The Status of Blacks in the Unites States “For much of black America life seems suspended. In the bleakness of filth and of the inner cities our people go through motions of living. On the street corners jobless men still wait, among the garbage and rats children still play. There are some features to the scene City blocks are ravaged by the riot, the bums and blocked buildings, the empty lots still stand like silent witnesses to their futile anger”(Lusane C ,1994, p.135). Historically African American have endured a large amount of economic distress. Exploitation for labor for 400 years brought about turmoil. There was no land for the black people. They were not allowed voting privileges now nor then. There was a lot mind manipulation that took place. Lack of self worth was one of their main concerns. The slave owners made divisions between the black people by favoring light over dark blacks put a wedge between the African community as a whole. Black people were also ousted from the community due to their dark skin and discrimination towards them. “Black people are weakened by their own distrust and jealousies of each other by our factionalism and feuding"(Natanson ,1992, p. 56). Black people today are no better politically, economicly, or socially than they were before despite the numerous efforts that they have made. Problems with social equity existed in the preceding years with African American. More than two blacks were prohibited to congregate at on time because there were laws that hindered it. Also there were Jim Crow laws that were very oppressive to the African American community. Rejection from bathrooms and drinking fountains and restaurants forced blacks to segregate from the community. Schools were also ... ... middle of paper ... ...tics of Exclusion. Google. Retrieved 11/15/00 www.pacificnews.org/jinn/stories/6.16/000807-many.html Lusane C. (1994) African American At the Crossroad :The Reconstruction of Black Leaders and the 1992 Elections.Hunter Publishing Nelson W. (August 2000) Black Atlantic Politics : Dilemnas of Political Empowerment in Boston and Liverpool (Suny Series in African Studies). Washington Publishing Swain C. (December 1995) Black Faces, Black Interests : The representation of African Americans in Congress. Brown Publishing Natanson N. (August 1992) The Black Image in the New Deal: The Politics of FSA Photography. Fredrickson Publishing Corporation Mitchel P. (1996) Cuban Interests Section, Washington DC- Celebrating the Role Black Politics. New York TimesPeter R.( 1993) Blacks Blaimer R (1972) Racial Opression in the United States, Blackwell Publishing Company
Kellogg, Charles Flint. NAACP: A History of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. Baltimore: The Johns Hopkins Press, 1967.
While whites lived comfortable lives in their extravagant mansions and driving their fancy cars blacks had to live in a disease infested neighborhood with no electricity or in door plumbing. Approximately one thousand people lived in shacks that were squeezed together in a one-mile zone. The alleys were filled with dirt, rats, human wasted and diseases. Blacks lived in houses made of “old whitewash, a leaking ceiling of rusted Inx propped up by a thin wall of crumbling adobe bricks, two tiny windows made of cardboard and pieces of glass, a creaky, termite-eaten door low for a person of average height to pass through...and a floor made of patches of cement earth”(31). Living in such a degrading environment kills self-esteem, lowers work ethic and leaves no hope for the future.
Although an effort is made in connecting with the blacks, the idea behind it is not in understanding the blacks and their culture but rather is an exploitative one. It had an adverse impact on the black community by degrading their esteem and status in the community. For many years, the political process also had been influenced by the same ideas and had ignored the black population in the political process (Belk, 1990). America loves appropriating black culture — even when black people themselves, at times, don’t receive much love from America.
Gates J.R., Henry Louis & West, Cornel. The African-American Century. New York: The Free Press 2000
The social conditions throughout the era were extremely poor. Legal discrimination was around and African Americans were denied democratic rights and freedoms. The southern states would pass strict laws to normalize interactions between white people and African Americans. For example, Jim Crow signs were placed above regularly visited places by everyone, such as water fountains, public facilities, door entrances and exits, etc. Even the most basic rights such as drinking from a water fountain was taken away from African Americans. They would also have separate buildings for African
The African-American Years: Chronologies of American History and Experience. Ed. Gabriel Burns Stepto. New York: Charles Scribner 's Sons, 2003.
Black Status: Post Civil War America. After the emancipation of slaves in 1862, the status of African-Americans in post-civil war America up until the beginning of the twentieth century did not go through a great deal of change. Much legislation was passed to help blacks during this period. The Civil Rights Act of 1875 prohibited segregation in public facilities and various government amendments gave African-Americans even more guaranteed rights.
Bloom, Joshua, and Waldo E. Martin. Black against empire: the history and politics of the Black Panther Party. Berkeley: University of California Press, 2013.
Here, Malcolm begins his analysis by talking about the distinct political climate that existed at that time where many individuals in both the South and the North were frustrated with the stagnant pace by which racial progress was being achieved in context of civil rights legislation. In this, Malcolm in many ways levies a threat by which he warns the political elites of that period that the time is now to enfranchise African-American’s, not later. Additionally, Malcolm furthers his analysis by also critiquing the political trickery played by both the Democratic Party and the Republican Party in Northern States. In this, Malcolm posits that each of these parties have relied on the negro vote to gain and hold office, yet these parties in many instances have left many black issues—like civil rights legislation—on the table rather than actively fighting for them in the roles in which they serve. Lastly, Malcolm concludes with a discussion on liberated self-sufficiency. In context of this notion, Malcolm focuses on the need for black people explicitly to unite to form a concentrated and deliberate attack on the structures of white supremacy and the political institutions that perpetuate and ultimately preserve
Chafe, William, Raymond Gavins, and Robert Korstad. Remembering Jim Crow. New York: The New Press, 2001.
4)Jr.Spencer, Samuel R. Booker T. Washington, And the Negro's Place in American Life, Little, Brown and Company.Boston.Toronto,1955
Staples, Brent. “Just Walk on By: Black Men and Public Space.” 50 Essays. Ed. Samuel Cohen.
Karenga, Malauna. Introduction to Black Studies. Los Angeles: University of Sankore Press Third Edition, 2002.
In addressing the Los Angeles riot, Dr. West, wrote, “The riot of April 1992 was, neither a race riot, nor a class rebellion, rather, this monumental upheaval was a multiracial, trans-class, and largely male display of justified social rage.” These events were unfortunate, and attempts were made by ‘the powers that be’ to blame them on “the black underclass, the action of criminal hoodlums, or the political revolt of the oppressed urban masses miss the mark.” Instead, Dr. West attributed the cause to: economic decline, cultural decay, and political lethargy in American life. He stated, “Race was the visible catalyst, not the underlying cause.”
Ransby, Barbara. Ella Baker and the Black Freedom Movement: a Radical Democratic Vision. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina, 2003. Print.