Today in 2016, we are still at a crossroad between racial identity and bondage. History has a strange way of repeating itself. Even though we made it through 250 years or Slavery, 90 years or Jim Crow, and 60 years of Segregation, we still are going through the same struggles in modern time. This systematic oppression of African Americans has been here far too long and it has been embedded into the American Culture. We are strong people born from super humans who survived the horrors or The Middle Passage to the pain of Chattel Slavery. We come from the backs of giants in every field of academia. Unfortunately, all of our history has become whitewashed by society.Which has forced the black community to culturally assimilated to the white western
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Using words to express our wants, needs, and feelings gives people the chance to make language bias or inherently racist. Ossie Davis argues the same point in “The English Language is my Enemy” that language is a necessary function that can be used to marginalize groups and carry negative connotations. Race-identifying terms like negro, colored, black, and nigger all have a large impact on self-identity for African Americans today. For the example, the racial slur “nigger” is one of the most notorious words in American culture. This word has traveled from 1800’s all the way up to the 21st century. Moreover, the word carries with it much of the hatred and disgust directed toward Black Africans and African Americans. The adds to the fact the word black is a tool of bondage and oppression when used by the white …show more content…
For example, when we receive our degrees we black robes not white. Furthermore, the highest level in martial arts is distinguished with a black belt. In reality black has always been and will always be a source of power and influence. My definition of black is intelligences, beauty, and power. Unfortunately, the English language has mad black into this band idea. Stokely Carmichael once stated, “it is a call for black people in this country to unite, to recognize their heritage, to build a sense of community.” The white culture has forced fed this definition of black to the masses for too long now. In some places around the world the blacker you are the more sought after you are. We come from heroes who survived the atrocities of the middle passage. If the tables were turned how many of the whites would have made it through all the pain and
Using words to express our wants, needs, and feelings gives people the chance to make language bias or inherently racist. Ossie Davis argues the same point in “The English Language is my Enemy” that language is a necessary function that can be used to marginalize groups and carry negative connotations. Race-identifying terms like negro, colored, black, and nigger all have a large impact on self-identity for African Americans today. For the example, the racial slur “nigger” is one of the most notorious words in American culture. This word has traveled from 1800’s all the way up to the 21st century. Moreover, the word carries with it much of the hatred and disgust directed toward Black Africans and African Americans. The adds to the fact the word black is a tool of bondage and oppression when used by the white …show more content…
For example, when we receive our degrees we black robes not white. Furthermore, the highest level in martial arts is distinguished with a black belt. In reality black has always been and will always be a source of power and influence. My definition of black is intelligences, beauty, and power. Unfortunately, the English language has mad black into this band idea. Stokely Carmichael once stated, “it is a call for black people in this country to unite, to recognize their heritage, to build a sense of community.” The white culture has forced fed this definition of black to the masses for too long now. In some places around the world the blacker you are the more sought after you are. We come from heroes who survived the atrocities of the middle passage. If the tables were turned how many of the whites would have made it through all the pain and