whole.
From the Paper "Roberson reported that some of the migrating families were quite large, with six or seven children. It could be very difficult to find housing to old a family of that size, even with extensive family and community support. So often, these parents would have to make hard decisions to break the family apart, at least temporarily. Some of the children would be taken in by aunts and uncles, but given that the extended family was so strong, connected and well bonded together, this wasn?t as wrenching as it might have been. The extended family continued to watch out for and support the new arrivals until they had work and a place to stay. (Roberson, accessed 2002)"
