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The Civil Rights Movement in the US
Civil rights Movement in USA
The civil rights movement in the USA
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Our class discussions make me so eager to learn more about African American history. I see there are many gaps and misconstrued information in my knowledge of African American history. One thing I do know I am open to being corrected when I am wrong about a piece of history. Take for instance when we were talking about"Collected Likeness" and the class got into a discussion of Booker T. Washington verse W. E. B Dubois. Dr. Edwing showed me, in a very respectful way, I was missing the main point of my argument. I did not close my mind and say no I know what I am talking about and nothing Dr. Edwing says will make me change my mind. Instead, I open my ears and closed my mouth and learned I was not taught the whole story behind Washington and
As I waited to observe the audience as they filled the seats with pencil in hand, I was amazed by the amount of diversity I saw before me. By the time the lecture was ready to set foot, I observed that nearly the entire lecture hall was filled. I would say that the hall where our discussion was being held in could probably hold around 300 people. The majority of the audience was not students forced to write a paper on the Brown v. Board Commemoration events, but rather scholars who were on average in their mid-40s. It seemed as though everyone knew each other to some degree. At one point, I saw a woman walk in with her young son and they were greeted by one of the first presenters. Oftentimes, groups of 2 or 3 walked into the room and they would sit down in no particular section of the seating and proceed to talk moderately loudly and peacefully. There was a sense of joy and rejuvenation in the air. After making my final observations of the crowd, I noted that it was a predominantly white showing! Not something I would expect to see when attending a discussion on slavery. It was a spectacle for me to see a group of Asian Americans nodding in unison when points were made during the seminar relating to black and white race relations. I would say that African-Americans wer...
W.E.B. Du Bois and Booker T. Washington were two predominant African American leaders, whose views on how to progress the African American community both socially and economically sharply differed. Their perception of education, its purpose, advantage, and limit for African Americans, varied greatly. Booker T. Washington believed in training African Americans to develop crafting, industrial and farming skills, while W.E.B. Du Bois believed in educating only the top 10% of the African American community. Their views polarized the African American community into two distinct groups with very different views on education and progress. Together, these two leading points of views are part of the cause of the African American low level of labor force participation, high unemployment rate, and low rate of higher education completion.
Following the enforcement of emancipation and the passage of the thirteenth amendment in 1864, African Americans found themselves in a contradictory position of both newfound freedom and great discrimination. The newly freed slaves of America faced a society that mere years ago, considered them as nothing greater than property. During this period, two leaders of monumentally opposed schools of thought emerged in the African American community. Booker T. Washington, and William Edward Burghardt (W.E.B) Du Bois. These two thinkers were some of the most influential educators, authors, and orators of the American 19th century, and were also frequent critics of the other's methods and ideas. This was due to a sharp disagreement on the ‘right’ strategy for improving the condition of the black community. While they might not have agreed on the means, both of these remarkable men at least shared that common goal, and their efforts are best demonstrated by looking to the long standing success of institutions they founded and worked ( the Tuskegee institute and Atlanta University respectively). That being said, the diametrically opposed philosophies they supported still stand today, and each 'camp' can be identified in many contemporary debates over discrimination, society, and how to end racial and class injustice.
Imagine this; the year is 1836. You are a 17-year-old student interested in learning more about the world around you; however, such an opportunity won’t come your way because you are black. Due to this fact you have no hope of furthering your education past the reading, writing, and arithmetic their slave masters taught your parents. A mind is a terrible thing to waste. The minds of many African American’s go to waste due to individual ignorance of their people and thus of themselves. Historically Black Colleges and Universities were put into effect to educate the black mind and eliminate the ignorance. The discussion of whether Historically Black Colleges and Universities are still necessary in the 21st century has taken place in recent years. Within the discussion many debate that due to the fact that the world is no longer like it was in the 1800’s, the time period in which Historically Black Colleges and Universities were created, the purpose of them no longer exists. However, the cultural significance of Historically Black Colleges and Universities seems to be overlooked by those who argue their importance and relevance in a time where blacks have the option of attending predominantly white institutions (PWIs). The purpose and grounds on which Historically Black Colleges and Universities were developed are still being served. The need to increase efforts to not only rouse, but support Historically Black Colleges and Universities is necessary now more than ever in order to preserve our past, fulfill the purpose of our present, and ensure our future.
As a result, my thinking and perception was shaped and influenced by many of the negative stereotypes of African Americans that has been perpetuated in our society at large (this is where education can be a great liberator of falsehoods and misconceptions). I have come to appreciate Professor Marie’s Intercultural Communication course, for the class has broaden my critical thinking skills and stretched my thinking and understanding. Finally, how do I think this information will be of use to me? True understanding and teamwork will not begin to occur until individuals begin to speak up about address and embrace the controversial topics of race and culture. Setting aside the problem of racism and covering it up by saying that everyone is the same, does not eliminate the issue. Trying to patch up issues around the world dealing with culture and racism only provides a quick, short lasting solution, for when the temporary patch falls away, the problems will have grown twice as big. All it does is temporarily set aside what we know is still there.
Thought to contain a hundred years of one of the races of people that helped build and shape America as we know it. Being overlooked for centuries. IN 2003 Bush signed a law creating the African American history museum. It was one of the most educational and invigorating experiences of my life. Not many The museum is not only enlighten but enriching by capturing African American history in its entirety.
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.
