Instructor ENG 111 2 September 2014 Brent Staples' essay Black Men and Public Space, explores racism and its difficulties. Staples tells his experiences with racism and what growing up as a black male was like. Staples describes his hardships with racism in order to show how he overcame these incidents and become a better man. The intended audience could be anyone really, particularly people struggling with racism themselves. Staples suggest that people still tend to portray black men as violent and dangerous individuals from racial tendencies without rationalizing and thus causing stress to the victims (black men) because they’re seen as threats despite their true nature.
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.
These people that label their selves as “nigga” but if a person who is not of color is to use it we are racist. Isn’t that a double standard? How is it ok for you to say it but we are not allowed without being called a word that a lot of people overlook….Racism will always exist until people of color stop killing each other. I read an article called “salute to all gangbangers” written by a black man about black on black crime. Everyone in the south was in an uproar because they thought the KKK had written it.
His involvement of the civil rights prompted to death threats from white supremacist, forcing the family to move away. The family suffered fro intimidations, death threats and their home was burned down. In 1930 Malcolm X father’s body was found. The police ruled his death as accident, although Malcolm’s Mother believed the involvement of the White Supremacist, and due the emotional distress, she was admitted to a mental institution. The family was split up amongst various foster homes; this was the foundation of anger against the white race from Malcolm’s point of view.
In today’s society there still seems to be a lot of Christian hypocrisy in America regardless of race and even now regardless of sexual preference. Of course religion has turned a blind eye to injustices in the past for instance slavery, but as far as actually flipping religious philosophy in the country. Walkers appeal was the start of self-inflicted riot among whites during that time, no white man wanted a black man to outsmart their master plan to control African-Americans (at that time Africans). Even in the society we reside in today the white still feel the need to be in charge and to control African-Americans all because of there will power to feel dominate. Even after Walker published his Appeal the southern states did not want it publishes nowhere that the blacks could get a hold of it, unwavering the fact that many of them could not read.
Equiano knew that slavery was wrong and seeing families being torn apart upset and strengthened him to believe in a future of freedom. Douglass too saw fellow slaves suffer to gratify the white mans selfish ways. But this did not discourage him from wanting freedom. Douglass found ways to get what he needed to become free. Both men fought to get what they wanted and earned their freedom.
Wendy Rendel Professor Isaiah Ayafor English 101.018 September 17, 2013 “The Search Past Silence” Not enough people believe that peer pressure, in addition to all of the social prejudice young black men face today, is a significant issue, but it in fact is it holds young black men back from educationally prospering. This problem is greatly overlooked to the point that it feeds into racial stereotyping, victimization, etc. It sometimes can become so overwhelming for some that they start accepting what is happening and begin to drag others along on their downward spiral. Black males have the potential to be anything that they want, but yet they are constantly settling for the bare minimum. Young African American men are being denied of reaching their full potential because they are ceaselessly getting attacked with verbal abuse from their peers, enemies, and people that do not want to see them prosper in any respect, as to them never amounting to anything in life, it later on does cause them to continuously fear what their “friends” might have to say about them trying to better themselves.
Malcolm X debated many people to argue his ideas. He spoke to hundreds of people about the reformation of the black man and to stay away from the white man because they are all “devils” he was admired by many people not only nation wide, but globally, Malcolm X was a name that many Muslims around the world knew. He became known like that because of the teachings of Elijah Muhammad, a friend, a mentor and a teacher. After his trip from Mecca, Malcolm changed and decided to give white people a chance and because of that tensions grew between Malcolm and Elijah and things only got worse from then on. Elijah Muhammad was no longer Malcolm's teacher, friend, and mentor.
Their master’s knew that the slaves had a tremendous pain threshold, but felt this extreme form of punishment was needed in order to maintain order among them. When a slave knew they did something wrong and that a whipping was forthcoming, they knew their only choice was to run away temporarily. This would allow a cooling down time for their master, and hopes of a less severe punishment upon their return. Although the slaves did everything possible to avoid this cruel punishment, it became an accepted, yet unforgivable, fact of their everyday existence. Running away was not an easy choice for any slave to make.
Every race has people that are discriminatory and this includes groups lime the black panthers other African supremacy groups are just as guilty in the category if racist groups as the KKK. The problem with hate groups are that they skew views people have about other races causing them to themselves become racist subconsciously. Studies have taken place at Stanford university as well as the university at California berkley that have studied racism and subconscious racism are still a very prominent aspect of humanity. Part of the problem in the unsuccessful attempts to kill racism is that there are people who don't admit that it's real anymore. Acceptance is a viable part if repentance.