African

succeed in improving their economic conditions without the benefit of advanced education; as such entrepreneurs as Alan Sugar came from a poor household with no college education but obtained fabulous wealth through his business ventures. Notable African Americans have also become rich as sports-stars or rap-singers. Most individuals, however, do not become come entrepreneurs, athletes, or entertainers, and most white-collar professions require post-secondary education, access to which a large…

Following the Emancipation Proclamation and the Civil War, many assumed that black Americans in the south were granted their freedoms and the rights believed to belong to all men. Southerners were especially vocal about the expanded rights of black Americans as they attempted to prevent further involvement in southern politics by the northern Republican government, but many white northerners were also critical of northern involvement. William Dunning, author of Reconstruction, Political and…

study of the African experience it is important to gain a proper understanding of how Africana studies works. To gain a better understanding of how it works it is important to look all the way back into Pre-History. One can have a clear and accurate picture of two things. The first, is how little is covered in many African American Studies or Black Studies courses and textbooks in the United States. The second is that the focus primarily on the slave trade or forced diaspora of Africans is…

Honestly, this read was a very informative one at least for me. It explains the tribulations of African Americans and their roles in the film industry. How society labels a black person (taking a quote from Charles Burnett Page[51]) “Making an ass of himself” and thus will be depicted films which in turn puts gives society a stamp to continue the labeling, which is young generation will see this depiction and might believe its reality, a concern expressed by Bobby grandmother in the film…

There was a relationship with the reality of the black African whose suffering and exploitation was directly made real and exacerbated by the white French aristocrat, and the intimate, controlled and voiceless rendition of that slave in which the white owner used to consume in the physical (erotic visuals,), soothe in the psychological (depicting him as docile and benevolent), and exploit in the spiritual (used to reinforce a white colonizer identity). A similar play on duality is found in a…

Andrea Burns book From Store Front to Monument: Tracing the Public History of the Black Museum Movement is a fascinating interpretation of the development of the African- American Museums. Her argument that in order to understand the development of African- American Museums it is important to first look at where these museums were built and the goals in which the embodied; “Understanding the origins of this evolution helps us contextualize and historicize black public history, from its modest…

Religion plays an important part in the African American community. In my case it was something that was a strong part of my life and we spent a lot of time in church. We were told that a strong spiritual relationship would make me a better person. But as time went on this to me seemed a myth to me, because I saw people were not improving as people. These individuals were sick on a moral level and were lost spiritually. They would tell us one thing and live their lives in an opposite manner.…

On February 9th I attended “African Diasporic Religions: Hearing, Resistance, and Weaponry.” The talk mentioned a lot of material concerning African customs such African Ceremonies or spiritual attire; however, the one piece that stood out to me the most was the use of Voodoo. Through this talk I learned the true form and purpose of Voodoo in African religion, which was completely unlike anything I have witnessed before. In America and many other places in the world, individuals like myself…

continued rift or disconnection between African Americans and Africans. Most African Americans are descendants of enslaved Africans that were transported to the US during the trans-Atlantic slave trades. Since African Americans and Africans are descended from the same rooted African culture, it is reasonable to expect that they would adapt and co-exist in harmony; however, there is tension between the two groups. Compared to other races that live in America, the African American community does…

African American communities have for far too long been put in turmoil by the horrors of racism. From looking at America’s history of slavery, the Jim Crow Era, and the countless murders of innocent African-Americans, it can easily be seen that racism has long run rampant in America. This racism caused and continues to cause unrest and agitation in African American communities. This unrest has been expressed in many ways: first with slave revolts, then the Civil Rights Movement, and now the…