...African Americans. Kevin Kruse’s “Traffic” and Michelle Alexander’s “The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness” offer important perspectives on how. Historically, seemingly beneficial laws have excluded African Americans, and increased segregation and economic disparity. Kruse reveals how creating the US interstate highway system, to expand economic growth, disrupted black communities and restricted their access to better jobs, healthcare, and education. Furthermore, Alexander’s...
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...did not follow the emancipation guidelines for ex-slaves, but instead made segregation and discrimination of African Americans more prominent. These laws were at first called the Black Codes, allowing for differences in the way that African Americans were treated both privately and publically. Even Supreme Court cases, like Plessy vs. Ferguson, further allowed for racism to be a compelling factor within the nation. This case allowed for the expansion of the Black Codes instead of abolishing them by creating the “separate but equal” mentality that existed until the 1950s when “systematic segregation within the states was ended” (Plessy vs. Ferguson Judgment, 1895). The Black Codes were also eventually referred to as the Jim Crow Laws, based on a stereotype of an African American portrayed in public plays by a white man with black makeup on. This was one of the ultimate insults...
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...violent discrimination, and a multitude of other forms of racism present in the country. Due to segregation and other forms of discrimination, it was not uncommon for African Americans to form their own communities, social gatherings, art forms, and other ways of expression. Perhaps among the most important means of expression was music. Music has always been a popular and successful way to spread messages, history,...
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...and local prisons or jails, though only 13 percent of the total population. Whites on the other hand represented 35.7 percent of the male inmate population in 2004, well under their 75 percent of the total male population (Bobo & Thompson, 2006). (p. 451) This ballooning disparity has become a trend of increasing concern among proponents of racial equality. Many view this trend as another cog in the wheel of covert institutional racism, even labeling it “The New Jim Crow”. Among the men and women of color now residing in U.S. prisons are the potential business owners, educators and leaders of communities that sorely need them. Immediate and results-oriented attention to the racial disparity in U.S. prisons will do much to repair the damaged, needful communities of color throughout the country. BLACK CRIME: CRIMINAL OR CULTURAL? “Black people and crime go hand-in-hand”, is an often debated stereotype that African-Americans have endured since slavery. Contributing factors perpetuating this stereotype include, economic, educational and familial shortcomings that have continually challenged and burdened Black communities for hundreds of years. In addition to these very real problems, American society’s perceived notions of the...
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...Political Ignorance: Hatred amongst African Americans in US History Tia Taylor Eth 125 Political Ignorance: Hatred amongst African Americans in US History Thanks for visiting the Blogsite again. You may think this will be just another opinionated article on African American culture being posted because it’s voting season. In fact, you’re correct. This article was dedicated to provide a realistic inside look into the history of the African American culture because there is a trend of American citizens stating they are voting for Obama because he is black. There are quite a few who have no other reason as to why they are voting for him other than that and since they may not be able to explain their answer, maybe this will help those that are angry and/or confused. Yes, it is quite simple minded to say you’re voting for Obama because he is black. It is also quite simple minded to say a person who said that is ignorant. In fact, we must remember that those who state that may have happened to grow up under a long ancestry of racism and hate just as the white kid down the street who draws Nazi symbols on his desk at school. Just like him and his older brother who might be a prejudice employee at his job, it’s not their fault they are that way. It was their environment and maybe if you understand a person’s environment and their background, you will understand why statements like this are being made all over social media websites. I’ll make these breakdowns as short and simple...
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...The perpetuation of these stereotypes permeated the public perception of African American people and exacerbated the malformed biases that had already taken hold. These biases shaped public opinion, legal proceedings, and the criminal justice system in conjunction. According to the Harvard Library’s resource, “Criminal Justice”, “Some of the first organized “police forces” in the United States were slave patrols in the American South.” The modern criminal justice system, it is therefore evidenced, has its roots in the systematic oppression of African-Americans dating back to the 1600s. Eventually, despite great hardship, policies and laws that granted African Americans more rights began to be implemented, like Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation. However, many laws and restrictions...
