“It is socially and psychologically dysfunctional to be unfamiliar with one’s own culture and heritage” (Stewart & Anderson, pg. 8). This quote stated I totally agree with but what about acknowledging another culture whether it’s your own or not? As a non African American I still believe that African American Studies should be its own discipline and area of study. African American Studies serves a purpose of its own, a purpose different from history and sociology. All ethnic groups such as African Americans have their own unique culture and history that should be fully understood. From what I know, history tends to just refer to slavery and civil rights and ignore the rest of the contributions African Americans had on society but from chapter one in the book I read that, “African American Studies explains and acknowledges the heritage, culture, and ancestral roots in Africa” (Stewart & Anderson, pg. 4). So with this being said, I …show more content…
who are of African origin and background” (Stewart & Anderson, pg. 4). African American studies should be an area of study because it covers multiple topics such as, history, sociology, psychology, politics and creative arts (Stewart & Anderson, pg.5). It does not cover only history or sociology. There are also far too many figures that shaped history leading to African American Studies that in my opinion should not be ignored. Like Mary Ann Shadd Cary for example, I had no idea who she was until I read chapter 1 out of the book. She established a school in 1851 to help Black refugees from the United States and she became the first Black woman to edit a weekly paper in 1853 that promoted the cause of black refugees to Canada and included antislavery editorials and articles on women and their
The United States rests upon a foundation of freedom, where its citizens can enjoy many civil liberties as the result of decades of colonial struggles. However, African Americans did not achieve freedom concurrently with whites, revealing a contradiction within the “nation of liberty”. It has been stated that "For whites, freedom, no matter how defined, was a given, a birthright to be defended. For African Americans, it was an open-ended process, a transformation of every aspect of their lives and of the society and culture that had sustained slavery in the first place." African Americans gained freedom through the changing economic nature of slavery and historical events like the Haitian Revolution policies, whereas whites received freedom
African or black history was not a study that was done by many until the last century. Studying African Americans accurately as part of American History was an even newer field of history. John Hope Franklin’s obituary calls him, “the scholar who helped create the field of African-American history and dominated it for nearly six decades.” He would call himself an historian of the American South.
works deserve literary and scholarly attention from all people because of the universal themes confronted, view of individuals at all levels of society, and the representation of diversity and complexity of the African American female at the turn of the century.
The African-American Years: Chronologies of American History and Experience. Ed. Gabriel Burns Stepto. New York: Charles Scribner 's Sons, 2003.
Some African Americans view their race as inferior to the white race. Even though the author may not hold this same opinion, it is still important that he or she understands that part of his or her audience does, especially when writing about racial identity. Zora Neale Hurston understood
I agree with the author African Americans reflect the distress of the horrific treatment of their ancestors. They are still deeply affected by the ideas that were once instilled within their culture and ethnicity and because of the lack of recognition this is a continuous process. A possible solution to this problem is for African Americans to be reeducated of the past so that they can become motivated once a new perspective is created.
Hypertension will continue to be a major cause of death all for Americans especially African Americans. Limitations in care for the under-served will continue to be a growing problem. Solutions must be made to provide the delivery of high quality, lower cost and especially effective primary care to the underserved populations.
Slavery. Many people today would like to forget that part of America 's past but, for African Americans, it is not so easily forgotten. For African Americans, life in America has been tumultuous to say the least. Since those first few horrendous centuries, African Americans have been making strides towards a better existence. Things are better now because of the countless African Americans who strived and believed that things could be better for their people. Even though African Americans still have a ways to go, African Americans have come a long way over the course of 100 years because the foundation of the NAACP, the Harlem Renaissance, the "I Have A Dream" speech, and the fact that an
The aspect of African-American Studies is key to the lives of African-Americans and those involved with the welfare of the race. African-American Studies is the systematic and critical study of the multidimensional aspects of Black thought and practice in their current and historical unfolding (Karenga, 21). African-American Studies exposes students to the experiences of African-American people and others of African descent. It allows the promotion and sharing of the African-American culture. However, the concept of African-American Studies, like many other studies that focus on a specific group, gender, and/or creed, poses problems. Therefore, African-American Studies must overcome the obstacles in order to improve the state of being for African-Americans.
Despite the restrictions imposed by slavery, African Americans have made significant contributions to American culture in music, literature, and cuisine.
For instance, he mentioned where African has played meaningful roles in notable historic American events. However, all of these documents has been purposely hidden in favor of the Caucasian roles in history. Three conclusions have been established regarding the study of the Negro’s past. First, his primary conclusion was that the Negro has been the pioneer, and an active collaborator in his own independence and personal growth. Second, meanwhile, the Negro has been viewed as “exceptional” by many, those who possess such influence and knowledge have been unreasonable separated from the group. Third, “ the remote racial origins of the Negro, far from being what the race and the world have been given to understand, offer a record of credible group achievement when scientifically viewed, and more important still, that they are vital general interest because of their bearing upon the beginning and early development of human culture”. (The Negro Digs Up His Past, Arthur
As I reflect on who I am and which culture I identify with, I am met with reservation. My parents are both Black Americans, they were both born and raised in the United States, their parent were also born and raised in the US. It is obvious that we derive from African descent; our skin color and physical features yet I find it difficult to relate or identify with my African heritage as slavery has played a pivotal role in separating us from our African origin. African enslavement left us devoid of a way to define ourselves. It severed familial ties and deprived us of any viable opportunity to reclaim them.(www.huffpost.com) We are descendants of African slaves but when I speak to someone who was born in Africa or research African culture, I
Traditions are practices/beliefs that are passed down from generation to generation. In traditional African societies, a kinship ties people through birth or marriage. There are two kinds of relationships in customary African tradition; those bound by blood, which are called consanguine, and those constructed by marriage, called affilial. There are four key descents that determine inheritance and marriage. However, the most common descent is patrilineal, which traces ancestry through one's father. While in America, we are vary tolerant of tracing our descent from both parents.
African American Culture is found everywhere we can explore their culture through many avenues we are presented in the class, such as Fences by August Wilson, Theatre& Race by Harvey Young, Course lectures of the history of African American Theatre, Previous knowledge, and Course Lectures African American critical Theory. All of these avenues are connected and influential of each other.
Through taking Introduction to African and American Studies, I have come to understand as to why it is crucial for people to have knowledge of African American Studies. The reason being, many past events in Black history, still have an impact on the societal structure we all live through today. However, this thought of the past still being relevant in the future is usually dismissed. This is a form of cognitive dissonance that people have where they are so fearful of confronting the past, and are ignorant to the repercussions we all must face due to past mistakes. Entering this course, I already possessed a sufficient amount of knowledge regarding Black studies. Though I have enrolled in higher level African American Studies courses in the past, taking this introductory course has still been effective in increasing my understanding of African American Studies.