Essay On African American Equality

Equality for African Americans

After writing my newspaper article on the NAACP, I realized that the African American community needed a renewed sense of belonging, like all the other communities have in this day in age. This sense of being is better known as equality. Webster’s dictionary defines equality as having the same rights, social status and opportunities as others. The African American community has yet to reach a plateau were they are seen as equals. Equalities for African Americans are still a foreign subject, but hopefully will progress in the future.

Other ethnicities are trapped in 1800’s, and can’t seem to envision African Americans as anything other than- low income, ignorant, materialistic individuals’ who only value things that cost more than they make. Which is quite the contrary because most African Americans live in middle class neighborhoods, are college educated and don’t spend all of their money on the newest pair of Jordan’s .These perceptions have hindered the race in a tremendous fashion, even to the point where recently, at Barneys, a very well-known department store; discrimination was brought back to the forefront in America. Barneys was said to profile their black customers, making false assumptions that their African American customers could not afford what they had purchased. Thus causing them to take ‘precautionary measures’ by informing the police. Winsor writes “The officer allegedly accused him of purchasing the belt with a fraudulent card”. This act by department store supergiant and police officer, has caused the African American community to rally together and eradicate discrimination and demand equality.

We need to take a look at history and see why African Americans are treated this ...

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...ds to be prevented.

To prevent these discriminations’ from transpiring again we need to stop people’s prejudices of African Americans. Prejudice can be defined as biologically similar people who hold strong beliefs that cause them to discriminate another object (Pearson). Prejudices start from the home in which the child and raised in and continually grows until that child reaches adulthood, and then the cycle continues and is passed on from generation to generation. To stop the cycle of prejudice and go on toward the goal of equality, we can eliminate the stereotypes that destroy others perceptions of African Americans, by making it known we are all one race- the human race. African Americans should not be defined by their complexion but rather the good they have brought to the world. Letting it be known that we are all equal and should be treated in that respect.