Reflective Essay: Understanding Of Black Identity

As I begin to examine myself, it is evident that my self-identity, which includes my personal identity, spiritual identity, regional identity, and gender identity, as well as worldviews and values are almost entirely made up of the efforts of my family, my friends, and from my experience of growing up in America as a person of African descent. In addition, the African American culture that has influenced myself as well as those who are closest to me has partly done so by establishing a culturally preferred communication style that varies based on age and relationship. In order to begin to understand Intercultural as well as International communications, it is imperative that I first evaluate and understand my own cultural and personal values, views, and communication styles. With this understanding, I will be able to open myself up to understanding, learning, and accepting others ways of life.

Everyday the future in America looks brighter for the issues dealing with race and identity. Brave souls are not letting racism, class discrimination, or sexism holds them back anymore. The fight for a balanced society that pushes for equality is on the horizon. My identity has grown since researching other peoples’ opinion of identity. I have been in America for fourteen years now, and I am still searching for where I actually belong. I was born on September 17, 1995 in Savanna-La-Mar, Jamaica. At the mere age of five, my family left Jamaica and moved to Atlanta, Georgia. This is truly where my life story and identity began.

White! Black! Brown! Purple! There is no difference. All of these colors look different, but we all forget that they all fall under the same category. The world is made up of thousands of different cultures and of course, different races. We also live in a world with many problems and one of them being racism through-out a society or a single racist person. Racism has been around since the dawn of time. All through time there have been historical events that made a change in the view of racism to Americans, but these events did not make America a post-racial country. Americans have been fighting for the rights with violence for a post-racial country. This is because a post-racial country means less violence and equal rights. The only problem with fighting for a country where freedom takes place in every race is that people do it in an inefficient way, therefore; most confrontations lead to more controversy between races. A non-racial society in America is a myth and always will be

It is important to realize that even though it is the 21st century, United States of America is not a post-racial society. A post-racial society is considered to be “a society free from racial prejudice, discrimination, and oppression” (Adams et al., 57). The reason I state that it is not post-racial is because racism, discrimination, prejudices, and oppression occurs every day. Although racism and discrimination does not have as much public support as it once did, it is still evident. Since there is not as much public tolerance for either issues, people may hide their racist or discriminatory beliefs. Also, discrimination and racism is not as candid as it once was on mass media, but there are still subtle hints of both.

My initial conceptualization is that Biko is under a lot of stress. It’s his second year of college and he is pursuing a double major. That alone in itself can cause substantial stress. Not only is he dealing with academic stress but he is also having problems with his girlfriend Tanisha. Biko and Tanisha are not on the same page when it comes to premarital sex. Biko wants them to be sexually active and Tanisha doesn’t because of her religious beliefs. Biko also struggles to control his anger and has said that he feels like he is losing control and feels helpless and hopelessness. He is concerned how his anger will continue to cause problems with his social relationships. He has tried to channel his anger into other activities like working

The movie was an interesting movie because it has the ability to make you react with many emotions. The movie follows characters that live in Los Angeles and the characters are involved in each other characters’ lives. With each character I had a first impression and I would most of the time end up with different impressions of them in the end. There are a few concepts I noticed and created after watching the film. I had a variety of emotions while watching the film, the most notable emotions were angry to hopeful. Regarding racism the action I could take is to not always rely on stereotypes.

I always seem to struggle when I encounter the word “race” as it is used to identify me. Since beginning the course, I have been challenged to think more about this term, “race,” and consider, specifically how I identify myself. Race, to me, immediately connotes skin color, and so, as a man of Middle Eastern background, I never am clear in terms of where I fit: Am I white? Black? Or am I something different altogether?

Throughout my life I’ve never really witnessed any traumatizing social issues. I live in a community that’s inhabited by people of the same racial and socioeconomic status, so despite being a lower income Hispanic I usually am accepted in my community because my social standing is common in my society. Yet, as I’ve gotten older and have been opened to the injustices of the social world, I’ve noticed some past and current events of discrimination due to my race that I’ve received from others outside my normal social environment. Discrimination in my younger years wasn’t so prominent, but there are some figures in the media currently that have spread hatred towards people of my racial group and those of many others.

Through the eyes of a six year-old, it seemed as a question of language proficiency rather than animosity. As I got older, I learned about white privilege and Caucasian superiority. How could something so outdated still weave its way through societal advancements? It seems that basing dominance on the amount of melanin in an individual is still used as a foundation today. Through centuries of slavery and equality rights being fought for, it perplexes me how people can still stand with such ignorant beliefs. I began to realize that this white-dominant mindset continues to be engrained in young children—particularly in the media. I grew up watching television sitcoms of white characters with colored characters (if any) taking the supporting roles. I never thought much of this custom until I began admiring these white individuals and realized that I would never achieve their physical appearance. Rather than appreciating my own ethnic background, I idolized the race oppressing other races—including my

Identity can be described as the way we view ourselves; the way that we distinguish ourselves from others while also comparing our similarities. In other words identity is what makes someone unique and average at the same time. To start off with I was born and raised in Jamaica for 6 years with my parents, but due to the fact that my parents were offered an opportunity to attend school in America they dove for a chance of a better life. My first home was in Jefferson, Missouri where it seemed like it snowed every day. White sheets of snow would cover every inch of the city, no stone or rock was left without an inch of snow. The city was so beautiful to me because it would always light up in front of my eyes. The people there was so nice that

The year was 1915, Carter G. Woodson had recently traveled from Washington D.C to celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of emancipation. This gave him and thousands of other African Americans the ability to appreciate displays highlighting the progress African Americans had made since the abolishment of slavery. This occasion inspired Woodson and four others to form the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History (now Association for the Study of African American Life and History or ASALH). This organization’s purpose was to recognize and promote the accomplishments and history of African Americans that often went unnoticed. In 1916, Woodson created The Journal of Negro History in hopes that it would familiarize people with the findings and achievements of African Americans. But Woodson wanted more; he wanted all people to celebrate and be aware of the great things African Americans had and were accomplishing. He wanted both whites and blacks to have strong, positive affiliations. Woodson decided the best way to accomplish these things was to create Negro Achievement Week.

Media is a focal reason for the evolution and formation of masculinity, especially black masculinity. Men are at the forefront of media, and the men that are portrayed in media are almost perfect in every fashion. The media has stereotyped black men, which ultimately leads to the evolution of the black man. The evolution of the black man is formed through a stereotype because, it affects the expectations of what black men are supposed and not supposed to do. Starting in the early 1950s the image of black men started to change. Elite black jazz men started to withdraw themselves for the stereotypical black man.

“When Race Becomes Even More Complex: Toward Understanding the Landscape of Multiracial Identity and Experiences”

Overall, many believe that the undeviating war on racism in today’s society is fueled by police brutality and anti-police violence. Specifically, The Black Lives Matter movement which is the source of controversy regarding these topics. To summarize, this campaign is “both a hashtag and a political project that formed after the acquittal of George Zimmerman in the 2012 killing of Trayvon Martin.” (Miller). Later in the article Chelsea Fuller, senior communication associate of The Advancement project which is a multi-racial civil rights organization, states “The Black Lives Matter movement is to deal with anti-black racism, to “push for black people’s right to live with dignity and respect” and be included in the American democracy that they helped create” (Miller). In discussions of The Black Lives Matter movement, a controversial