Black anthems have a long standing history that can be traced through their African roots to modern day songs. Political groups have used these anthems to both lead and thrown into crisis their aims and objectives of their political messages. Not only have anthems been used in political areas they have also been used to showcase the culture at the time of their prominence. These anthems have many benefits such as uniting people together for certain causes, however, some of the anthems drawbacks are that they have been nearly forgotten as their respective political groups have faded away into history. The book Anthem: Social Movements and the Sound of Solidarity in the African Diaspora by Shana L. Redmond proves that anthems have been used …show more content…
The NAACP used their platform in society to move away from Black Nationalism into their own agenda of welfare and interracial political campaigning (Redmond 64). As with “Ethiopia”, the anthem was used to unite the political aspirations of the NAACP. Because of its presence in the black community in the south, “Lift Ev’ry Voice and Sing” brought in that demographic that was missing from the NAACP. Without this the organization would not have been the powerhouse that it became which in turn helped with the agenda and brought the NAACP into the national foreground. While being a political stepping stone, the anthem brought together Japanese achievements that would in turn help with black culture (Redmond 82). Because of the interest in the anthem, the cultures of Japan and black America would help further the NAACP. Japan’s prominence in the world gave the blacks the international platform that they needed that gave more stability to their position as a political and cultural standing in society. “Lift Ev’ry Voice and Sing” anthem showed that some of these anthems had their benefits to a political organization. Redmond stated the song “has retained the institutional title of anthem in the Black United States (273-274). Anthems can be beneficial to the political organization that they stand for and this song proves that. By staying in prominence “Lift Ev’ry Voice and Sing” has established the NAACP as an organization is still influential today even though it has a long history that could have ended it trajectory into mainstream
Even in the medical field, male doctors were dominate to the hundreds of well educated midwives. “Male physicians are easily identified in town records and even in Martha’s diary, by the title “Doctor.” No local woman can be discovered that way” (Ulrich, 1990, pg.61). Martha was a part of this demoralized group of laborers. Unfortunately for her, “in twentieth-century terms, the ability to prescribe and dispense medicine made Martha a physician, while practical knowledge of gargles, bandages, poultices and clisters, as well as willingness to give extended care, defined her as a nurse” (Ulrich, 1990, pg.58). In her diary she even portrays doctors, not midwives, as inconsequential in a few medical
“We Shall Overcome” was a popular song of comfort and strength during the civil rights movement; it was a rallying cry for many black people who had experienced the racial injustices of the south. The song instilled hope that one day they would “overcome” the overt and institutional racism preventing them from possessing the same rights as white citizens. Anne Moody describes several instances when this song helped uplift her through the low points of her life as a black woman growing up in Mississippi in the 1950s and early 1960s. By the end of her autobiography “Coming Of Age In Mississippi” (1968), she saw a stream of excessive and unending violence perpetrated by white people and the crippling effects of poverty on the black people of
Assuredly, the purpose of this speech was to enlighten the minds of many Black Americans and engaged them in the fight for the civil rights. They now understand the situation at hand based on the vivid details expressed by X in his speech. As a result of X speaking up for the nation of blacks, he instilled the idea that African Americans should vote and become more politically active, by this motivation, he has established a new philosophy in the minds of the Black Americans, that being to seek equality.
This book has proven to be an enlightening read. It both teaches and inspires. Howard Zinn has offered us a perspective of the real story of American history heretofore unavailable to us – history from the perspective of real people – immigrant laborers, American women, the working poor, factory workers, African and Native Americans.
Once in a while a truly exceptional person has made a mark on the growth of mankind. Dorothea Dix was an exceptional woman. She wrote children’s books, she was a school teacher, and she helped reform in prisons. Some of her most notable work was in the field of making mental health institutions a better place for the patients that lived in them. Dorothea Dix gave a great deal to humanity and her achievements are still being felt today, especially in the treatment of those with mental disabilities. Dix started out though with very humble beginnings.
The identity of Black Power was often connected with hate, violence, and racial resentment. Leaders like Malcolm X, Stokely Carmichael, and Huey Newton all spoke endlessly on issue of race relations and white oppression. Malcolm X and his “message to the grassroots” is an excellent example of how X and Black power enthusiasts viewed race relations. The speech emphasized the shared experience that all Negroes face in the United States, expressing that black people should unite under a revolution of a common enemy, “The European.” He continues how the Europeans have suppressed black ability to reach and maximize their full potential. X’s “Message to the Grassroots” speech stands a testament of Black Power’s perceptions; through a common enemy the group was able to form a collective identity.