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...Goldstein African Americans have experienced racial discrimination in virtually every single area of their lives. America has come a long way since the 1800’s when slavery was common, but that road certainly hasn’t been easy or short for Black American. Not long after the Civil War ended, African Americans experienced a form of racial segregation called Jim Crow. The name "Jim Crow" originated from a character in an early nineteenth-century minstrel show song. A white minstrel blackened his face and jigged around while singing. The "Jim Crow" character regularly appeared in minstrel shows touring the South. Eventually, Jim Crow became the name of the racial caste system which operated primarily, but not exclusively, in southern and Border States. These laws legalized segregation from the 1860’s through 1967. The most widespread laws mandated racial segregation in schools and public places such as railroads, restaurants, and streetcars. Since segregation laws typically excluded African Americans from services, Jim Crow laws began as an attempt to move forward by providing separate services for blacks. These laws were adopted earliest in most southern towns and municipalities where diverse crowds lived. These communities passed vagrancy laws that controlled the influx of black homeless migrants. Many southern states during the 1880s and 1890s passed laws which required segregation. The Supreme Court held up the southern laws in...
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...Whom Do We Stand By? African Americans have felt discriminated over many centuries starting with slavery. They have experienced segregation and unethical treatment from people around them. Race and racism, two highly talked about topics, are never completely out of the news. The most controversial topic recently is related to the many blacks that have been shot by police officers, which have led to death or serious injures. This has happened numerous times across the United States. I do believe that African Americans deserve to be treated equally and the police officers taking part in these acts need to be held responsible for their actions. One of the first recorded incidents of racial discrimination towards African Americans was the action of slavery. Slaves were forced to work against their free will. Even though slave life depended on the slave holder, all conditions were not tolerable for a human being. Life as a slave meant working sunup to sundown six days a week, having food sometimes not suitable for an animal to eat, and living in a shack with dirt floor (“Slave Life”). This all took place while the slave holders enjoyed cracking the whip. After slavery took place for a long period of time, Abraham Lincoln, the 16th President, issued the Emancipation Proclamation on January 1, 1863 (Balser). The proclamation declared that “all persons held as slaves within the rebellious states are, and henceforward shall be free (Balser). As you can imagine, African Americans...
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...Chapter 6: The Fire this Time Summary Analysis In the book, The New Jim Crow Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness, Michelle Alexander discusses race-related issues specific to African-American males and mass incarceration in the United States, though Alexander notes that the discrimination faced by African-American males is also prevalent among other minorities and socio-economically disadvantaged populations. Alexander's central premise, from which the book derives its title, is that "mass incarceration is, metaphorically, the New Jim Crow keeping company with the final chapter of the New Jim Crow, “The Fire this Time,” this section is devoted to the question of where we go from here. Michelle Alexander argues that we, as a nation, have reached a fork in the road. Likewise, here at the end of our journey with her book, we find ourselves at a critical point of decision. What is required of us at this moment in history, a time when millions are cycling in and out of our nation’s prisons and jails trapped in a parallel social universe in which discrimination is perfectly legal? How do we show care and concern for the children who are born into communities where the majority of men and growing numbers of women can expect to spend time behind bars? What must we do, now that we know that the usual justifications do not hold water, and that a human rights nightmare is occurring on our watch? The New Jim Crow begins and ends with the assertion that nothing short of a major social...
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...culture is a lesson that was drilled into the minds of the children that walked the halls of the school and produce more accepting people. Exposing young adults or children to the diversity is crucial for the progress of this vast nation. The face of America is changing into a culturally diverse nation, which comes with issues of prejudice and discrimination that the people can overcome by learning and understanding the new cultures around them. The face of this country is changing and has been for some time. Education has been a link between understanding and accepting each other for who a person is, without the pretense of race, ethnicity, and religion. Most prejudice and discrimination is born from misunderstanding one another. Different religions or even food may seem odd and strange but they do not make a person good or bad. The beliefs of others give others a chance to examine their own life and determine who they are and what they want to believe in. Learning about each other promotes a life without the stereotypes and prejudice that so many individuals have to face every day. The struggles that some of our citizens have had to endure is outstanding. Having the knowledge about what those individuals have faced and what they are still facing has given some a different perspective on how to treat others....
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...10th, November 2014 Equality for All or None at All "Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere," a quote from Martin Luther King Jr. before he was assassinated in 1968. There has been a trending epidemic on white on black crime beginning from the Emmett Til case in 1955 and stretching to the Mike Brown case of 2014. It seems white men have taken the law into their own hands and have not been prosecuted to the fullest extent. Some are even saying we are living in a new Jim Crow era. Majority of white men want to continue to control African Americans, they don’t see any value in us and they fear equality in all aspects. There are three propositions that can be used in order to gain justice for the way white men treat Africans Americans. Those three include becoming more educated, unifying and fighting back in order to decrease the violence and become contributing members of society. Education is the key to success and respect in America's society. High schools across the country strive for high graduation rates along with a high percentage of their students to pursue higher education. Looking at recent years, dropout rates have increased significantly in African American communities. Our parents and grandparents fought for our rights to education, beginning with the Brown vs. The Board of Education case in 1954. Before this African Americans weren't allowed the same education as white people. African Americans are one of the highest minority groups in America that...
