Racism In African American Culture

The Africana experience refers to the difficulties African American people have encountered throughout history. Racism is displayed through stereotypes, representational systems, music, politics, and several other ways, all shaping African American people. Racism began to rise in the early 1900’s and continues to affect African Americans in society today. Through popular music and popular entertainment, African Americans have continuously been misrepresented and segregated against in America. Although there are many changes in the way African Americans are represented, racism may still be present. Music was a large part in history of the life of an ancestor of African decent and is now recognized as a time of segregation between whites and

Whites rarely heard about the lives of African Americans and had misconceptions about their lives. There was a larger separation between dominant and subordinate groups (Marshall, Özlem 1). During the twenties, the blues genre was only popular within the black community. Broadcasters of the newly invented commercial radio categorized this music in which African Americans sang as “race records”. Race records included; gospel, blues, jazz, classical and spoken words. Broadcasters of the newly invented commercial radio categorized this music in which African Americans sang as “race records”. Race records included; gospel, blues, jazz, classical and spoken words. The race records were marketed directly to African Americans and soon became part of their culture. “Listening to and enjoying these recordings not only unified the listener with the artist, but also with African-Americans in other communities across the country, giving them a voice and a place within the chaos of urban life” (Schoenberg 1). Even as popularity of African American bands and musicians grew, these race records were not broadcasted. “…record producers felt that white audiences would be more inclined to buy jazz

In live entertainment, white actors would paint their faces to display the facts that their character was African American. This is known as the black face minstrelsy. This was the first form of popular entertainment, occurring during abolitionist movement aiming to end slavery. This form of segregation was counteracting the progress that was being attempted to end segregation and slavery. Black face performances appealed most to northerners who had little knowledge of African Americans. They assumed all African Americans were like the ones white actors had imitated on stage. This was a huge misrepresentation. Often slaves in black face performances were happy and showed top be treated well as a slave in a southern home. This was not the case and it falsely informed northerners of the actually terrible lives black southerners were facing. Another form of segregation and misrepresentation of blacks was the stereotype that African Americans always did the Jim Crow shuffle. It began when an old crippled African American man was seen doing an exaggerated form of the shuffle. He was in torn clothes and white Americans copied the man’s dance, insufficient health, and raggedy clothes (Ethic Notions 1). Musicals and cartoons would show exaggerated black looking characters doing an exaggerated and extreme version