To Be or Not To Be
Marlon Riggs’ documentary, “Black Is…Black Ain’t” explores several untold truths of African American culture. These truths are expressed by African Americans who have lived during and dealt with countless sufferings of being black in America.
Based on the testimonies given throughout Riggs’ film, the black community is known for being sexist and denouncing those who are homosexual. Molefi Asante believes that “homosexuality is a deviation from Afrocentric thought.” This quote produces the idea that if one is truly of African American descent, he cannot be homosexual. Ice Cube takes this idea further by saying “true niggers ain’t faggots.” While watching the documentary, one could not help but notice how many times being
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This teaches that if you are black, you are not welcome. Whether the kids learned this rhyme from parents or peers is irrelevant. What is relevant is the fact that they are being taught that black is bad and inferior. This not only destroys the sense of equality, but also teaches that certain shades of black are accepted. This creates tension among blacks and forces criticism which then leads to blacks tearing one another down. How can a culture expect other cultures to respect them if they cannot respect their own? Once again, a course objective has been met. Society’s conditioning has “hindered African Americans’ socialization and complete integration into society. (VSU Gen. Ed. Outcome 1, 2; AFAM Minor Outcome)” In order to truly make a change, the African American culture must first be able to stand together as …show more content…
The most important part of being black is being able to come to terms with who and what you are and accepting it. The second most important key to being black is realizing that we must serve and give back to the Black community. After years of oppression and enslavement, we must wake up and realize that in order to progress, we must help and uplift one another. A few of the men and women who were interviewed have obtained a life that is better than the one the once had. Because they have more money and are now a part of the middle class, they are often critiqued and judged by those of the same color.
Marlon Riggs presented information on a culture not by research but by testimonials. Hearing testimonials from kids and those who are “in or from the ‘hood” adds a sense of truth and realness to the documentary. It makes it believable. This video is vital to the course because it allows the student to better understand oppression not only from white counterparts, but from fellow blacks as well. It shows the evolution, or the lack thereof, of African American
From this, the lives of African Americans proved to be much stronger than what was credited for. Great criticism had yet to come from and the thrive of such influential people was beginning to be acknowledged. Barriers have now been broken and the race for equality has begun. With the foundation of a newly
Professor George Lipsitz’s lecture was about the collective intelligence and gathered from centuries of struggle for black people in America and how it is key for Black survival and dignity. Black Studies can be applied to this topic through our exploration of these centuries of struggle, from the Atlantic slave trade to the Reconstruction period to the events in Flint, Michigan and Ferguson, Missouri which Professor Lipsitz highlights. Throughout these centuries we see various tactics and crises that contribute to the continued subjugation of black people, whether this was enslavement, lynching, or legislation. Black Studies also applies to Professor Lipsitz’s lecture through what we learned about notable people who resisted the endless cycle
These devices ensure the audience’s attention and understanding, rather than a lack of sympathy or interest. His devices also connect the audience to the issue and makes them understand the depth of misrepresentation. Staples in his own way is able to show how preconceived notions are cruel generalizations of large groups of people, and a constant plague to the african american
Where do we draw the lines between adoration and mockery, influence and appropriation, and individuality and stereotyping? Accordingly, the racial subject has always been a touchy topic to discuss, but with the lasting effects that the black minstrelsy has left in the society, we most definitely need to deal with the racial subject. Only this way can the American society move forward both as a nation and as a species, and through such efforts, only then can we ensure that such history can never repeat
African Americans face a struggle with racism which has been present in our country before the Civil War began in 1861. America still faces racism today however, around the 1920’s the daily life of an African American slowly began to improve. Thus, this time period was known by many, as the “Negro Fad” (O’Neill). The quality of life and freedom of African Americans that lived in the United States was constantly evolving and never completely considered ‘equal’. From being enslaved, to fighting for their freedom, African Americans were greatly changing the status quo and beginning to make their mark in the United States.
