All Black Everything

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The first thing that some feel when they think of the color black is a sense of emptiness. Others tie double meanings to it because it can be looked at as emptiness or something all encompassing. Black has a specific meaning to me. The main thing that comes to mind when I think of black is curiosity. It raises questions regarding the notions behind how so many people use it. It has been subject of perception and much propaganda. It also directly relates to stereotypes between ethnicities. From its prevalence in my early childhood, modern society, and even notable artists' work, I grew to attach black to vagueness. I saw the color as a symbol for many issues unresolved. My father taught me well known facts from black history earlier on in my life. At the young age of 8, you could have asked me who was one of the most influential people in spawning the ruling of free agency in sports, and I would not have told you Michael Jordan. Instead, I would have told you someone by the name of Curt Flood, who played for the St. Louis Cardinals in the 1960's. I knew who Paul Robeson was--an African American with a variety of professions involving law, sports, acting, and singing. I could even tell you that his nickname was My father's intentions were for me to learn about my past as a way of visioning the future. With the exception of Savannah College of Art and Design, my schoolhood was comprised of private institutions with students that were all Arfican American. I went from a Lutheran grade school with teachers who were all black, to a mainly white Catholic high school faculty, and a historically black university whose faculty included a variety of races. This gave way for me to experience multiple views on the color black from an e... ... middle of paper ... ...d--I'm Black and I'm Proud." Say It Loud--I'm Black and I'm Proud. Polydor, 1968. Carter, Sean. "Run This Town." Lyrics. The Blueprint 3. Roc Nation, 2009. Cash Johnny. "Man In Black." Man In Black. Columbia, 1971. Cash, Johnny, and Patrick Carr. Cash: The Autobiography. HarperCollins, 2003. Gardner, Robert, Richard Tansey and Fred Kleiner. Art Through the Ages. 10th ed. Harcourt Brace College Publishers, 1996. New International Version. [Colorado Springs]: Biblica, 2011. BibleGateway.com. Web. 20 February 2012. Taylor, Erica. "Little-Known Black History Fact: Black is Beautiful." Black America Web, 8 October 2009. BlackAmericaWeb.com, Inc. 20 February 2012. the_black_diaspora_news/13274> Wallace Christopher. "Sucidal Thoughts." Lyrics. Ready to Die. Bad Boy Records, 1994.

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