My journey in this class was a great experience to me in the sense that I have enriched my knowledge about African Americans and their evolution in United States. From the beginning, many subjects and speakers have been brought to our attention to better understand African American society.
We talked about civil rights activists such as Martin Luther King and Malcom X who had a different approach about acquisition of freedom. If I am not mistaking, Martin Luther King was in favor of a peaceful battle whereas Malcom X was very rebellious and ready to fight with Whites no matter what. To me, it was a chance to learn this part of the story because I though King and Malcom X were two people who got along with each other. At least now, I know that the two fought for the same cause but employ different strategies. Moreover, we talked about NAACP which was created on February 12, 1909. Also, I learned that this date was set on purpose to honor president Lincoln who was a protagonist for abolition of slavery. I was surprised to learn that some of the founders of NAACP such as Henry Moskowitz, Mary White Ovington and Oswald Garrison were whites who fought together with Blacks. From what I retained, NAACP’s major goals were to stop segregation, violence, and injustice against Blacks in United States. In fact, even after the abolition of slavery by 13th amendment, Blacks were not free. On the contrary, they were still abused and mistreated by Whites who only saw them as labor force. Next, segregation in the south was mostly pronounced in the south than in the north. This led to a migration of Blacks to the north part of the country at the quest of freedom and better life. Later on, Harlem Renaissance also known as New Negro Movement was born and dissociated in 1935. Alain Leroy Locke described Harlem Renaissance as “a spiritual coming of age in which the black community was able to seize upon its first chances for group expression and self determination.” There are many factors that influence the emergence of Harlem Renaissance. Among them, there are the migration of slaves towards the north, more educational opportunities available to Blacks, and also important figures Philip Randolph, W.E.B. Du Bois, and Marcus Garvey.
In addition, we had an occasion to watch video of a White male, Tim Wise who brought the issue about privileges in United States. If I am not mistaking, I think he said that African Americans and Latinos are more likely to be stopped by police officer than any other White man. This is unfortunately a sad reality that some people have to face.
Another point brought to our attention was the definition and characteristics of African American families. Most of the time, Black families are not complete, either the father or mother is not present. Sometimes, children are raised by their grandparents who take care of them until they become adults. I am not inferring that there are not good examples of Black families, however African Americans are always pointed out when it comes to family instability and troubles. Out there, there are many African Americans who constitute good example to be followed. Among them, there are Will Smith and his wife Jada Pinkett who together form and portray a perfect image of family.
At last, I remember when speakers Rhonda Williams and Anthony Douglas came and talked to us about NAACP and its objective. Before they came, I thought NAACP was only established to help Blacks and only Blacks. These speakers informed us that NAACP is representing everybody of color. During their visit, Mrs. Williams and Mr. Douglas wanted us to be more involved in the NAACP youth department. I especially remember one of Mrs. Williams’ statements which was: “We have to always give back to the community.”
Overall, this class was a nice journey which helps me enrich my knowledge about African American Community.
Sunday, May 3, 2009
Friday, March 27, 2009
African American Family Media Assignment
Track of Information:
Movies
-“Soul food” in 1997 starring Vivica Fox, Nia Long, and Vanessa Williams. Directed and written by George Tillman Jr. According to the internet movie database, this movie is “a story of the people who make us strong and the recipe that makes us a family.” To my mind, this movie shows at the same time a positive and negative of African American Families.
- “The pursuit of Happiness” in 2006 starring Will Smith and his son. This movie was directed and written by Gabriele Muccino and Steve Conrad respectively. According to the internet movie database, this movie is about “a struggling salesman takes custody of his son as he's poised to begin a life-changing professional endeavor.” To my mind, this is an interesting story that shows how hard life can be for some people who want to educate their kids despite some difficulties of life.
