American Black Bear

things that matter.” - Martin Luther King Jr. During the 1960’s there was a great deal of hatred directed towards African Americans by white people, because of their darker skin color. This hatred led to segregation and the ill treatment of African Americans. Many African Americans created what is known as the civil rights movement, which was initiated to fight for African American rights. In this movement there were two men that rose above and took initiative and no longer remained silent…

fruit. The singer is an African American, female Jazz singer called Billie Holiday. “Strange Fruit” was released during 1939 in the time where segregation was still pretty big in the south. Lynching had been happening for a few years before the song was released. While definitely a way to dehumanize African Americans, which is wrong, there was some reasons for them other than simple hating of a different race. Some of the lynching were as a way to get back at the black people, especially in case…

hip-hop in many different cultures and languages but still may have the similar concept of the street. Politically, many of the artists and rappers who took on hip-hop as a culture where poor, and the music became a form of cultural expression ”For many black youths in the United States… the world is a ghetto. Trapped in and witness to cycles of violence, destitution and lives of desperation, their aspirations and views find expression in political behaviour, social practices, economic…

they spend more time with each other. Jadine’s stereotypical white view of black men manifests itself when the two argue and after hearing Son speak she surprisingly repeats, “Lazy. Really lazy. I never thought I’d hear a black man admit it” (Morrison 170). Son and Jadine cannot truly love each other because the two come from different cultures and have different values. By calling Son lazy, Jadine makes her view of black men clear. She sees them in the same egregious way many whites do, but Son…

Hope of Changes In A Lesson Before Dying, author Ernest J. Gaines describes how a dehumanized black community of the 1940s struggles to break free of the oppression they have endured in a racist society in order to gain respect, pride, and dignity. However, the novel contains several key factors that make it hopeful. First, the sad and pessimistic story of Jefferson’s impending execution transitions into an optimistic fight against the prejudice and injustice as Jefferson learned to “walk” to…

Secret History of Guns” he explains the history of the Black community’s relationship with gun rights and gun control; from the American Civil war to the Black Panthers, the right to bear arms has been one of the most important rights they could have in order to protect themselves and their community. Black Americans have always been barred from bearing arms but after the Civil War ended with the rise of southern animosity towards Black Americans and the forming of hate groups such as the KKK,…

Ralph Waldo Ellison’s novel, Invisible Man, depicts the struggle of a young African American man as he navigates his way on the winding path of life in the bustling chaos of New York City’s Harlem. One theme in particular, appears frequently in this work of literature: the man in the machine, the powerful symbolic representation of black labor and discrimination provoked manipulation. Furthermore, this is an exceedingly compelling concept that rears its head even in modern society, at times…

never be gone is racial tension. From the earliest of times, we have had slavery and throughout writing we have had the views of slavery writers. Each literary movement brought more and more views of the perspective of an African-Americans life. Then, we had African-Americans capturing in their owns words how they viewed white people; how they portray each other in their own ways. The mid 1800’s -1900’s was a time of slavery, even though there was a change in segregation, racial views were still…

“I wanted you to see what real courage is, instead of getting the idea that courage is a man with a gun in his hand. It's when you know you're licked before you begin, but you begin anyway and see it through no matter what.” Harper Lee’s well known To Kill a Mockingbird highlights the struggle of living in the Great Depression. During this time period, the southern states were largely affected by the ideals of racism. Lee’s novel is inspired by many historical events relating to the South during…

a student who does not understand the material or hiring a client because they are of a specific nationality even though they are not fit for the job. According to Walter E. Williams’ novel “Up from the Projects: An Autobiography,” many African Americans believe that progress in equality cannot be made until discrimination is eliminated, and view discrimination as the reason for their plight which creates a mental self improvement barrier and an attitude of complacency. Throughout the…