Italian diaspora

“Invisible Man” is a novel written during the 1930’s. Written by a black author, Ralph Ellison, it could be seen as an attempt to illuminate the invisibility pertaining to the social difficulties faced by blacks. Central to this attempt are the motifs of invisibility and blindness. Ellison demonstrates these different, physical and mental states on different levels through allegories depicting the real acts of savage black people were subjected to. In this essay I will discuss how Ellison…

There are many valuable things in life, and one of the most significant is survival and sometimes one must fight to survive. Throughout the novel, Black Boy, by Richard Wright, fighting and violence are just a part of the main character, Richard’s, life. This novel is Richard Wright’s autobiography, which covers his childhood and early adulthood. Wright opens up about all his young rebellious actions and describes just how quickly he was torn away from the innocence of childhood at a very early…

Introduction Mary McLeod Bethune’s My Last Will and Testament reflects on a lifetime of educational research and activism. She wrote this as a beacon for the advancement of negro men and women. She had few possessions to leave when she passed, but had a wealth of experiences she could share with others. Ideas About Higher Education Bethune views higher education from a holistic approach with a focus on the developmental aspect on both the individual and group levels. In the article she states,…

The Appeal of Black Folk Did David Walker’s Appeal influence the work of W.E.B. Dubois? What kind of themes are prominent in both of their works? William Edward Burghardt Du Bois was born in 1968 in Massachusetts (Jarrett 909). He was the first African American to graduate from his high school. Later, he attended Fisk University, Harvard University (where he was the first African American to achieve a PhD), and University of Berlin. Dubois created the American Negro Academy and wrote many essays…

Morrison has created memorable African American characters who struggled to live their lives as full individuals with their triumphs and tragedies. Her characters overcome the brutality of slavery, racial and economic oppression and sexism; they depend on their own inner strengths, spirituality and love of their African American culture. In her writings, Morrison shows the invisible bonds of the African American community. According to Morrison, her characters go through difficult circumstances.…

Tough Love In her book The Bluest Eye, Morrison presents the line between success and failure, drawn by parents’ to their African American children, as a tool used to prepare them for society. The line is depicted through the parents attitudes towards their children. Their mannerisms mimic how society has treated them in the past, moreover, it is a mechanism used to prepare their children for what is to come. Consequently, if the child can’t physically or mentally take it, they fail. If the…

One of the most important identities to me is my blackness. As far back as I can remember I knew I was black and was very aware of the meaning of that. I went to a majority-minority middle, and high school, I live in an all-black neighborhood and, of course, I live in an all black household. For most of my life, I have mostly been around black people and people of color, so just going to school with majority white people is definitely a different experience. Race has shaped my life because…

The song, ‘‘Welcome to The Colored Section” by Donnie Williams, is a song that expresses the true feelings and the true meaning of hardship through the eyes of African-Americans. The purpose of this song is to tell the audience of what it was like being an African American, and the difficulties black people had to struggle or fight for to end in as so called American History today. The elements work together to push the meaning because in the song the singer has tone and prospective to get you…

How does the film portray the period and events? Jackie Robinson is an example of an aspiring individual who had great potential and experience to thrive in his dream; however, his dreams are forced to stall because of the prejudice and violence he faces for being black. Brian Helgeland’s 42 (2013) portrays what other African Americans were forced to undergo using Jackie Robinson's treatment and experiences. These events reflect the ideologies during the Civil Rights Movement. Robinson…

The works of both Stuart Hall and Franz Fanon share the similar argument that, even when black people achieve or attempt to combat the stereotypes that are placed upon them, they can never seem to find themselves without some form of alternative criticism, much less on par with their white counterparts. While Fanon and Hall were writing in 1952 and 1997 respectively, their theories and conclusions are still relevant today as humanity continues to navigate ideas of “race” and concepts of the…