Books
-“African American Families” by Angela Hattery, Earl Smith. This book of 385 pages was published in 2007. This book is very interesting because it describes the typical conditions of African American Families during hurricane Katrina in Louisiana. One remark made about this book :
“Bravo to the authors! They have done an excellent job addressing the issues that are critical to community members, policy makers and interventionists concerned with Black families in the context of our nation.”
-Michael C. Lambert, University of Missouri, Colombia
-“African American Family Life: Ecological and Cultural Diversity” by Vonnie C. McLoyd, Nancy E. Hill, Kenneth A. Dodge. This book of 348 pages was published in 2005 by Guilford Press. To my mind, this book is interesting since it covers cultural, economic topic about African American families. Also, “Particular attention is given to how families draw on cultural resources to adapt to racial disparities in wealth, housing, education, and employment, and how culture, in turn, is shaped by these circumstances.”
Magazines
- Essence magazine of March 2008.
I like this cover because I think it shows the power of African American women. They are very dynamic figures who are at the same time mother, actress, singer, and also business women. This is a positive image.
-African American Family magazine of February 2009
I think this magazine also shows a positive image about African American people especially men. We are tired of seeing Black men going to jail or singing non sense topics.
Radio
Interview of Sean Combs aka “Diddy.” In this interview, Diddy finally admitted to be the father of his 6th child who he longtime denied. To my mind, this interview reveals the sad truth about African American men who refuses to be responsible. They just want to run after women.
After conducting some research on African American families through different media, I realized that at some point, people were right about certain negative stereotypes attributed to Black families. In fact, there is a lot of prejudice built about Blacks in United States, however, it is important to mention there are good qualities encountered among Blacks that we barely see in other colored community. In the following lines, I will share my thoughts about African American families and the images they reflect on me.
First of all, I remember back home, I thought everything was perfect in United States according to the images broadcasted through television. It never came to my mind, even once that there was also misery and families without a father to rule and protect. About four years ago, when I came in this country, I realized my perceptions and analysis were wrong and that people were suffering and struggling sometimes even harder than the ones in Africa. I hope I am not hurting any feeling but I am thinking this way because there is a huge misconception about life in Africa. All people know about Africa is generally negative and affiliated to misery, war, genocide, famine and of course AIDS. Speaking of African American Families, I realized that most of the time, black families are generally not complete in the sense that kids are raised by either the mother or the father and rarely with presence of both. Generally, there is no father to educate and raise the kids who are mostly raised by their mothers or grand-mothers. We have to take hat off to African American women given that they are left alone to raise and educate their kids. On top of that, sometimes they run between school and work to provide food for their kids. Raising a child is a task that requires patience, attention, dedication, and of course the willingness to love. Therefore, we can say that Black women are very strong, powerful, and dedicated since they are generally alone to raise their kids as compared to White women who are generally offered the help of a nanny to look after their kids. Please do not get me wrong, I am not inferring that there are no women of color living or facing the same difficulties or situations as Black women do. Movies such as “This Christmas” starring Chris Brown, Loretta Devine is a good example describing African American family characterized by the absence of the genetic father.
Single mother
Speaking of Black men, I think there are very irresponsible and coward given that their role is generally limited to the conception of the child. They are barely around to look after their children, in the contrary they keep on having children with other women who find themselves also dumped. Sometimes, it happens that they refuse or deny child paternity even though the child looks like him. To better illustrate this case, we can just refer to Sean Combs, best known as “Diddy” who finally admitted on the Oklahoma radio channel 103.5 that he was the father of his sixth child who he at first denied paternity. Thanks to the DNA test that proves that he was the father, and I think he should be very ashamed of himself since he did not want to be accountable of his acts. This is very sad because it seems like he is not the one really affected by all this mess given that he has several kids with different women. To my mind, these women are the ones suffering since they are in love with the same man who apparently is a “Don Juan.”
