African American Cultural Practice - Research Paper Example

African American Cultural Practice African Americans have experienced all manners of challenges to be where they are today. The history of African Americans dates back to the 17th century following the slave trade in which Africans were brought as slaves to work on white farms. It was during this time that racism started in the United States (Bobo and Fox 319). African Americans have had to live with racism since then. In the early days, particularly in the 17th century and 18th century, racism was considered normal in American society. This is because the government enacted laws, which institutionalized racism in the country. Therefore, it was not illegal to practice racism. Racism against African Americans remained institutionalized in America throughout 17th and 18th centuries, notes Nedoma (56). The success of the Civil War and the abolition of slavery were seen by blacks as the turning point in their lives. This is because they believed that the abolition of slavery and the end of the Civil War would mark the beginning of a new chapter in their life (Williams 68). However, the hopes that American Americans that racism would end did not materialize. In fact, reports indicate that the end of Civil War and slavery only ushered in the beginning of a new form of racism. Since then, the social and racial identity of African Americans has been constantly and systematically under attack because of their blackness as will be demonstrated in this document. Sociologists argue that the social identity of an individual has a direct link to racial and cultural identity, which gives the individual a sense of purpose in life (Bobo and Fox 321). It is not uncommon to find people of different races across the globe enjoy being associated with their races. For instance, the Greeks, Swedes, Italians, Spaniards, French and Germans have recognizable cultures that are directly linked to their racial and social identities. In fact, they cherish and embrace the identities wherever they go. Some of the cultural identities they are linked to include food, religion, and all manner of good things. In fact, in most cases, their cultural practices are portrayed on a positive note. However, a very different story is usually told when it comes to people of color, African Americans, in particular. In this regard, societies where racism is highly prevalent such as the United States tend to associate African Americans with negative things. African Americans are portrayed as if they are non-Americans merely because of the color of their skin. Bobo and Fox observe that in a radicalized society such as the United States, African Americans have often been constructed as criminals (322). In this regard, whites have often made people in the society believe that blacks are criminals. However, evidence shows that this is merely a negative stereotype that is calculated to segregate African Americans from the rest of the society. Although African Americans engage in criminal activities, the criminal behavior of an individual has nothing to do with an individuals culture or race as whites are trying to make it appear. Sociologists argue that criminality is a personality trait that can be influenced by an environment where one lives. As such, criminality is not linked to race in any way. In fact, the widely held belief among white Americans that blacks are naturally criminals has been linked to increased cases of racial profiling in the country (Bernstein 16). African Americans believe that they experience arrests by white police officers due to racial profiling. In this regard, African Americans have often complained that they are normally harassed and even tortured by the police officers because of racial profiling. Recently, African Americans cited an incident in Ferguson, Missouri where William Brown, an African American teenager was killed by a police officer (Blake 3). The killing attracted huge protests from in Ferguson and other parts of the country. The police have argued that Brown was killed because he was a hardcore criminal who had earlier during the day accosted a store clerk at gunpoint. However, African Americans in Ferguson have rubbished the police claims, citing that the killing was prompted by racial profiling, an art, which the police has perfected. Although African Americans are human beings just like any other race in the United States, their humanity has often been challenged by their white counterparts. White Americans have often seen themselves as being superior to the African Americans (Williams 71). As such, they often construct African Americans as amoral human beings. In this regard, white Americans have often viewed blacks as nonhuman beings. In some instances, blacks are sometimes compared with animals, such as monkeys and other ugly creatures merely because of their blackness. Such negative racial constructs have challenged the rights and humanity of African Americans to legitimize their racial and social constructs. Coates traces the racial discourse towards African Americans to the Jim Crow era that approved laws legitimizing racism in the country (1). This has since been maintained to date with the aim of keeping African Americans from having a healthy identity, which can be appreciated and respected, not only in the United States, but globally. The media are one of the forms where racism is promoted in the United States. In July 2008, for instance, CNN aired a documentary titled Black in America. The documentary received a backlash from African American viewers who perceived it offensive and demeaning to the entire African American community (Price 26). Following the controversy, which the documentary generated, Fox News decided to seek the opinion of whites and Black audiences regarding the documentary. In the documentary, blacks were portrayed as criminals and associated with out-of-wedlock births. Therefore, by calling African American intellectuals to pander to white viewers, Fox News portrayed itself as a racist media, whose aim is to advance the oppression of the African-American people. This is after Fox News absolved the society of any wrongdoing when it oppressed the African Americans. Worst still, the documentary portrayed African American as an unmarriageable race. Some of the comments in the documentary stated that African Americans do not have the luxury of marrying and bringing up families together as their white counterparts do. The documentary attributed to the fact that African American men are lazy, many of whom find it difficult getting jobs with medical benefits (Price 33). Therefore, since African American men do not find it easy finding gainful employment, they become unmarriageable. The documentary also stated that, because a large number of African Americans are in the prisons, they lack the economic empowerment, which makes it difficult for them to marry since they cannot support their families. Although most African Americans find it difficult marrying and raising a family together, the reasons have nothing to do with race. Normally, any poor person would fear marrying for lack of economic empowerment needed to raise children together. Therefore, African Americans have often viewed it offensive for whites to consider them as unmarriageable only because they are black. Evidence shows that most African American men are not economically empowered because of racial discrimination in employment. Studies have consistently showed that African Americans find it difficult getting jobs because of the color of their skin. Although African Americans make up to about 13% of the U.S. population, very few have gainful employment (Bernstein 21). This is