Sherell Thompson Classism in the African American Community SOC3349 University of Houston How are African Americans categorized by classism in the Houston area? Class Action defines classism as “differential treatment based on social class or perceived social class. Classism is the systematic oppression of a subordinated class group to an advantage and strengthens the dominant class groups. It’s the systematic assignment of characteristics of worth and ability based on social class.”…
Self-loathing. Anguish. Bitterness. These are all emotions that stem from colorism within the African American community. Colorism is skin color stratification. It is a "form of oppression that is expressed through the differential treatment of individuals or groups based on skin complexion" (Lowman). Typically, it demonstrates favoritism to those of a lighter skin tone, while those of a darker tone experience rejection and mistreatment. This is a social issue that “is...taught in our society,…
know for my education level when it comes to African history. It turns out that I am slightly in the know about colonial African history and know almost nothing of Africa in the latter half of the twentieth century, the how and why of what she became when freed from the colonial yoke. Even if the wanton international interference into African affairs continued, with startlingly little benefit to native Africans. It seems that the world lumps African civil rights as a whole under the Biko banner…
by racism towards African Americans and their plea for equality. Despite the Civil War and 13th Amendment ridding the U.S. of slavery, society still favored whites and many African Americans were discriminated against because racism was still a monumental issue. Many court cases were created regarding African American equality, and not many ended by them gaining it. The Jim Crow Laws impacted the government by providing it the power to enforce segregation and disallowed African Americans to have…
Impact of Race, class, and gender in Policing and Sentencing Race, class, and gender have an effect on the outcomes of the American criminal justice system. However, whether that outcome is favorable or not depends on where each individual lies on the race, class, and gender hierarchy of the United States. Cassia Spohn writes in great detail about the effects of these three characteristics in her article “30 Years of Sentencing Reform.” Before Spohn lays out the findings of her research, she…
Current Event An unarmed African American 18 year old, Michael Brown was shot and killed on August 9, 2014 by a white police officer, Darren Wilson in Ferguson, Missouri. Shortly before the shooting, a convenience store had been robbed. Officer Darren Wilson claims that as he encountered Michael Brown, he recognized him as the suspect of the robbery. Therefore, he backed up to block him. There are several claims, and not enough evidence to anticipate what exactly happened next. Officer…
College has been nothing as I expected, as well as an unforgiving experience. Since, in high school teachers supposed to lead the education of their students. However, now that I am attending college it is clear that I am the owner of my own learning. (Hazard & Nadeau, 2011, p. 11) When I was attending high school, I did not have any other responsibilities other than my education. However, now that I am attending college, there are expenses that need to be paid. This has caused me to both, be…
education, many of our ideas and opinions can be stereotyped or prejudiced, bearing no relationship to the truth” (ch.5, p.254). Learning to Read and Write This reading by Fredrick Douglas on his experience to read and write shows great commitment by an African American during a time of slavery. Douglas was a slave that whose duties were to work and obey, not read and write. But, he felt a strong urge to be educated thus leading him on a search to find white people -mainly male children- to…
Since rock and roll did not begin till the mid 1950s the youth was still being held to strict tidy polices by parents and educators. Social cultural wise the teens were to dress in an specific manner where the males must be dressed in tight jeans, button up shirts and letterman cardigans. As for the girls they had to wear ballet flats with long poodle skirts. The youth of the 50s was also given the same social norms that their parents acquired when they were young. Many of the recreational…
hope for the blacks, that time had now ended. The black community lost their key ally. In the book New Perspectives on the History of the South : After Slavery : Race, Labor, and Citizenship in the Reconstruction South, Brian Kelly writes that the African American “triumph marked not so much a new trend in black thinking as the eclipse of the black working-class politics that had flickered so brightly, yet…