In the other hand, as I mentioned above, there are good qualities that can be noticed in African American families. One example is that special solidarity that members have for each other. In fact, Blacks are more likely to stand up and help a family member who is in trouble. Sometimes, they even organize family dinner or meeting to talk about some family issues. This is better illustrated in the movie “soul Food” starring Vanessa Williams, Nia Long, and Vivica Fox. This movie is about a family that decides to get together first for fun and then to solve some problems susceptible to divide the family.
That is maybe the reason why we see big house with cousins, and brothers living together, and helping each other. However, this solidarity is sometimes the source or explanation to laziness encountered in Black families. In fact, we see some Black adults unemployed or refusing to work because they know they will still have somebody who will be there to help them or feed them no matter what. Also, adults black women and men generally refuse to leave the house even when they are in their late 20’s. This is very shameful in the sense that at this age they are the ones supposed to help their parents, on the contrary they still depend on their parents’ funds. Speaking of laziness, Blacks who are lazy generally found themselves in jail because they want to live the good life without furnishing any effort.
Hopefully today, African Americans tend to be more wise and active in the society. This is very interesting and promising because these black celebrities step by step influence young generations by showing good image. Also, celebrities like couple Will Smith and Jada Pinkett can be considered good examples since they teach young people that by investing and dedicating yourself in something, you can definitely reach to your goal or dream.
Overall, I think stability is an important factor that contributes to the education of a child. Also I think that stability is observed or present when both father and mother work together and participate in the education of their children.
Movies
-“Soul food” in 1997 starring Vivica Fox, Nia Long, and Vanessa Williams. Directed and written by George Tillman Jr. According to the internet movie database, this movie is “a story of the people who make us strong and the recipe that makes us a family.” To my mind, this movie shows at the same time a positive and negative of African American Families.
- “The pursuit of Happiness” in 2006 starring Will Smith and his son. This movie was directed and written by Gabriele Muccino and Steve Conrad respectively. According to the internet movie database, this movie is about “a struggling salesman takes custody of his son as he's poised to begin a life-changing professional endeavor.” To my mind, this is an interesting story that shows how hard life can be for some people who want to educate their kids despite some difficulties of life.
Books
-“African American Families” by Angela Hattery, Earl Smith. This book of 385 pages was published in 2007. This book is very interesting because it describes the typical conditions of African American Families during hurricane Katrina in Louisiana. One remark made about this book :
“Bravo to the authors! They have done an excellent job addressing the issues that are critical to community members, policy makers and interventionists concerned with Black families in the context of our nation.”
-Michael C. Lambert, University of Missouri, Colombia
-“African American Family Life: Ecological and Cultural Diversity” by Vonnie C. McLoyd, Nancy E. Hill, Kenneth A. Dodge. This book of 348 pages was published in 2005 by Guilford Press. To my mind, this book is interesting since it covers cultural, economic topic about African American families. Also, “Particular attention is given to how families draw on cultural resources to adapt to racial disparities in wealth, housing, education, and employment, and how culture, in turn, is shaped by these circumstances.”
Magazines
- Essence magazine of March 2008.
I like this cover because I think it shows the power of African American women. They are very dynamic figures who are at the same time mother, actress, singer, and also business women. This is a positive image.
-African American Family magazine of February 2009
I think this magazine also shows a positive image about African American people especially men. We are tired of seeing Black men going to jail or singing non sense topics.
Radio
Interview of Sean Combs aka “Diddy.” In this interview, Diddy finally admitted to be the father of his 6th child who he longtime denied. To my mind, this interview reveals the sad truth about African American men who refuses to be responsible. They just want to run after women.
After conducting some research on African American families through different media, I realized that at some point, people were right about certain negative stereotypes attributed to Black families. In fact, there is a lot of prejudice built about Blacks in United States, however, it is important to mention there are good qualities encountered among Blacks that we barely see in other colored community. In the following lines, I will share my thoughts about African American families and the images they reflect on me.
