African American studies

a class, changing their major and even leaving the university to attend school elsewhere” (Solórzano et al. 2000: 69). Specifically, one African American female student reported changing her major to English after being upset and tired of having to fight through the racism she experienced in her science courses (Solórzano et al. 2000). In Hubain et al.’s study of graduate students, they found that experiences with racial microaggressions, racism, and white supremacy (Bondi 2013) lead some…

Student at NC State NC State is one of the highest ranking universities in North Carolina. It is a large, land grant university known best for its engineering, agricultural, and animal science programs. NC State is also a predominantly white institution, which often receives more credit and is more accepted and discussed compared to historically black colleges and universities. It is a privilege to attend this university because of its high status and the positive things people usually associate…

a role in politics that is often overlooked by the personalities patrolling today’s political battlefield. In prior eras, poetry took a more obvious and up-front role in politics. Poetry influenced some of the most powerful movements throughout American history— perhaps most clearly seen during the Civil Rights movement. Harlem Renaissance poet Langston Hughes became a role model for Martin Luther King that grew from their similar background and heritage. King’s writing process for “I have a…

and Immigration on the African American in the 21st Century As our nation faces a new president and the realities of politics in a post-Obama world, the big issue that stops conversations cold, is still the question of race in America. Since the recent victory of Donald Trump in the 2016 U.S Presidential elections, racial tensions in the United States have been anything but united. Despite the many accomplishment made by the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960’s, African Americans are still…

1892 in Atlanta, Texas to Susan and George Coleman. At the time of her birth, her parents were already married for seventeen years and had nine children; Bessie was the tenth child of thirteen. Her father was of African American and Cherokee Indian decent and her mother was of African American decent which made it difficult for her from the start. Her family settled down in Waxahachie, Texas as sharecroppers. Her older brothers and sisters started to work while Bessie was home taking care of her…

in 1821, the fate of the nation’s enslaved Afro-descendant population entered a phase of uncertainty. Mexico’s slave system had been in the process of collapsing even before Mexico became an independent republic. George Reid Andrews shows in his study on Afro-Latin America that less than one percent of the Afro-Mexican population remained enslaved by 1800. Although slavery remained legal after Mexico’s independence, the 1824 Mexican Constitution proclaimed civil equality for all Mexicans…

In recent years police brutality against unarmed African American males have been a common headline in the news. Unfortunately, with every tragedy it seems as if another one follows shortly after. According to the Businesses insider, “Since 2005, just 11 cops have have been convicted of fatally shooting somebody while on duty even though thousands of people have died from police-involved shootings...54 officers charged in connection with the fatal shootings, only 11 have been convicted,…

color as when screening resumes the recruiters weren’t looking at faces, but they were able to look at names. Katherine found through her studies that African Americans and Asian who masked their race on resumes received more job interviews. Having been a part of the recruiting side I could see myself agreeing with the study that Asian and African American who mask their race, by using a ‘white’ name receive better opportunities for a job interview. In my line of work for companies that are…

men and women traveling through predominantly white neighborhoods were stopped and questioned for no reasons simply because police officers felt they didn't belong there . On February 2009 study of traffic stops and searches in West Virginia showed a pattern of racial profiling and revealed that African-American motorists were 1.64 times, Hispanics 1.48 times likely to be stopped than White drivers. After the traffic stop, non-Whites were…

Police officers will stop African-Americans just because of their race. “In Newark, New Jersey, on the night of June 14, 2008, two youths aged 15 and 13 were riding in a car driven by their football coach. All were African American. Newark police officers stopped their car in the rain, pulled the three out, and held them at gunpoint while the car was searched. James stated that the search violated his rights. One officer replied in abusive language that the three African Americans didn’t have…