...Question one is what is the African diaspora? (Who should be considered in the African diaspora? How is this like the black Atlantic and how is it different?). Students should use the Colin Palmer piece to answer this question. In its most recognizable form, the African diaspora refers to the many cultures and societies abroad that exist throughout the world as the result of the historic movement, mostly forced, of native Africans to other parts of the globe. Most specifically, the African diaspora is the blanket term used to represent a confluence of events that led to the forced displacement of millions of innocent people. The term first originated in the 1950s and initial studies focused on the “dispersal of people of African descent, their role in the transformation and creation of new cultures, institutions, and ideas outside of Africa”. This cultural migration is responsible for many of the unique cultures that exist today, as is with the black Atlantic and the melding of cultures. A look at the waves of migration, both forced and willing, provides a framework to study the social, economic and humanitarian fallout of the African Diaspora. Those who study the African Diaspora seek information that explains and places into context the globalized experience for blacks. This history is riddled with slavery, colonialism, exploitation and a system of global commerce that has impacted life for those of African descent. The impact of the African Diaspora is a study of cause and...
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...Boys Ann Arnett Ferguson spent 3 years gathering research on African American youth in the school and how Adults, society, and the educational system views them. The superiors of these kids have a wrongfully prejudice conceptualization of them, more specifically the boys. Observations and stories of individual students help Ferguson make connections and find the underlying source of these kids’ preconceived notions to Adults and more importantly themselves. “In the course of course of my study it became clear that school labeling practices and the exercise of rules operated as part of a hidden curriculum to marginalize and isolate black male youth in disciplinary spaces and brand them as criminally inclined” Ann Arnett Ferguson, Bad Boys: Public Schools in the Making of Black Masculinity (University of Michigan, 2000) p2. Adultification does not have a simple definition. Ferguson theorized this idea while observing different kids during her case study. The term adultification describes the developmental process of youth and how outlying factors such as social and communal values are absorbed by kids. There is a prejudice that these observed teacher hold of these kids. These teachers use how the media portrays African American males to justify their views about all African American kids. This adultification is a distraction from the fact that they are kids, not criminals. “Adultification is visible in the way African American elementary school pupils are talked about by school...
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...Tionna Shivers EDU-230 November 18, 2012 Michelle Jervell Multicultural Field Trip The APEX Museum The APEX Museum is known as “African American Panoramic Experience Museum” (APEX, 2012). The museum contains timelines about the African American culture. There is a time line describing the accomplishments of Africans. Some accomplishments include: mastering basic arithmetic, cultivating crops, carving the first colossal sculpture, and creating glass windows. The museum also shows pictures and artifacts from that time period as well. The museum also describes the process in which Africans were brought to America through the Middle Passage. In addition, it shows how they were shackled, the type of “money” that was used to pay for slaves, a badge from the plantation police, and the door of no return. It describes the story of Henry “Box” Brown, the African American who was shipped up north in a box. There is also a section of the museum which describes the goods that were of value such as cotton, tobacco, and sugar. Also, there is a replica of a slave ship. In addition, there is a Wall of Achievement which outlines every African American who made some type of contribution to Georgia’s history. Invasion Before the invasion of the surrounding countries, Africa was separated by tribes. Some of the tribes were: Kush, Ghana, and Lake Kingdom. France and Britain invaded majority of Africa during that time period. Other countries who invaded Africa were: Portugal, Germany,...
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...2/14/12 AFAS 160D1 Dr. Yuxuf Abana Essay # 1 The value of language The Norton anthology of African American literature book, does a great job in describing the uniqueness of the early African American language, as the roots for the spiritual and the secular forms of the African American vernacular. But for one to understand the African American vernacular, one must understand how the language was created. The language of the early Africans that occupied north America was unique to only this ethical group, because they where the only forms of Africans in that time that spoke a kind of language that was broken English or formally called “Pidgin” which is known as the language of the slaves. Lets take a look at the active definition for pidgin, so we can come to a clear understanding of the word before we progress further in the paper: “A simplified form of speech that is usually a mixture of two or more languages, has a rudimentary grammar and vocabulary, is used for communication between groups speaking different languages, and is not spoken as a first or native language. Also called contact language.”(pidgin online) so contact language is the language first spoken or developed when the Africans where first In America. The language was created due to the direct result of the times being that Africans by law where not allowed to be educated or to be treated like anything other then a slave, no social interactions...
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...Cultural diversity is the assortment of cultures and societies we have, either within a city, region, or the world itself. In this adaptation of “A Raisin in the Sun” there were many cultures. The black women and the black men, the African American race as a whole, the rich white society, the have culture and have not so much culture. The diversity between the African American family and the Nigerian gentlemen Joseph who is interested in Beneatha and George shows that there are different black cultures and societies. Those being rich, foreign and those that have been here for generations and not been able to or have the opportunity to rise out of the situations they were brought into the world in. Benefits that Lena sees are the memories she has and the money coming and how it can change things even if just a little. But as the day goes on she sees that there is a strain on the household because of the money, and it is mainly her son. Walter sees everything as a drawback, how black people are treated, how they do not get the opportunities like white people and how they end up with service jobs, and he isn’t wrong for this time period. He sees his whole life as a draw back and the only benefit is the money his mama is getting in the mail. Because he is so blinded by his want to be wealthy and live better he trusts the wrong person with money his mother gave him; and money that was not just for him. Lena trusts her son, which ends up being a drawback because he loses it all to...