First of all, I remember back home, I thought everything was perfect in United States according to the images broadcasted through television. It never came to my mind, even once that there was also misery and families without a father to rule and protect. About four years ago, when I came in this country, I realized my perceptions and analysis were wrong and that people were suffering and struggling sometimes even harder than the ones in Africa. I hope I am not hurting any feeling but I am thinking this way because there is a huge misconception about life in Africa. All people know about Africa is generally negative and affiliated to misery, war, genocide, famine and of course AIDS. Speaking of African American Families, I realized that most of the time, black families are generally not complete in the sense that kids are raised by either the mother or the father and rarely with presence of both. Generally, there is no father to educate and raise the kids who are mostly raised by their mothers or grand-mothers. We have to take hat off to African American women given that they are left alone to raise and educate their kids. On top of that, sometimes they run between school and work to provide food for their kids. Raising a child is a task that requires patience, attention, dedication, and of course the willingness to love. Therefore, we can say that Black women are very strong, powerful, and dedicated since they are generally alone to raise their kids as compared to White women who are generally offered the help of a nanny to look after their kids. Please do not get me wrong, I am not inferring that there are no women of color living or facing the same difficulties or situations as Black women do. Movies such as “This Christmas” starring Chris Brown, Loretta Devine is a good example describing African American family characterized by the absence of the genetic father.
Single mother
Speaking of Black men, I think there are very irresponsible and coward given that their role is generally limited to the conception of the child. They are barely around to look after their children, in the contrary they keep on having children with other women who find themselves also dumped. Sometimes, it happens that they refuse or deny child paternity even though the child looks like him. To better illustrate this case, we can just refer to Sean Combs, best known as “Diddy” who finally admitted on the Oklahoma radio channel 103.5 that he was the father of his sixth child who he at first denied paternity. Thanks to the DNA test that proves that he was the father, and I think he should be very ashamed of himself since he did not want to be accountable of his acts. This is very sad because it seems like he is not the one really affected by all this mess given that he has several kids with different women. To my mind, these women are the ones suffering since they are in love with the same man who apparently is a “Don Juan.”
In the other hand, as I mentioned above, there are good qualities that can be noticed in African American families. One example is that special solidarity that members have for each other. In fact, Blacks are more likely to stand up and help a family member who is in trouble. Sometimes, they even organize family dinner or meeting to talk about some family issues. This is better illustrated in the movie “soul Food” starring Vanessa Williams, Nia Long, and Vivica Fox. This movie is about a family that decides to get together first for fun and then to solve some problems susceptible to divide the family.
That is maybe the reason why we see big house with cousins, and brothers living together, and helping each other. However, this solidarity is sometimes the source or explanation to laziness encountered in Black families. In fact, we see some Black adults unemployed or refusing to work because they know they will still have somebody who will be there to help them or feed them no matter what. Also, adults black women and men generally refuse to leave the house even when they are in their late 20’s. This is very shameful in the sense that at this age they are the ones supposed to help their parents, on the contrary they still depend on their parents’ funds. Speaking of laziness, Blacks who are lazy generally found themselves in jail because they want to live the good life without furnishing any effort.
Hopefully today, African Americans tend to be more wise and active in the society. This is very interesting and promising because these black celebrities step by step influence young generations by showing good image. Also, celebrities like couple Will Smith and Jada Pinkett can be considered good examples since they teach young people that by investing and dedicating yourself in something, you can definitely reach to your goal or dream.
Overall, I think stability is an important factor that contributes to the education of a child. Also I think that stability is observed or present when both father and mother work together and participate in the education of their children.
African American Family Media Assignment
-“Soul food” in 1997 starring Vivica Fox, Nia Long, and Vanessa Williams. Directed and written by George Tillman Jr. According to the internet movie database, this movie is “a story of the people who make us strong and the recipe that makes us a family.” To my mind, this movie shows at the same time a positive and negative of African American Families.
