Black Madonna

binoculars that see black life from a distance, never with the texture of intimacy,” writes Michael Eric Dyson in his essay “Death in Black and White”, which is a New York Times article in response to the deaths of Alton B Sterling and Philando Castile by “the hands of the police.” Dyson is talking about how white America will always struggle to understand black people. White America’s inability to understand African Americans is echoed in Claudia Rankine’s essay, “The Condition of Black Life…

character was from the newer or older generation, their views about race and the status of their interracial relationships was affected. In situations dealing with white supremacy and black progression, older individuals, both white and black, tended to be content with keeping blacks in an inferior position. For older blacks, like Sandy and Mammy Jane, their goal was to conform to the standards of whites. They were more likely to be subordinate to whites and desire to stay in low-ranking roles…

narrator becomes involved in a brutal box-match against the other workers. Similarly, in “The Lottery”, the village initially, seems calm. Yet, at the end, it is revealed that due to the long held tradition, a person, who has picked a paper with black dot would be stoned death as a form of sacrifice in order for the village to “prosper.” Both of the stories convey the importance of tradition. Along with tradition, arises the idea of conformity. Because human beings seek for comfort, they are…

The term “thug” has become synonymous with young black males in the United States. This stereotype owes its origins not to rap music, but to the racialized political atmosphere of the late 1950’s (Abagond, 2015). The notion of the stereotypical black thug of today took hold in the 1990’s with the advent of gangsta rap (Abagond, 2015). As rap has grown in popularity, integrating the thug stereotype into mainstream movies, television shows and even advertisement campaigns was easy and systematic.…

The jail was created in order to keep peace and maintain chaos to one dominant space. The jail is an entrance point to the criminal justice system. In this system, people are arrested and booked for performing crimes, this includes basic misdemeanors. A jail is supposed to hold persons of a dangerous behavior, such as rapists and predators, but this isn’t generally the case. A great majority of persons confined in this type of space belong to a different social category. American jails are known…

Questions that Jefferson brought up was why couldn’t the colonies induce the slaves into the state instead? The problem found within that reasoning Jefferson foresaw the backlash of racism to the blacks by the whites, which would only divide them further. Jefferson observed the distinction of the blacks and whites, although different in particular areas of culture, musical talent, and color of skin they were endowed with the same higher level thinking and the ability to learn as the white people…

ongoing and continuous violence and systemic racism perpetrated against the black community, as well as increased access to media, the United States has become increasingly polarized, creating a black community that feels betrayed and dejected. Subsequently, hip-hop artists have turned to the microphones to take a stand. Jasari X, and Mick Jenkins, both exemplify the ongoing and systemic oppression perpetrated against black people by demonstrating the tremendous affect prejudice and…

Truth is not a simple task to understand. We cannot stand with an extremist’s belief and not believe anything else. Dr. Cornell West argues in his essay Race Matters that it is not just one race that is to blame for the racism and inequality, as people often believe, but that it is an individual’s decision to decide if one race is better than another. He is mirroring the idea, unknowingly, that Deborah Tannen writes about when she says that truth is like, “…a crystal of many sides. Truth is more…

African American life. Dr. King briefly explains the treatment African Americans endured throughout the 1900’s. Some of these issues persist. Inequality is an important issue within America, and it clearly shows a nation without unity. Not only for black people, but other ethnicities are treated unequal as well. Another issue in today’s society is racism. It exists all over the world; however, it is not easily noticeable. Racism is usually viewed through one’s actions. When questioning…

The “man” is holding me down. This is a common idiom many black people have become accustomed to hearing. It’s often applied when things don’t go according to plan. Job interviews, house hunting, and court cases all instances when the “man” is holding black people back. Although it’s seen as a figure of speech, there may be an underlying truth to the phrase. With that said the “man” may not be referring to an actual person, but systematic racism. This idea that any group of people is being…