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...get a job as a washerwoman. His mother Matilda was very supportive of Paul’s literacy interest. She encouraged her kids to read and learn about poetry. Inspired by his mother Paul began reciting and writing poetry by the age of 6. In high school he was the only African American in his class. His writing skills opened up ideas for him to be class president, editor of the high school newspaper, class poet and president of the literary society. While establishing his self nationally he also had a job temporarily as an elevator operator. He also gained ideas from the slavery stories that his mother and father occasionally told him. He first published his literature when he was 16 years old. He also created a newspaper based on the black community. After finishing high school he could not go right into college due to his lack of tuition funds. However, some of his work were seen by his teachers other college professors. He also gained friendship from Fredrick Douglass who found him a job and set him up to read some of his work. A lot of his work explained a lot about how he felt about the life of African Americans. The poem “We wear the mask” uses “the mask” to conceal what he says in the poem about the struggle of African Americans for equality. This poem if understood correctly can relate to any type of frustration or hurt. There are three things that help exemplify the...
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... Black Mecca Thesis: West African Muslims immigrants fit into the fabric of Harlem, New York, and how they have challenged established notions of Islam, race, and cultural difference in one of the centers of black culture, thought, and politics. Alain LeRoy Locke, The New Negro, 1925. This book provides a great look at the history of West African Muslims in Harlem. Also it talks about how those African were treated and referred as the new Negros among other black. This book supports my research by mainly talking about challenges that West African Muslims face in the U.S in general and in Harlem in particular. It also explains the culture difference between the new black arrivals and the African American who have already assimilated to the American culture. It also gives my thesis a clear sense of the prejudice and racism that was against those Western African Muslims. Zain abduallah, Black Mecca: The African Muslims of Harlem. This book talks about how West African immigrants were adapting to the new American culture and trying to reach the American dream. It also goes on talking about how many Americans ignored those West African Muslims’s identity because they were black, because they have always viewed Islam as an Arab religion. This books helps my thesis by providing information about the West African Muslims immigrants’s background and how they came to America...
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...Theaders have evolved from countries all over the world. “From the African roots of Greek tragedy to contemporary Shakespearean plays, the diverse enviorment is what created the power behind stage production. During the start up of American Theater, it reflected the lives of namely white, property-owning, Christian men”(Kertin p5). As time pasted, the popular dramas came from Europe. In the 1820's Black artists were creating, staging and performing for both black and white audiences, performing both existing and original work. “The first theater company to attempt the performing arts production from an African American perspective was, The African Grove Theater in New York”(Abel p1). In 1820, an African American man named, William Brown and a West Indian man named, James Hewlett created the African Grove Theater. “Both of these men traveled by ship throughout the Caribbean, where story telling, performance, dance and music were essential to the culture and survival of the slaves working on sugar cane and tobacco plantations, salt flats and mines. The company performed tragedies and comedies from Shakespeare to American playwrights”(Welsher p2).The African Grove Theater was the first African American theater in the United States. Full playrights were presented on this stage which included, Shakespeare and eventually the first plays by African American. Although the intension was to solely have an audience of African Americans, it also attracted white audience members. “Typically...
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...the prettiest kids are light skinned anyway.” This is a quote that Neyo, a pop/rap artist made during one of his many interviews.(Bougie Black Girl) (4/11/2012) This is how dark skin is depicted in the African community by each other. Divisiveness is a very strong trait in the African American community and being dark skinned is one that has kept oppression alive from within. One might say that this paper is too offensive or bias because of the use of the African American Culture. It is always negative to speak about racism, dark skin or anything that has to do with the African culture and racism normally in any situation. This has been a tainted subject for quite some time now and it travels all the way from the continent of Africa. This is definitely a form of racism and the rules need to change in order to protect, heal and strengthen not only the black community, but the cultural world as a whole. Nonetheless, the origin of racism began some time ago. The first boat that carried Africans to be enslaved was brought to America in 1619. They were bought here by the White man to trade and use for cleaning, cooking, working in the fields and whatever else was needed. It was a business that was flourishing throughout the world. It is said that slavery started with the Africans in the continent of Africa. Slavery was supposed to be abolished in the 1800s but was a very slow process. Although slavery is far behind us, thankfully, there are still after effects and there is a...
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...According to the U.S. Justice Department, in 2003 about 10.4 percent of all African American men between ages 25 to 29 were incarcerated, as compared to 2.4 percent of Hispanic men and 1.2 percent of Non-Hispanic White men. What is going on here? Why are Black men in this age group so much more likely to be in jail than are people of White or Latino descent? Research the incidents of criminal prosecution, convictions, prison sentences, and time served by race and ethnicity for all three – African American, Hispanic, and White men. What factors or variables are associated with who gets involved in crime, why, and what happens to them in the criminal justice system? Also look into how many judges, lawyers, and lawmakers are White compared with those who are African American. What does this tell us about structured inequality? Topic Proposal I chose this topic because this because this is the normal scenario in my hometown that is has a similar meaning to my city. During the years I grew up here in Augusta, GA. I felt that African American men have a huge structure of inequality compared to White or Latino descent. This topic is important to cultural diversity because it talks about African Americans, Latinos, and White. Majority of America has a big diversity of African Americans, Latinos, and Whites that we see and work with every day. Learning about these major cultures makes a big impact of diversity and how to handle and notice different cultures. I want to research...