Imagine being ripped apart from your mother as a child. Imagine watching family and friends receiving the stinging blow of a whip. Imagine religious men telling you that this is the will of god as they work you as close to death as they can. While difficult to imagine, this occurred to some of those who were enslaved in the early United States of America. One of the most heart wrenching of these accounts comes from a man born as a slave, Frederick Douglass. The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass is an example of how some early Americans dehumanized slaves and how Fredrick Douglass’ viewed this atrocity. Despite this, Douglass found mental and physical means to fight this treatment.
The rise of the NAACP, was in effect long before the first members came together as a unit, the spirit of freedom was already being heard through the cries of those lynched, forced to endure public disgrace and ignorance through like of education, the American Negro. Before the first letter was typed, the spirit of writers such as August Meier, and John Hope Franklin were being purged through the blood of their fallen comrades. Yet being in the ground, their voices cry out what does it take for a black man to receive justice as free men. In the spirit of the rise of the NAACP, there were many challenges and obstacles they had to confront, lynching, the Jim Crow laws and educating newly freed slaves of their worth in this hostile society. It is my hope that the voices of Moorfield Storey, Mary White Ovington ans W.E.B. Du Bois will show the validity of the NAACP as a platform to the success of people of color, yesterday, today and whenever needed.
The rise of such speeches mostly made during demonstrations and mass actions across the United States were based on the continued oppression against the Black American population. Such oppression received such wide outcry more so due to the fact that it was perpetrated by the same government that was meant to act as a protector of its subjects. To great length, the group’s freedom of speech and assembly constantly faced oppression and as such the masses we...
Music, for generations, has been used to display the continuous atrocities occurring within our world; whether the musical composition be “We Are the World” or “Imagine” by the infamous John Lennon. These influential songs helped identify the sociological struggles the world was facing during those times of turmoil and strife. Currently the American society is dealing with various forms of racial tension amongst the communities of our diverse country. Society’s perception of race and the values we have tied to individual ethnic groups for a long time have been misconstrued in such a way that they have led to institutional racism and privilege. Discussing race and its role in society often times is a taboo subject for many individuals, but in
The history of the African-American struggle against the forces of racism and oppression is a long and complex one. It dates back to when the first groups of Africans were forced to the Americas against their will. A tragedy most aptly described when Malcolm X proclaimed, “We didn’t land on Plymouth Rock; the rock was landed on us (X, Malcolm). Since that point in history, over four hundred years ago, Black people in the United States have been fighting to escape the holds of White supremacy. Leaders such as Frederick Douglas, W. E. B. Du Bois, Marcus Garvey, and many others each fought to win back the dignity and pride that had been stripped of their black brothers and sisters at the hands of racial inequality. This fight has continued on for centuries, and has employed many different methods in the quest for equality. One method in particular, stands alone as notorious in its advocacy for Black pride and power: Black Nationalism.
Record labels played a big role in bringing the black struggle to the mainstream through their artists music. In particular, two labels were the frontrunners for producing records that would continue to promote addressing the black struggle: Motown and Stax. Motown, a black-owned label, was seen as a more assimilationist and industrial record label that was successful in making hits that appealed to both black and white audiences, earning it the nickname of “Hitsville, U.S.A.” Stax, a white-owned label, was seen as being more representative of black self-reliance and an overall more authentic, black record label that appealed much more to the black audience, earning it the nickname of “Soulsville, U.S.A.” Despite their differences, both labels used their own style of music production and distribution to help surface the black struggle in very similar ways, and in turn they helped pave the way for black consciousness to emerge through soul music.
Both Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X manipulate the audience’s emotions, pathos, throughout the speech. However, Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X use pathos in different ways. Martin Luther King Jr. uses pathos to create a patriotic and welcoming feeling throughout the audience. In his opening paragraph, he greets the audience by stating he is “happy” to speak to the audience. Throughout the speech, he includes positive words to reinforce the welcoming feeling such as “hope” (101), “joyous” (101), “magnificence” (101), and “great” (101). In addition, he adds a patriotic feeling in the crowd to show that people of color are not different from white people. He includes an American song, My Country Tis’ of Thee, as well as repeating the word “together” (103) in another paragraph. He uses the last line of My Country Tis’ of Thee, “let freedom ring” (104), towards the end of the speech to emphasize that the people of color are similar to white people. By using the song, he is showing that both African Americans and white people know the song.
Monson, I. (2010).Freedom sounds : civil rights call out to jazz and Africa. New York Oxford: Oxford University Press.
“There is no perfect relationship. The idea that there is gets us into so much trouble.”-Maggie Reyes. Kate Chopin reacts to this certain idea that relationships in a marriage during the late 1800’s were a prison for women. Through the main protagonist of her story, Mrs. Mallard, the audience clearly exemplifies with what feelings she had during the process of her husbands assumed death. Chopin demonstrates in “The Story of an Hour” the oppression that women faced in marriage through the understandings of: forbidden joy of independence, the inherent burdens of marriage between men and women and how these two points help the audience to further understand the norms of this time.