- “The pursuit of Happiness” in 2006 starring Will Smith and his son. This movie was directed and written by Gabriele Muccino and Steve Conrad respectively. According to the internet movie database, this movie is about “a struggling salesman takes custody of his son as he's poised to begin a life-changing professional endeavor.” To my mind, this is an interesting story that shows how hard life can be for some people who want to educate their kids despite some difficulties of life.

Books
-“African American Families” by Angela Hattery, Earl Smith. This book of 385 pages was published in 2007. This book is very interesting because it describes the typical conditions of African American Families during hurricane Katrina in Louisiana. One remark made about this book :
“Bravo to the authors! They have done an excellent job addressing the issues that are critical to community members, policy makers and interventionists concerned with Black families in the context of our nation.”
-Michael C. Lambert, University of Missouri, Colombia
-“African American Family Life: Ecological and Cultural Diversity” by Vonnie C. McLoyd, Nancy E. Hill, Kenneth A. Dodge. This book of 348 pages was published in 2005 by Guilford Press. To my mind, this book is interesting since it covers cultural, economic topic about African American families. Also, “Particular attention is given to how families draw on cultural resources to adapt to racial disparities in wealth, housing, education, and employment, and how culture, in turn, is shaped by these circumstances.”
Magazines
- Essence magazine of March 2008.

I like this cover because I think it shows the power of African American women. They are very dynamic figures who are at the same time mother, actress, singer, and also business women. This is a positive image.
-African American Family magazine of February 2009

I think this magazine also shows a positive image about African American people especially men. We are tired of seeing Black men going to jail or singing non sense topics.
Radio
Interview of Sean Combs aka “Diddy.” In this interview, Diddy finally admitted to be the father of his 6th child who he longtime denied. To my mind, this interview reveals the sad truth about African American men who refuses to be responsible. They just want to run after women.
After conducting some research on African American families through different media, I realized that at some point, people were right about certain negative stereotypes attributed to Black families. In fact, there is a lot of prejudice built about Blacks in United States, however, it is important to mention there are good qualities encountered among Blacks that we barely see in other colored community. In the following lines, I will share my thoughts about African American families and the images they reflect on me.
First of all, I remember back home, I thought everything was perfect in United States according to the images broadcasted through television. It never came to my mind, even once that there was also misery and families without a father to rule and protect. About four years ago, when I came in this country, I realized my perceptions and analysis were wrong and that people were suffering and struggling sometimes even harder than the ones in Africa. I hope I am not hurting any feeling but I am thinking this way because there is a huge misconception about life in Africa. All people know about Africa is generally negative and affiliated to misery, war, genocide, famine and of course AIDS. Speaking of African American Families, I realized that most of the time, black families are generally not complete in the sense that kids are raised by either the mother or the father and rarely with presence of both. Generally, there is no father to educate and raise the kids who are mostly raised by their mothers or grand-mothers. We have to take hat off to African American women given that they are left alone to raise and educate their kids. On top of that, sometimes they run between school and work to provide food for their kids. Raising a child is a task that requires patience, attention, dedication, and of course the willingness to love. Therefore, we can say that Black women are very strong, powerful, and dedicated since they are generally alone to raise their kids as compared to White women who are generally offered the help of a nanny to look after their kids. Please do not get me wrong, I am not inferring that there are no women of color living or facing the same difficulties or situations as Black women do. Movies such as “This Christmas” starring Chris Brown, Loretta Devine is a good example describing African American family characterized by the absence of the genetic father.

Single mother
Speaking of Black men, I think there are very irresponsible and coward given that their role is generally limited to the conception of the child. They are barely around to look after their children, in the contrary they keep on having children with other women who find themselves also dumped. Sometimes, it happens that they refuse or deny child paternity even though the child looks like him. To better illustrate this case, we can just refer to Sean Combs, best known as “Diddy” who finally admitted on the Oklahoma radio channel 103.5 that he was the father of his sixth child who he at first denied paternity. Thanks to the DNA test that proves that he was the father, and I think he should be very ashamed of himself since he did not want to be accountable of his acts. This is very sad because it seems like he is not the one really affected by all this mess given that he has several kids with different women. To my mind, these women are the ones suffering since they are in love with the same man who apparently is a “Don Juan.”
