Abstract This paper examines the collection of essays known as ?Black Witness to the Apostolic Faith? edited by David Shannon and Gayraud S. Wilmore about black and apostolic churches. It looks at how the purpose of the book is to find common ground among black Apostolic Christians and to expand their influence in the Christian and non-Christian world. It discusses how the editors believe that black Christian writers and theologians have not had the attention they deserve in the world of Christianity partly as a result of the racism of the past, which has left much power in white hands and less power in black hands. It evaluates how it seeks to take away the distortions of the Christian message which blacks were given by whites in the days of slavery.
From the Paper "In other words, in the bigger picture it should be all Christians, black and white and others, who come together in their common faith. The "confession' the authors write about is not only confession of sins but confession of faith, and that common confession can bring people together only if all sins are confessed and only if the confessor sees God as bigger than his own fears and prejudices. Wilmore is not saying that blacks should hate whites, but that whites must look at the past and accept what they did, just as blacks have had to look at the past and face what was done to them. To these Christian writers, it is God and Jesus Christ Who have allowed them to survive that past and to come out of their experiences with love and forgiveness in their hearts."
Abstract The author of this paper examines the book "The Black Image in the White Mind" by Robert M. Entman and Andrew Rojecki which posits that American media demonstrates critical discrimination against one of the largest minority groups in America-African Americans. The writer of the paper discusses the arguments presented by the book's authors and examines the examples related by them.
From the Paper "Not only this but it has been observed that African Americans are often portrayed as poverty stricken and their social status are the reasons why they are violent and criminal. As Entman and Rojecki writes "Slumlords whose neglect of heat and sanitation codes causes children to become sick, police who harass minority youth without probable cause, banks that refuse to lend to credit-worthy individuals based on race, and apathetic teachers of non-White students all commit a serious kind of crime if not violence against people, a sort not reported in official statistics of crime or in most newscasts." (5) There is no doubt that some of these facts are true but the white media presenters fail to include the cause for such a social status. Issues like unemployment, discrimination, poor schooling facilities, working parents and ineffective policies to facilitate their communities fail to appear on these programs for they might reveal the true context of the American society."
Tags: racism stigma blackwhite stereotype, mass communication, film newspaper, african american, police law
Abstract This paper examines how Mary Mebane's essay, "Shades of Black," attests to intraracial struggles, which she discusses through first and second-hand accounts of prejudice and victimization carried out by those of her own race. It looks at how the essay contends that factors such as social class, skin color, and interracial matters between White Americans are slowly disrupting the unity within the Black community by causing disassociation between upper and lower class Blacks, by creating intraracial color-based prejudice and discrimination, and by causing African Americans to develop a habit of not fully addressing the biases within their own society.
From the Paper "Another example of how divisions among social classes disrupts the unity among some Blacks can be seen right here at Clark Atlanta University. Many blacks on campus, especially females, disassociate themselves from other Blacks that they feel are not of the same social class as they are. One day I experienced this first hand after being denied a seat in the overcrowded cafeteria by a group of black girls because they said my clothes were too cheap. Both this example and the one in the previous paragraph give many Blacks a visual of how social class is dividing the race. As Mebane depicts, the same problem also existed in the 1960's. In her essay "Shades of Black," she claims that social class was one of the determining factors of one's status at North Carolina College at Durham. Children of the upper class that had doctors, educators, and lawyers for parents were considered the elite there (177). "
Tags: prejudice, discrimination, blacks, whites, social, class
Abstract This paper defines and describes some select elements of education that could possibly contribute the "black- white academic gap" of scholastic performance between African- American and white male students. The author uses critical and the interpretive models to accomplish these goals.
Abstract This paper studies the issues related to having minority teachers in predominantly white schools. The paper explores how many new opportunities now exist for minority educators but the purposeful placing of minorities in majority white schools has also raised the issue of tokenism. The paper explores whether these minority teachers are being treated equally with their white counterparts and whether their assignment to mostly white schools is based upon real ability and genuine need, or whether such assignments are merely reflective of well-meaning social policy gone awry.
Contents:
Abstract
The Problem and its Setting
Literature Review
Research Methods and Procedures
Anticipated Findings
References
From the Paper "It was only yesterday that segregation reigned supreme across much of the United States. Throughout the South, Black students attended Black schools, and White Students attended White schools. In general, these "separate but equal" institutions were nothing of the kind. Black schools were underfunded and understaffed. Standards and expectations were often significantly lower than those in place in White schools. Blacks taught Blacks and Whites taught Whites, an arrangement that suited a White-controlled society in which the color of a person's skin was the determining factor in his choice of career, his social and economic status, and even his right to express himself politically."
