Color-lines that also made it difficult for blacks see themselves as anything other than the way they were portrayed by white-America. We learned the term “Veils” a “physical demarcation of difference from whiteness as they attempt to be both American and African in a white Society, where one identity is less equal than the other”. W.E.B. Du Bois spoke of the “road of the double consciousness produced by wearing the veil the split identity of Black” has helped to further oppress African-American and their belief for equality”. Both terms “veil and double-counsciousness designed to affect the African-American Identity in a negative way.
Secondly, by merely acknowledging that one is black already sets oneself along the road of emancipation. Another strong belief of the African Psychologists, of the was his rejection of Euro-American methods of measuring the intelligence and behavior of Black People. Psychologists believe that blacks needed to be self-reliant. They needed to do things for themselves, by themselves, instead of relying on the Euro-American or Western psychologists as the standards or absolutes.
Blacks still aren 't treated as equals, along with numerous different races. Today, in our society, being African American and being somewhere at the wrong time could wind up going to jail, because "blacks" are placed in that type of category that they steal, kill, shoot, and cause chaos. Sometimes, it doesn 't seem to come across as racist to some people, jut like placing asian 's in the category, that they 're generally smart because that 's how Asians are. As much as we want to seem like we have control over this topic, racism is still a major issue today. Racism has been utilized as weapons and to cause harm, during numerous wars, some wars were even started because of the race, for example, Hitler started the war about the Jewish people.
During the Harlem Renaissance, African-Americans had also fought to end racism and violence towards their race. Groups who fought for those can be found today such as the “Black Lives Matter” movement. “The Black Lives Matter Global Network is a chapter-based, member-led organization whose mission is to build local power and to intervene in violence inflicted on Black communities by the state and vigilantes.” (“About” 1). In other words, this is a movement where black people fight to be treated equally as others. The Black Lives Matter movement relates to the Harlem Renaissance because both these movements have/had a goal of changing the way people view African Americans so that they could be treated equally.
“Jim Crow laws allowed African Americans to be legally segregated. From that point on, African Americans were treated worse than ever before.” Some historians say that African Americans were treated better in slavery (in the 1800’s) than under the Jim Crow laws. Before the Jim Crow laws, there was slavery. They were both backed by the idea of black inferiority; both were also dominated mainly by the belief of white superiority. But not everyone believed in white superiority, but in equality.
This is because of the racial inequality that stems from the classist nation when whites are being hired and reemployed, but African Americans are not. Instead, they are proportionately displaced economically where many disadvantageous elements in the system are restricting them from gaining economic opportunities. For instance,
This double-consciousness creates a veil in which an individual is isolated from the rest of the world. It traps a person into a certain view of life, which does not allow them to see differently but only allows them to see themselves through the eyes of what other think or see of them. African Americans have been affected by the veil in the sense that it makes them feel inferior and secluded from the rest of society. It keeps them from becoming fully conscious of themselves. They see themselves as how they are perceived by the white community.
For this paper the topics that will be discussed are going to cover the Reconstruction era and the Civil Rights movement. These two topics are important to understand the impact that they had on society and the country as a whole. A nation that is still struggling to understand its own identity, during these periods there was a clash of visions to create what America’s image is today. Even though these events occurred one hundred years apart, the message was clearly related on the idea of equality. These events single handedly fought for social tolerance amongst black and white Americans, without these events who knows how our country would have developed.
It is getting the people of the community to support the revolution and make for a better life. In the essay it states, “Black art must expose the enemy, praise the people and support the revolution” (52). Black art is important to the survival of the black culture and the key to a better life, by revolution. Ron Karenga relies the message that a black aesthetic is essential to the revolution, in that it will help to judge the validity of the art in the black culture. If art is not to support the black revolution, it is invalid and useless to the community.
Why do Black Lives Matter? Black lives matter. It’s something so simple and straightforward but why does it stir up angry emotions. Why is it that when people say black lives matter why do they believe that all other races are not included in the rhetoric? We live in a society of individualism and selfishness.