In the other hand, as I mentioned above, there are good qualities that can be noticed in African American families. One example is that special solidarity that members have for each other. In fact, Blacks are more likely to stand up and help a family member who is in trouble. Sometimes, they even organize family dinner or meeting to talk about some family issues. This is better illustrated in the movie “soul Food” starring Vanessa Williams, Nia Long, and Vivica Fox. This movie is about a family that decides to get together first for fun and then to solve some problems susceptible to divide the family.

That is maybe the reason why we see big house with cousins, and brothers living together, and helping each other. However, this solidarity is sometimes the source or explanation to laziness encountered in Black families. In fact, we see some Black adults unemployed or refusing to work because they know they will still have somebody who will be there to help them or feed them no matter what. Also, adults black women and men generally refuse to leave the house even when they are in their late 20’s. This is very shameful in the sense that at this age they are the ones supposed to help their parents, on the contrary they still depend on their parents’ funds. Speaking of laziness, Blacks who are lazy generally found themselves in jail because they want to live the good life without furnishing any effort.
Hopefully today, African Americans tend to be more wise and active in the society. This is very interesting and promising because these black celebrities step by step influence young generations by showing good image. Also, celebrities like couple Will Smith and Jada Pinkett can be considered good examples since they teach young people that by investing and dedicating yourself in something, you can definitely reach to your goal or dream.


Overall, I think stability is an important factor that contributes to the education of a child. Also I think that stability is observed or present when both father and mother work together and participate in the education of their children.
- “The pursuit of Happiness” in 2006 starring Will Smith and his son. This movie was directed and written by Gabriele Muccino and Steve Conrad respectively. According to the internet movie database, this movie is about “a struggling salesman takes custody of his son as he's poised to begin a life-changing professional endeavor.” To my mind, this is an interesting story that shows how hard life can be for some people who want to educate their kids despite some difficulties of life.

Books
-“African American Families” by Angela Hattery, Earl Smith. This book of 385 pages was published in 2007. This book is very interesting because it describes the typical conditions of African American Families during hurricane Katrina in Louisiana. One remark made about this book :
“Bravo to the authors! They have done an excellent job addressing the issues that are critical to community members, policy makers and interventionists concerned with Black families in the context of our nation.”
-Michael C. Lambert, University of Missouri, Colombia
-“African American Family Life: Ecological and Cultural Diversity” by Vonnie C. McLoyd, Nancy E. Hill, Kenneth A. Dodge. This book of 348 pages was published in 2005 by Guilford Press. To my mind, this book is interesting since it covers cultural, economic topic about African American families. Also, “Particular attention is given to how families draw on cultural resources to adapt to racial disparities in wealth, housing, education, and employment, and how culture, in turn, is shaped by these circumstances.”
Magazines
- Essence magazine of March 2008.

I like this cover because I think it shows the power of African American women. They are very dynamic figures who are at the same time mother, actress, singer, and also business women. This is a positive image.
-African American Family magazine of February 2009

I think this magazine also shows a positive image about African American people especially men. We are tired of seeing Black men going to jail or singing non sense topics.
Radio
Interview of Sean Combs aka “Diddy.” In this interview, Diddy finally admitted to be the father of his 6th child who he longtime denied. To my mind, this interview reveals the sad truth about African American men who refuses to be responsible. They just want to run after women.
After conducting some research on African American families through different media, I realized that at some point, people were right about certain negative stereotypes attributed to Black families. In fact, there is a lot of prejudice built about Blacks in United States, however, it is important to mention there are good qualities encountered among Blacks that we barely see in other colored community. In the following lines, I will share my thoughts about African American families and the images they reflect on me.