Abstract Black-white relations have never been fully integrated and many times considerably less than cordial. Despite the U.S. Supreme Court desegregation decision in 1954, and an increasing attempt to include blacks and other minorities in more substantive and positive ways - particularly on TV - there is still a negative connotation by whites when it comes to blacks. This includes the perception by many whites that blacks commit more crimes, are less intelligent than whites, etc. This paper explores the issue, from both the media portrayal and from the black and white perceptions.
Abstract The paper states that employment for African-Americans living in the inner city has long been a major problem. From the period of 1955 to 1965, black and white males worked in the labor force at equal rates, with blacks actually more likely to be working than whites. The paper states that in 1965, when the U.S. had its largest economic growth ever, the separation between the two groups began its employment separation and a 20-point gap had opened up between young blacks and young whites in the work force. The paper discusses the problem and concludes that, based on various sociologist's reports, money, alone, will not resolve this deep-seeded problem of the lack of inner city employment. The paper maintains that the solution has to be a multi-faceted approach with ongoing structural changes to the underlying issues.
From the Paper "Elijah Anderson, a renowned ethnographer of the inner city and professor at the University of Pennsylvania, relates in an interview that when he wrote his PhD dissertation for the University of Chicago in the 1970s, the responsibilities and opportunities for the young black inner city male were completely different than they are today. Working people were able to make a decent living by working hard, even if they didn't have any special skills or education. Things have greatly changed since then."
Abstract The following paper examines the statements made in Betty Friedan's "The Problem That Has No Name" from "The Feminine Mystique" and in "A Black Feminist Statement" from 'All the Women are White, All the Blacks are Men, But Some of Us Are Brave' which reveal both differences and similarities in the problems faced by each group as well as how race, gender and generational perspectives influence each group's response. The writer concludes that both groups had different experiences in their fights for equality based on their race, social status, economic class, sexual orientation and the time period in which they fought.
From the Paper "Writing in 1963, Betty Friedan revealed the problems faced by white, middle-class housewives who were not content and fulfilled in their roles as wives and mothers. The account by The Combahee River Collective focuses on the experiences of black, socialist, lesbian women 1977. The desires, frustrations and proposed solutions of each group reflect their social status as well as their race and economic class."
Tags: african, american, black, collective, combahee, feminism, feminist, lesbian, river
An analysis of M. Kim Young's article: "Whites' Explanations of Blacks' Socioeconomic Underachievement: Individualism, Structuralism, and Status Inconsistency, Current Research in Social Psychology".
Abstract This paper examines M. Kim Young's 2000 article entitled, "Whites' Explanations of Blacks' Socioeconomic Underachievement," which demonstrates that white individuals with different backgrounds perceive the lower social economic status of blacks from different perspectives. The paper looks at the methodology used, as well as the results of the study, amongst other things.
Paper Outline:
Methodology
Hypothesis
Dependent Variables
Independent Variables
Analysis and Statistics
Possible Problems with Methodology
Results of the Study
Discussion
Further Research Possibilities
Footnotes
References
From the Paper "Kim Young states that most whites do not endorse that blacks are disadvantageous because of their inborn disability. On the other hand, he notes that slightly less than 60 percent of whites believe it is due to lack of motivation among blacks. Young's results show that whites are more likely to see unequal chance for education than discrimination as a major cause. They tend to see that lack of resources rather than differential evaluation of such resources is more important in determining blacks' crippled position. The study also indicates that underachievers are far more likely than overachievers to see that discrimination and unequal chance for education are the reasons for blacks' underachievement."
Abstract The paper examines the differences in the savings patterns, wealth accumulation and home ownership between black and white individuals and explores through a literature review the social policies or solutions that have been historically focused on the inequality of wealth between blacks and whites. The paper finds that policy reform has been successful in some areas, however, there are still many barriers to home ownership and equal wages in the workplace for minority workers.
Outline:
Introduction
Purpose of Study
Significance of Study
Methodology
Literature Review
Findings of Study
Conclusion
Recommendations
From the Paper "The work of Freeman and Hamilton entitled: "The Changing Determinants of Inter-racial Home Ownership Disparities: New York City in the 1990s" relates that a significant change in policy concerning home ownership took place in the 1990s toward reduction of the disparities relating to home ownership between white individual and those of minority races. Specifically stated in the work of Freeman and Hamilton is that home ownership "has long been symbolic of the American dream, but for many non-whites, home ownership has been a dream deferred." (2004) Evidence of this, according to Freeman and Hamilton, may be seen in the existing gaps in home ownership differences between whites and non-whites. "
Abstract This paper discusses the myriad factors that may be contributing to the achievement gap between black and white children in America. The paper also looks at some positive signs regarding the educational future of black children and some possible solutions for closing the gap.