Although race relations in the United States between whites and African Americans have significantly improved since the abolishment of Jim Crow laws, director Spike Lee’s socially conscious satire, Bamboozled shows that discrimination has only evolved. Released in 2000, the film sought to edify the African American population about the racist and stereotypical treatments blacks endured during the Jim Crow era when they were used to entertain the white masses. Moreover, it also shows how that culture is still propagated today, with African American film makers just as guilty. From the time the first African set foot in the North American colony of Jamestown, Virginia, in 1619, race relations have always been whites’ superiority over blacks.
America is one of the most diverse nations in the world. It is a melting pot of cultures, which has made it a great nation. This variety of cultures has helped impact and build America into the great nation we are today. One of the cultures that has influenced America is the Black Culture. This particular culture is known for their evolution of music and fashion and also their trendsetting skills in hair and dance.
The ongoing problem of discrimination due to appearance has affected many, specifically black people. One of the most unusual things with no point or definition. This prejudice against black people has caused much unification within the United States. The lives of these black people have been severely affected, as it has affected their acts, appearances, and ways of life. As Brent Staples explains in his essay “Black Men and Public Space,” black people deal with many problems, from discrimination, and he explains these points in an orderly manner and each very thoroughly.
In Marlon Riggs’ 1992 documentary film titled Color Adjustment, Riggs, the Emmy winning producer of Ethnic Notions, continues his studies of prejudice in television. The documentary film looks at the years between 1948 and 1988 to analyze how over a 40 year period, race relations are viewed through the lens of prime time entertainment. The film examined many of television’s stereotypes and mythes and how they changed over the years. The one hour and twenty-two minute documentary is narrated by Ruby Dee, the American actress, poet, playwright, screenwriter, journalist, and civil rights activist.
They found each others company comforting a new way rather than the idea of fear bring them together. African Americans also, “enthusiastically participated in politics”. Black happily voted and became equal, by law, to whites because their voices were heard when it came to the
I believed that Whites and Blacks were equal however there were no African Americans in my grade school classes from K through ninth grade. There is truth to the assertion that parents’, relatives’ and friends’ negative reactions to people of minority races do send mixed messages to children (Sue & Sue, 2014). I recall that occasionally my father would make negative comments regarding an individual’s ethnicity which demonstrated to me that people could be judged by others based on their ethnic
Perhaps the most significant event that occurred on October 7, 2015 was the exclusive screen of Finding the Gold Within in the W.V.M. Fines Arts Center. This film touched my soul because it revealed the concerns of young, black males at predominately white institutions. Although the students encountered similar problems as students at historically black colleges, their struggles differed due to the fact that racism was one of the greatest obstacles during their college experience. In addition to the discrimination and the racial undertones in the academic institution in which the males attended, the youths had to learn how to balance their internal conflicts as well. One of the greatest conflicts that continue to affect the African American
Starting from youth African American children are brought up living two different lives. One where they go visit family who may not live in the best neighborhoods or areas and living in their own community at home. At times when they visit the old neighborhood that their family may be from they are faced with teasing from either older cousins or family members. They are teased because they may not have the latest Jordan’s or the current clothing that is worn. Typically, those who live in these conditions have a lot of name branded clothing yet for some reason continue to live there.
This week, the readings point the spotlight at the some of the depressing hardships that the African-American population frequently experience. In “Naughty by Nature”, Ann Ferguson covers the different perceptions that society has of colored boys. David Knight’s work “Don’t tell young black males that they are endangered” seeks to explain the differents outcomes of African-American youth that arise when society constantly oppresses them. The last article by Carla O’Connor, “The Culture of Black Femininity and School Success”, focuses on the image of African-American woman that is created as a result of them attempting to preserve in a system that opposes them.
The Mis-Education of the Negro is one of the controversial books by Woodson, which attempts to convince the blacks in America that they have accepted white domination as the consequence of being brainwashed. Woodson’s arguments in the book The Mis-Education of the Negro are solid, convincing, and applicable in the contemporary world. Some of the issues mentioned in the book, which were facing the African-Americans, are still relevant today. When the