Introduction To Black Studies

There are many concepts discussed within Dr. Maulana Karenga’s book Introduction to Black Studies, but I will be thoroughly discussing Black Studies as a discipline, Black Liberation Theology, Black Womanist Theology, Religious Thrusts, the wealth and income and its influence on political empowerment, the reversal of ghettoization problem, economic and political empowerment of African Americans, Black on Black crime, Post-Traumatic Slave Syndrome, and Psychopathic Personality (2010). Fundamentally, I will discuss the challenges Black Studies creates for the traditional American education. Black Studies challenges the traditional education in every way. It challenges the fact that all knowledge is based on one particular race—White. Most of …show more content…
Many are skeptical of Black Studies, they believe that it is an ethnocentric study. In my opinion Black Studies does not promote ethnocentrism. For example, Black Studies shows how important other cultures are to the world other than Europeans. It focuses on Black and disproving European Studies, but the founders of Black Studies noted that it is not to make Black culture more important than any other culture (Karenga, 2010). As I aforementioned, Black Studies purpose is to correct or disprove current “facts” that were “found” by Europeans. It challenges all current facts, to broaden the knowledge and add another perspective to the “only perspective” that many American know. Preceding is Black Liberation Theology is described as “a doctrine of God committed to the liberation of Black people” (Karenga, 2010). Two leading proposer of Black Liberation Theology are James Cone and Albert Cleage Jr (Karenga, 2010). These two figure heads fought for the relevance of Black Liberation Theology and some question the relevance of it in this day. In my opinion, Black Liberation Theology is relevant and could be used today—as in resources of church social justice and injustices. In today’s time I do not know how effective it would be, which could cause it to …show more content…
Karenga brought forth a very important factor of being African American, wealth and income. One of the many stereotypes Blacks are associated with is being poor and living in poor conditions. Though it is sad to say, many African American do live in poverty and do not accumulate a significant amount of wealth. In Introduction to Black Studies, there are pervasive factors listed that hold African Americans back from greater wealth and political empowerment. One factor is that this society is based on racialization and has been set up to further Whites and hinder those of color for example tax benefits (Karenga, 2010). Another factor was economic detour which is policies that prevent Blacks from having personal belongings such as being a free agent (Karenga, 2010). Lastly it is noted that Black are comfortable with the inequality within this society (Karenga, 2010). A pressing point to make is that wealth and political empowerment go hand in hand. Dr. Karenga notes that you cannot have one without the other which means due to the lack of wealth, Blacks have no political power and due to no political power, Blacks have no wealth (2010). It is also important to note that the people with political power and wealth are the Whites, and this is because the ancestors of Whites created a society conducive to Whites wealth and empowerment. In a sense of money equals power, Black have always been the disadvantage. Some other factors of impeded wealth are an increase in single