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...people of middle eastern descent, and toward those of Hispanic descent. I believe fear is the foundation or root of this hostility. Psychologist believe we use stereotyping to process information about our world on a macro level and this is necessary in order to organize and simplify knowledge. (Murphy Paul, 2015) But, when we allow fear to dictate our decision making process, this necessary tool can become a weapon. Fear is the root of all bias. Fear of the unknown. Fear of change. Fear of the “others”. Every time we make a comment or think in terms of “those people”, every time we use stereotypes as identifiers, we...
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...The Chains of Race It can be argued that since the Europeans sailed the ocean and landed in America, the notions of inferiority and race have been prevalent. The Europeans had “discovered” America and in the same way “discovered” the Native Americans. The question became, how do the natives fit into the Europeans’ belief-system. The Natives were ultimately seen as inferior due to their beliefs which differed from the European’s belief patterns. The Native American’s color became one of the indicators of their inferiority. It could be said, that race, was created in order to separate the cultures and set up categories, inferior and superior groups. Eugenics was the study and perhaps a justification of how races were deemed inferior due to traits inherited from ancestors and was believed to be true by many. By modern standards Eugenics can be seen and identified as a phony science. The European trend of thought on this topic remained consistent, and this ideology was later imposed on yet another, the African Americans. Therefore, the African Americans’ humanity was also questioned and denied. Race later became recognized as a social construct used to distinguish cultures from one another. Race has always been a major crisis here in America since the Europeans “discovered” the natives, to the slavery of the African Americans, and the labor abuse of the Asians, and race will continue to be a basis for many humanitarian movements, as well as a tool it as an incentive for voters...
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...Mexican, born and raised in Mexico City, one of the largest cities in the World. Being a Mexican has its ups as well as its down. When it comes to the United States and Mexico there is a whole lot to say. People in Mexico see this country as where their dreams can come true, but I see it as a great opportunity, but all while trying to make a better life for you and your family, we are being criticized and stereotype from Americans. The one thing that Americans might not know is that behind all the criticizing, we have so much to offer and so much history to learn about. I can’t tell you how many times I have seen or heard people from the United States talk about Mexican people, they talk about us like we are slaves or placed on this earth to do jobs who not too much people will do. The one thing that the United States fell to realize, well most, is that the word America doesn’t just belong to Americans but Mexico and other countries is America too. So, doesn’t that make us all Americans? Mexican history starts from hundreds of years ago; we had many different civilizations even before the Spanish conquerors arrived in 1500, after that we became the New Spain, named by the Spanish King. After almost 500 years we became an independent country, Mexico, with a huge geographical area; the states of Mexico use to cover from the actual California, Utah, a small corner of Wyoming, almost the half of Colorado, a small corner of Kansas, and the entire state of Texas to the...
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...African Americans have faced racism, prejudice attitudes, and discrimination in America for hundreds of years. First Black people were brought over as slaves and treated horribly by White people. After Black people were finally freed, they were then segregated from Whites until 1964 (Parrillo, 2011). Presently Black people still experience a great deal of racism in the United States. There are four main areas where African Americans encounter racism: job attainment, acceptance by other citizens, education, and poverty. Black people experience job discrimination through institutional discrimination. As defined by Parrillo, 2011, "institutional discrimination is the unequal treatment of subordinate groups inherent in the ongoing operations of society's institutions. Entrenched in customs, laws, and practices, these discriminatory patterns can exist in banking, criminal justice, employment, education, health care, housing and many other areas in the private and public sectors" (62). African Americans may not get a higher paying position simply due to the fact that they are black, and therefore labeled a certain way. Affirmative action took place in 1961 in attempt to produce equality in the workforce (Parrillo, 2011). However, employers still find opportunities to avoid hiring an African American based on "other factors." Blacks also experience racism through acceptance by other American citizens, mainly Whites. Whites may make it harder for African Americans to participate and...
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