First of all, I remember back home, I thought everything was perfect in United States according to the images broadcasted through television. It never came to my mind, even once that there was also misery and families without a father to rule and protect. About four years ago, when I came in this country, I realized my perceptions and analysis were wrong and that people were suffering and struggling sometimes even harder than the ones in Africa. I hope I am not hurting any feeling but I am thinking this way because there is a huge misconception about life in Africa. All people know about Africa is generally negative and affiliated to misery, war, genocide, famine and of course AIDS. Speaking of African American Families, I realized that most of the time, black families are generally not complete in the sense that kids are raised by either the mother or the father and rarely with presence of both. Generally, there is no father to educate and raise the kids who are mostly raised by their mothers or grand-mothers. We have to take hat off to African American women given that they are left alone to raise and educate their kids. On top of that, sometimes they run between school and work to provide food for their kids. Raising a child is a task that requires patience, attention, dedication, and of course the willingness to love. Therefore, we can say that Black women are very strong, powerful, and dedicated since they are generally alone to raise their kids as compared to White women who are generally offered the help of a nanny to look after their kids. Please do not get me wrong, I am not inferring that there are no women of color living or facing the same difficulties or situations as Black women do. Movies such as “This Christmas” starring Chris Brown, Loretta Devine is a good example describing African American family characterized by the absence of the genetic father.

Single mother
Speaking of Black men, I think there are very irresponsible and coward given that their role is generally limited to the conception of the child. They are barely around to look after their children, in the contrary they keep on having children with other women who find themselves also dumped. Sometimes, it happens that they refuse or deny child paternity even though the child looks like him. To better illustrate this case, we can just refer to Sean Combs, best known as “Diddy” who finally admitted on the Oklahoma radio channel 103.5 that he was the father of his sixth child who he at first denied paternity. Thanks to the DNA test that proves that he was the father, and I think he should be very ashamed of himself since he did not want to be accountable of his acts. This is very sad because it seems like he is not the one really affected by all this mess given that he has several kids with different women. To my mind, these women are the ones suffering since they are in love with the same man who apparently is a “Don Juan.”
In the other hand, as I mentioned above, there are good qualities that can be noticed in African American families. One example is that special solidarity that members have for each other. In fact, Blacks are more likely to stand up and help a family member who is in trouble. Sometimes, they even organize family dinner or meeting to talk about some family issues. This is better illustrated in the movie “soul Food” starring Vanessa Williams, Nia Long, and Vivica Fox. This movie is about a family that decides to get together first for fun and then to solve some problems susceptible to divide the family.

That is maybe the reason why we see big house with cousins, and brothers living together, and helping each other. However, this solidarity is sometimes the source or explanation to laziness encountered in Black families. In fact, we see some Black adults unemployed or refusing to work because they know they will still have somebody who will be there to help them or feed them no matter what. Also, adults black women and men generally refuse to leave the house even when they are in their late 20’s. This is very shameful in the sense that at this age they are the ones supposed to help their parents, on the contrary they still depend on their parents’ funds. Speaking of laziness, Blacks who are lazy generally found themselves in jail because they want to live the good life without furnishing any effort.
Hopefully today, African Americans tend to be more wise and active in the society. This is very interesting and promising because these black celebrities step by step influence young generations by showing good image. Also, celebrities like couple Will Smith and Jada Pinkett can be considered good examples since they teach young people that by investing and dedicating yourself in something, you can definitely reach to your goal or dream.


Overall, I think stability is an important factor that contributes to the education of a child. Also I think that stability is observed or present when both father and mother work together and participate in the education of their children.
