Afro

The mammy figure was introduced after the Civil war. White southerners created the image to mend relations between black women and white men. The mammy was used to counter anti-slavery sentiments by masking the relationship as a friendly and familial one (Turner 44-45). Aunt Jemima originated as a minstrel show character portrayed by a white man in blackface and drag. Christopher Rutt, co-founder of the ready-to-make pancake mix, used Aunt Jemima to market his product to appeal to his local,…

woolly “nappy” is considered ugly and undesirable. Nia Long, an American actress, during and interview with Rock, discuss the pressures within the black communities, stating “when you have good hair, you’re better than the brown skin girl with the afro, …, and natural hair styles”. While this statement is presumed to be the reality for black women it is not substantial enough to classify black women as having low self esteem but touches an even greater issue that is in-drove within the very root…

tool of expression and self-presentation in today’s society. African American hair has been studied in a historical context, analyzing the cultural significance dating back to African tribes (Byrd & Tharps, 2001) as well as the commodification of the afro during the Civil Rights Movement (Walker, 2000). While historical accounts contextualize the phenomenon of black hair, other studies analyze…

As Lorde once said “Art is not living. It is the use of living”, Sky exemplifies this quote. Their style of “afro-futurism” is completely breathtaking, but equally revolutionary. For years, Sky has worked tirelessly to articulate their art in such a way that it not only has become a major part of their life but also another means of persevering in this world.…

There is a perception that the American racist mentality is dead. However, this is not the case, seeing how the post- civil rights movement era is subtly reminiscent of the civil rights time period. That observation leads one to believe that all members of each race possess characteristics or abilities specific to that race, especially so as to distinguish it as inferior or superior to another race. The reason that this perception that racism exist, is based on the ignorance society has toward…

The United States of America is a country built off of the hard work of immigrates for become a place of undeniable rights and equality to all people regardless of race, religion, or gender. However, since the beginning years of this nation, African American woman’s rights have been either nonexistent or modified because of the color of their skin. The pigmentation of African American women skin has restricted them to exercise their God-given rights and opportunities presumed by even African…

Before I can touch upon rap and its hyper masculine message, first I have to give some cultural context as to why rappers rap about the things they have claimed to experience. This started because of the decimation of the black family. Throughout history especially during the slave trade black family have been broken up whether on the selling block when mothers and fathers would be separated from their children by slave masters. To present day when a father is sent to jail away from his family…

The author I will be writing about is James Baldwin. James Baldwin is known for his essays, playwrights and novels. He is also known as one of the greatest 20th century writers. His writing is great because he wrote about controversial topics which include racial and social issues. He is also known as a civil rights activist. James Baldwin was born on August 2, 1924 at Harlem Hospital. Baldwin’s mother, Emma Jones, was a single mother at the time of his birth. She never revealed to James the…

There are few restrictions on how Special Interest groups can operate. Their strategies and tactics mostly deals with lobbying and litigation. In addition, others also use letter writing, Internet campaigns, and stage public demonstration to gain media coverage (Thomas). In theory, pluralism conveys that there is a balance of power between interest groups because of constant competition to have their voice heard. In contrast, an elitist perspective conveys the elite interest groups who represent…

Paul Lawrence Dunbar was one of the most famous poets of his time. His poems were all different ways of expressing slavery, racism, and discrimination. He grew up in a time when black people were being separated from white people, when black people were being hung by different groups of white people, and when trouble was being pointed towards them (Williams). All of these situations he grew up with affected the people that he talks about in his poems (Williams). Even though Dunbar never…