Booker T. Washington was a young black male born into the shackles of Southern slavery. With the Union victory in the Civil War and the Emancipation Proclamation of 1863, Washington’s family and blacks in the United States found hope in a new opportunity, freedom. Washington saw this freedom as an opportunity to pursue a practical education. Through perseverance and good fortunes, Washington was able to attain that education at Hampton National Institute. At Hampton, his experiences and beliefs in industrial education contributed to his successful foundation at the Tuskegee Institute. The institute went on to become the beacon of light for African American education in the South. Booker T. Washington was an influential voice in the African American community following the Civil War. In his autobiography, Up from Slavery, Washington outlines his personal accounts of his life, achievements, and struggles. In the autobiography, Washington fails to address the struggle of blacks during Reconstruction to escape the southern stigma of African Americans only being useful for labor. However, Washington argues that blacks should attain an industrial education that enables them to find employment through meeting the economic needs of the South, obtaining moral character and intelligence, and embracing practical labor. His arguments are supported through his personal accounts as a student at Hampton Institute and as an administrator at the Tuskegee Institute. Washington’s autobiography is a great source of insight into the black education debate following Reconstruction.
For example Malcolm X wrote that when he was in his United States seventh grade history class he said that the teacher had covered all black history in one paragraph (213) of the text book and would make rude comments and jokes to the class during the discussion. In today’s society it’s not really the teacher that makes the comments anymore because they could get fired, now it’s the other classmates in the class that makes the slide remarks. Malcolm X also mentioned that Elijah had spread his teachings to many other black people in different parts of the United States and other black people saw that what Mr. Muhammad was teaching was that most of them did not know anything from a black person that actually lived what happened in the past, all they know in what they learned in history and sometimes what is in a history book is not always what’s true. After considering all of this Malcolm went to the library and checked out a bunch of different books that would give him some insight from other black authors to hear their side of black history. Some examples would be Story of Civilization by Will Durant, Outline of History by H.G. Wells, and Souls of Black Folk by W.E.B Du Bois (213). After looking through all of the comments and remarks Malcolm still decided to find out more information on his
I reside here in the United States of America. Currently, I am in Montgomery, Alabama, at a predominately white institute. I sit in a room full of white faces. I find myself intrigued, yet out of place as on the first day, my teacher transforms what I thought to be a typical literature class into a discussion of black women’s rights. I look around observing my peers’ faces as I begin to feel uneasy as the professors indulges into the lecture. I question myself as to why do I feel uncomfortable, as if my professor has revealed secret, government information. Why is it that being taught of black significance seem to compel an uproar within me, yet all of my life I have learned of astonishing white individuals while black excellence was only to be explored within the shortest month of the year? I find it so peculiar how my politics of location has caused me to be reluctant of speaking of black history or anything black in the presence of non-colored individuals.
After the Civil War, the south was destroyed. Much of the war was fought on its own territory. The city houses/buildings had been burned down, rail roads were torn apart, and the fields only had weeds growing from them. The economy had fallen dramatically there was no American money in the south. There happened to be only confederate money left but it was worthless and southern banks were not able to loan money out due to their economic conditions. Making the situation no better, in the last year of the war black people decided to stop producing cotton causing the british to overgrow too much cotton forcing the cotton supply to fall drastically. During the war many African Americans had ran away from their masters home to refugee camps.
Four main topics where focused explaining where and why African Americans are being discriminated against, the topics include: job markets, consumer markets, housing stability, and financial impacts. According to their data, white Americans always outrank African Americans in income, health, favorability, etc. on an average scale. The main reasons for discrimination, either in the workplace or elsewhere, are caused by opportunity for financial gain as well as an unknowing cognitive process that everybody has. The report is a great source for information on current day issues in America and provides great data on affairs due to racial discrimination of African Americans. Both authors are experienced in the subject of discrimination and they have a lot of empirical data and references making their analysis that much more effective and
African Americans have had a long history of suffering from discrimination in the United States. Although most people are probably aware of this issue, even in today's news, they don't exactly know how they were being discriminated. Some people believe that African American soldiers lacked involvement in the civil war. However, they faced huge losses in battles, were discriminated against, and their extended families were also at a loss while they were away at battle, therefore African Americans greatly impacted the civil war outcome for the union.
I was given the opportunity to attend the lecture given by Dr. Harry Boyte on Thursday in Lincoln Hall. I was surprised to find out just how many great achievements Dr. Boyte has accomplished in his life. From being an assistant to Martin Luther King Jr. to being an advisor to the presidential campaign of Barack Obama, and publishing several books I was in awe that I was in the presence of such an influential person. I was surprised to see that there were so many faculty members and students alike, everyone seemed very interested in what Dr. Boyte came to say. I was very happy to see a lot of people there because it shows that the Education program here at the University of Illinois really wants to move in a direction of change for the better.
This shows that as a Black person are vote means something, and with an understanding of government I could create a platform in order to further educate my people and other minority groups about the power of votes and how we can use that to force the change that we want done in society. Knowledge of our government and how it works gives me this feeling that if you can mobilize and educate others and spread that knowledge that you can change things. Martin Luther King Jr., for example, used the political influence that he had acquired as one of the most respected leader of the Civil Rights Movement to bring about change, and in turn he met with Lyndon Johnson to work in the interest of Black people at the time. While I do not compare myself to the likes of Martin Luther King, I do believe that I can use the knowledge I have gained from this course and use to it educate others and then as a group we can exercise our political power, so that politicians are forced to actually value our opinions and not just value our vote once every four years. To go even further, understanding is important because of what it has inspired me to do with my