because most American employers hire workers on racial basis. Most employers consider African Americans as unskilled, criminals, and lazy, thereby making it difficult for them to get gainful employment with benefits. In fact, studies have shown that the majority of African Americans work in the informal sectors while the majority of whites work in the formal sectors of the economy. The disparity in employment is attributed to racism, which denies even brilliant African American professionals the opportunity to get a gainful job, which can enable them marry and raise families together. African Americans are not only disadvantaged when it comes to hiring; rather, they are also discriminated in terms of earnings (Slaughter-Defoe 49). A study conducted in the U.S. companies found that white middle class families earn far more than black middle class family for a similar job. Study has linked the disparity in earnings between Blacks and whites to systematic racism practiced by American white employers who head most companies in the U.S. Therefore, African Americans have often been reduced to second citizens of the United States. As such, African Americans have often been wondering why they have to be victimized merely for belonging to a different race with whites consider amoral human beings. Nedoma notes that African Americans are among the few races that have stuck to their true African roots (72). Although many transformations have happened in their lives, evidence shows that Africans are proud of their African roots and their way of life. Nevertheless, whites Americans have often misinterpreted the pride of African Americans to mean being superstitious. This is seen in the Blackface show where African Americans are portrayed as being so superstitious and do not deserve to live in the midst of white Americans. The theatric performance also ridicules the black identity with white characters painting their faces in the dark colors to mimic the black identity. However, instead of doing it in a normal way, the white characters exaggerates everything by making themselves look extremely ugly to make the audience feel that African Americans are ugly. The exaggeration is first seen when the characters in the film painted their faces with black shoe polish (Touré 77). This act could not just be interpreted as art; rather it was meant to portray African Americans negatively. Illegal drug dealing is a major problem that America has been trying to fight over the years. However, because of the ball things associated with illegal drugs, American society has often used it as a means of attacking African Americans. In this regard, the American society, particularly the movie makers have often associated African Americans with drug lords and crack victims. A study conducted in the film industry found that blacks were more likely to appear as perpetrators of drug dealing and violent crime incidences (Slaughter-Defoe 52). In this regard, the movies are trying to show that African Americans are dangerous people in the society; therefore, the society should be wary about them. Scholars note that, consistent negative portrayal of African Americans in the film makes children who lack the capacity to differentiate between reality and film are made to believe that African Americans are criminals and drugs dealers. As such, they grow up believing that American Americans are dangerous people in the society whom they should keep avoiding. The continued use of such negative stereotypes against the Black race has made it difficult for African-Americans to legitimize their black identity (Touré 88). As DuBois, for instance, noted that African Americans tend to experience double consciousness the more they are subjected to racial treatment. Once African Americans develop the double conscious feelings, they end up suffering damage to their self-esteem and image. An African American experiences double consciousness when he or she has reached a state where it is difficult to reconcile black identity and the American identity. Scholars have concurred with Dubois argument citing that the majority of American Americans are unable to reconcile their black identity with that of an American. They attribute this to the fact that negative stereotypes and racism has made them feel as if they are amoral human beings. In conclusion, African Americans have undergone many challenges to be where they are today. The history of African Americans dates back to the 17th century during the slave trade. It was during the slave trades that the descendants of the current African Americans were brought into the United States. This is also said to be the period when racism began. This is because white Americans, particularly those at the south where slavery was practiced oppressing African Americans as if they were not equal human beings. The southerners not only oppressed African Americans by subjecting them to hard labor, but also viewed them as amoral human beings who can be used and dumped like objects. Some African Americans were even killed by their masters for failing to obey their command. Although the end of slavery and Civil War was thought to mark the end of racism in America, evidence shows that these events only changed the form in which racism was practiced. Ever since the end of the slavery and Civil War, racism has been widespread in the United States than ever before. African Americans continue to be treated as amoral human beings by the society. Blacks face all manner of social injustices in a country where they call home merely because of the color of their skin. Blacks are discriminated against, abused and even mocked just because they are black. However, it is important for the society to begin realizing that America can only realize meaningful development when people puts their racial and cultural backgrounds and work together as Americans. There is no gain whatsoever that a black or white gets by discriminating against each other on the basis of race. As a matter of fact, African Americans contribute significantly in the development of the economy of the United States. In fact, American society should use the contribution that President Obama has made towards the development of the country as an example to show that African Americans are able to make a difference if given a chance. Therefore, Americans should shun divisions among races by ensuring that the society lives harmoniously without hatred, negative stereotypes on discrimination on the basis of race or cultural practice. Works Cited Bernstein, Robin. Racial Innocence: Performing American Childhood from Slavery to Civil Rights. Princeton, NY: NYU Press, 2011. Print. Blake, Aaron. “The Most Discriminated-Against People In America? It’s People like You, Of Course.” The Washington Post 22 Sept. 2014: 3. Print. Bobo, Lawrence D., and Cybelle Fox. Race, Racism, and Discrimination: Bridging Problems, Methods, and Theory in Social Psychological Research. Social Psychology Quarterly, 66.4 (2003), 319-332. Print. Coates, TaNehisi. “This Is How We Lost to the White Man.” The Atlantic 1May 2008: 1. Print. Nedoma, Jeannette. Race, Racism and Violence in Ann Petrys The Witness. New York, NY: BoD – Books on Demand, 2009. Print. Price, Melanye T. Dreaming Blackness: Black Nationalism and African American Public Opinion. New York, NY: 2009. Print. Slaughter-Defoe, D.T. Racial Stereotyping and Child Development. Mason, OH: Karger Medical and Scientific Publishers, 2012. Print. Touré. Whos Afraid of Post-Blackness? What It Means to Be Black Now. New York, NY: Simon and Schuster. 2011. Print. Williams, Angel K. Being Black: Zen and the Art of Living with Fearlessness and Grace. New York, NY: Penguin. Print. Read More