What Is a Genuine Black Man? Finding one’s identity in America is difficult at best for many young African Americans. Why are black men who abandon their families and treat their children terribly considered “genuine black men,” while those who succeed, become educated, and are generally caring family men are often denounced and not considered “black”. Is it because the former representation of black men is what is often pushed onto us in society, so that when a black man, such as Brian Copeland, who doesn’t personify that stereotype is seen, it scares not only white people but black people as well. This cultural representation of African Americans, which we discussed extensively in class, was the most significant type of racism that faces Brian Copeland in his life.
It is the legacy of the United States. Unfortunately we have been socialized to believe that imprisonment is inevitable for black men; black and white people alike share this mindset. Now is not the time for justice to become blind. Justice needs to become just, so every arrest and sentencing of a black man should be scrutinized. References University of Houston.
Camille Branford SOC305 Professor Hudson September 25th, 2013 With a disproportionate imbalance of African American males in the criminal justice system, it’s very hard to pinpoint out why they often fall into the trap that lands them into making bad choices. When taking a look from a social perspective as a group there can be some clarity as to what we as a people can do to assist the young Black Male to stay on “the straight and narrow” path of justice. In a search to belong to something whether it is a member of a team, an organization, a family, a school, or even a group among their peers (which are often not advantageous to individuals in question) everyone has a need to need to belong. Everyone likes to feel needed and important
Racial Injustice Raiding Throughout America Similar to many other conversion stories, one must conquer hardships in order to be successful. Martin Luther King Jr., William Edward Burghardt Du Bois, Rosa Parks, and Malcolm X exemplify a few of the many African American human rights activists of the 1900s; however Malcolm X possesses one unique asset which sets him apart from the rest. Being a man from lower depths, he possesses the authority of one who both challenges and conquers those depths. Through his personal testimony titled “ The Autobiography Malcolm X”, told by Alexander Haley, Malcolm shares with the audience his strenuous journey to metamorphosing from a ghetto driven hustler to a religious martyr. His didactic writing
Bigger Thomas struggles to cope with the inequalities and injustices of a 1930s Chicago’s society in which whites dominate blacks. Bigger’s semblance of a personality and his actions throughout the book are the results of pressures forced upon a black man in a predominately white society. The by-product of this unequal and racist society was the creation of Bigger Thomas, a murderer and rapist, who feared, hated, and longed to have power over the white society that birthed him. Society, media, rules and regulations set by whites influence Bigger’s whole being; he is excluded from society, yet expected to fulfill its stereotypes. Bigger and his family are forced to live in poverty due to the constraints shoved on them by powerful landholders and the rich, white ruling class.
What purpose does it serve Keith Boykin to use his platform on the BET website to criticize Don Lemon’s use of his much larger platform on CNN to speak to the black community? Boykin actually sounds as if he believes that he and Don Lemon have reached a point in their careers that limit their voices in the black community because of the success they enjoy. This is a ridiculous notion and a dangerous one. Hip Hop artist use their global reaching microphones to spread the misogyny and ignorance that plagues the black community without any thought to the damage they cause. It is not only appropriate for Don Lemon to correct behavior from his national stage – it is his obligation to do so.
“Violence of some kind was recognized as necessary for breaking the conspiracy of silence and complacency about economic oppression, police violence, and other social ills of the black inner city.” (pg. 59). Tupac is one of many rappers who, though looked at as just a thug or a gangster, he rapped about a great number of issues that plagued and continue to plague the urban African American communities. Since rap is a form of art, and art has a deep connection to life used as a tool for structuring and shaping one’s ethics and lifestyle, it like other forms of art is simply a means of political engagement to raise consciousness and promote greater freedom (pg. 57).
So if he is promoting such codes, it is not long before others follow. Moreover, if everyone else is following these codes, it would be a very tough situation for someone to contend. There seems to be a sense of pride that has been bred from the influence of hip-hop. Every young Black male, at some point in life, wish to embrace the role of a gangster. Consequently, animosity builds up towards Black people.
Southerners continued to marginalize Blacks in their behavior toward ex-slaves and the later African American generation, continuing the escalation of racial tensions through white terror and discriminatory attitudes (Tindall & Shi, 2010, p. 759). Most subversively, southern newspapers propagated stereotypes against African Americans in their coverage and descriptions of constitutional conventions (Logue, 1979, p. 342). Although Radical Reconstruction offered some progress toward social equality after the Civil War, its success was short-lived as African Americans suffered vast disenfranchisement through racist rulings, attitudes, and media representation in the South at the turn of the century. Rulings against African Americans After the Civil War had come to an end, African Americans in the South quickly made use of their new-found political and social rights, employing their right to vote from the Fifteenth Amendment and serving as prominent political figures (Tindall & Shi, 2010, p. 722). However, the formerly fervent commitment to Radical Reconstruction soon dwindled (Tindall & Shi, 2010, p. 739).
The connotations used in reference to blacks have evolved to represent African Americans with respect. Presently, the negative connotation of the term “nigger” is used in black dialect very often. They use to term to express the pain and suffering a race has endured. It is frequently used by rap artists and composers. In a recent article in “Hip Hop,” they discuss the reasoning behind the vulgar language and the term “nigger” used in rap in the mind of a famous artist, Snoop Doggy-Dogg.