From the Paper "As recently as 1998, the press was reporting that African Americans score lower than European Americans on vocabulary, reading, and math skills tests in general, as well as on standardized tests claiming to measure scholastic aptitude and intelligence. Although the gap had narrowed somewhat after 1970, the American black child still scored lower than whites, as much as 15 percent lower. Despite abundant speculation and a wealth of research, no one had yet come up with a "magic bullet" to put a stop to the disparity; in fact, research had shown that the problem was extremely difficult to overcome, despite integration (a fact for more than 40 years) and improvement in other socioeconomic factors. ?It is true that the gap shrinks only a little when black and white children attend the same schools. It is also true that the gap shrinks only a little when black and white families have the same amount of schooling, the same income, and the same wealth.? (Jencks and Phillips, 1998) The disparity is substantial, as revealed by grades. Researchers in Shaker Heights, Ohio, found that ?black-white GPA gap equals roughly one letter grade. The mean GPA is in the neighborhood of C+ for blacks and B+ for whites.? (Ferguson, 2001)"
Abstract In his book "Red, White and Black", Gary Nash proposes the thesis that rather than viewing the three nations which make up the history of the American people as distinct and parallel, or merely in conflict, the three racial groups engaged in complex cultural interactions and negotiations, and were thus all equally important. This paper examines Nash's thesis, as well as construction of his text, his methodology of analysis, some of the facts he presents to defend his pluralistic thesis, and finally comes to an overall assessment of Nash's thesis and the importance of his book as a whole.
From the Paper "Nash's approach as an historian is chronological in its structure, rather than ideological. In other words, he traces the beginnings of the history of America, from before 1500, to the early European and native encounters, up to the end of the revolutionary period, cumulating in 1800, with a final chapter on what happened afterwards in the lands he discusses. This relatively straightforward approach allows for one of the most interesting aspects of Nash's book, namely his introduction of little-known, even now, material, regarding the interactions of Europeans, Native Americans, and Black Africans before the term 'America' was even coined. Using chronology, and interweaving the different stories create a multifaceted texture of history created, again stressing the equal importance of all three groups."
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 This paper examines how Booker T. Washington, W.E.B. Du Bois, and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., all served as role models for the survival and independence of Africans living in the United States, as well as around the world. It looks at how, through the auspices of migration, mobilization, and segregation, black history has become inherently associated with economic class and social standing; the problem inherent within legislating against discrimination is a product of social forces. It explores how the ex-slave was denied social freedom in the denial of a place in white society and how the segregation of the slaves from the minds of the whites was based on an underlying assumption that the slaves were not people. It shows how the rights of equality continue to be an issue, even as they were during Reconstruction.
From the Paper "Du Bois felt that Washington was asking the Negro people to give up political power, their insistence on civil rights and the right to higher education (Of Mr. Booker T. Washington and Others 285). He contended that, instead, it should be asked of the nation three things, "the right to vote", "civil equality" and "the education of youth according to ability" (Of Mr. Booker T. Washington and Others 286). In the United States, the role of the government is often defined by the ruling of the courts. Beginning with the Dred Scott versus Sanford case of 1857, the law seemed to side with the principles of discrimination. It decreed, in essence, that blacks of the pre-Civil War era did not have the rights of an American citizen. In 1866, just after the end of the Civil War, the first Civil Rights Act was instituted to help define the intent of the 14th amendment."
Abstract This paper examines the book ?White Boy: A Memoir? by Mark Naison and looks at how the political process theory can be applied to it since it discusses the various social movements (that today fill the pages of historical documents) and the impact of movements like Black Power movement and Civil Rights movement. By analyzing the contents using the sociological theory we can see how Naison describes the strong impact of the social movements of his time while concentrating on what went on within the movements and on the relationships between these politically and racially oriented expressions of hopelessness.
From the Paper "He begins with the book, with the introductory chapter titled Crown Heights in the 1950's in order to grab the reader's attention by providing inkling of what is expected in the later pages of the masterpiece. Therein the author affectionately recollects the sweet memories of his childhood spent in the Crown Heights section of Brooklyn. He marvels at his innate interest in the members of the black community, the unbeatable athletes and earth-shaking, mountain-moving musicians wearing black colored skin without "seeing their blackness as socially significant? (Naison, 2002, Chapter 1) explaining the intense impact that racial discriminations and social movements can have on a sensitive, human heart."