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...How It Feels to Be Colored Me Analysis Paragraph Novelist, Zora Neale Hurston, in her narrative essay, How It Feels to Be Colored Me, describes her childhood struggles with identity. Hurston, as a young girl, was known as “Zora of Eatonville”. Eatonville, a predominantly African American town, was a sort of utopia for Hurston. She did not have to face racial issues until she moved to Jacksonville, where Zora changed the way she viewed both Black and White people. Hurston’s purpose in her essay How It Feels to Be Colored Me is to describe a shift in her views on Blacks, Whites, and herself because of her move to Jacksonville. Hurston adopts a sanguine tone in order to persuade her audience that no matter one’s race, all people are made the same....
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...understanding. In the opening scene we are introduced to the premise of the movie as the man says “We crash into each other, just so we can feel something.” This is the thesis statement for the movie, setting up the idea that our interactions with each can be as traumatic and life changing as a vehicle collision. Each character in the movie played a role in showing the viewer the different influences and behaviors the numerous cultures have towards their very own culture and that of others’. Ethnocentrism, prejudice, stereotyping, and discrimination are the core themes presented in the movie “Crash.” At the very beginning of the movie, two African American men are seen leaving a coffee shop, Anthony, the obviously more dominant of the two, and Peter. Anthony is complaining about the poor service they received, blaming the poor service on being African American. Peter is quick to point out that the waitress was also black. Anthony expresses to Peter that black women can also think in stereotypes believing that they, as black men, would not her leave a tip thus not putting forth the effort to provide them with good service. This is an example of stereotyping within a culture. This ties in to the social-conflict theory in that the woman did not see them as worthy of her effort because they would not enhance her economic situation. This stereotype has possibly come from experiences with young, black, male patrons in the past and when Anthony and Peter left without paying for the bill, they...
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...2012, black males ages 15 to 19 were nearly four times more likely to commit suicide, six times more likely to be victims of homicide, and eight times more likely to be involved in a firearm-related death than were females of the same age. When it comes to incarceration, African Americans constitute nearly 1 million of the total 2.3 million incarcerated population and are incarcerated at nearly six times the rate of their white counterparts. In a black man’s lifetime, one in six black men has been incarcerated at one point in time. If current trends continue, one in three black males born today can expect to spend time in prison during his lifetime. And when it comes to our youth, African-Americans represent 26% of juvenile arrests, 44% of youth who are detained, 46% of the youth who are judicially waived to criminal court, and 58% of the youth admitted to state prisons The numbers are alarmingly disproportionate, and I don’t feel like it is getting better. Although there are many contributing factors that make up these numbers, it is believed that inner city crime prompted by social and economic isolation weighs heavily on the results. When you consider the crime and drug arrest rates, African Americans represent 12% of monthly drug users, but comprise 32% of persons arrested for drug...
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...Issues Surrounding the Graduation Rate for African American Males The American educational system is generally regarded as one of the better education systems in the world. Currently, there is much national discussion about the state of the American educational system and how it can be improved. While these discussions include students from head start to doctoral programs, there is a smaller group of students whose circumstances are exceptionally dire and go largely un-discussed. African American males have one of the highest dropout rates in the United States. This is so because African American males face significantly more obstacles in receiving a high school diploma. The main factors that contribute to African American high school males dropping out are: poverty, bad school, and family breakdown (Crouse, 2010). Conversely, there are factors that contribute to African American males graduating from high school such as culturally sensitive curricula and positive Black male role models. Understanding the scope of the contributing factors surrounding the high school graduation rate of African American males paints a picture of what it means to be Black and male in the American education system. Poverty is a contributing factor to the low high school graduation rate of African American males. "Positioning Young Black" states that 36 percent of Black children live in poverty and: In many areas, Black Americans are segregated in minority communities where children are more likely...
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...had started to change for her at the age of 9 that was helping her change into that young black girl that she was to become. Also in the poem, she stated that " its dropping food coloring in your eyes to make the, blue and suffering their burn in silence. It’s popping a bleached white mophead over the kinks of your hair and primping in front of mirrors that deny your reflection" That section to me meant that she wanted to blend in The literary works I will compare are “Child of the Americas” by Aurora Levin Morales and “What’s It like to be a Black Girl” by Patricia Smith. The works focus on the psyche of two women of African descent, plagued by the historical American public perceptions of their culture. These negative perceptions play an important part of the individual’s psyche due to prejudice. It has misconstrued and distorted the minds of these young African American girls. These poems show how two young girls from different American minority sub-cultures, view themselves in totally different perspectives. One of the young women wishes to identify...
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