Friday, February 27, 2009
Harlem Renaissance
Moreover, important figures such as Philip Randolph, W.E.B. Du Bois, and Marcus Garvey led Black community to gather in this movement. In fact, Du Bois was the editor of Philip Randolph’s magazine entitled “The Messenger and the NAACP’s The Crisis.” Also known as the Prophet of the Civil Rights Movement, Randolph, along with Du Bois, through their publications called and reminded Blacks to get involved in the fight for their rights, later known as Civil Rights Movement. Speaking of Marcus Garvey, this figure is known to be an advocate for the return of African Americans to
All these factors led African Americans to become conscious and therefore more active in the fight for their rights. For instance, a result was the formation of Harlem Renaissance in
For instance, this latter is a writer, anthropologist, and folklorist, better known for her 1937 book entitled Their eyes were watching God. She also wrote other books such as Dust Tracks on a Road in 1942, and Seraph on the Suvanee in 1948. One of her quotes is “Mama exhorted her children at every opportunity to “jump at de sun.” We might not land on the sun, but at least we would get off the ground.” According to the Website “Women in History”, “Zora Hurston was a utopian who held that black Americans could attain sovereignty from white American society and all its bigotry.” Unfortunately, her end was sad since she was more criticized than appreciated and died poor.
As I mentioned above, Harlem Renaissance also influence religious beliefs of Blacks. For instance, John Carroll stated, “in 1921, Marcus Garvey created African Orthodox Church.” Later in 1924, Bishop Ida founded the
From my previous blog assignment and research, the civil rights movement started in 1955 and lasted about 10 years. According to Wikipedia, the civil rights movement refers to “the reform movements in the united stated aimed at abolishing racial discrimination against African Americans and restoring suffrage in southern states.” This movement is marked by the civil rights Act of 1964 and the Voting rights Act of 1965. However, it is important to mention that this movement was boosted by NAACP. One key event of the civil rights movement is Brown v. Board Education in 1954. In this case, according to Wikipedia, the court stated the “Segregation of White and Colored children in public schools has a detrimental effect upon colored children. The impact is greater when it has the sanction of the law; for the policy of separating the races is usually interpreted as denoting the inferiority of Negro group.”
As we all know, African American have ran a difficult path full of oppression and discrimination in
SNCC is an acronym that stands for the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee which was created at
Even though SNCC was founded by students, this organization was deeply determined to fight for Blacks’ rights. Consequently, these students, along with their allied participated in Sit-ins, Freedom Rides, Freedom Ballot, Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party, and March on
On the other hand, SNCC is also known towards its contribution to
After reading Clayborne Carson’s article, I realized that Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr. were two figures targeting the same point but yet proposing two diametrically opposed solutions or directives. This point is emphasized by Carson who mentioned, “Malcolm and Martin understood the African-American dilemma from different perspectives rooted in their different experiences. Each leader was a visionary.” First of all, these people emerged from two different environments even though “both were sons of politically active Baptist Preachers.” In fact, King grew up in a stable family and surrounded by positive people such as George Kesley. However, Malcolm X encountered difficult situations that affected his life. First, Malcolm was only 13 when his father died in 1931, and later on he did not grow up with his mother since she was mentally affected.
Basically, King was an advocate of nonviolence fight as opposed to Malcolm X who wanted to reach his goal by all means including violence. It seems like Malcolm was more led by the eager to retaliate against White people.
Overall, this article depicts the impact of environment, and personal experiences on somebody’s personality. Based on my experiences, there is no doubt that environment has a lot to do on somebody’s future. For instance, I took a look back to my friends during childhood and I realized that I have grown up in a peaceful family as opposed to some friends whose parents were divorced. Today, I am pretty close to get my Bachelor Degree whereas some of them have dropped out of school or are just entering College. However, I am not saying it is their fault if they did not succeed in school, but they are victims of the environment that nurture them. Also, I think we do not have the same manner of thinking or philosophy given that they encountered difficult situations that forged them earlier. However, the advantage they have on me is the fact that they were adults before me and are more prepared to challenge new difficulties in their lives.
References:
SNCC 1960-1966, http://www.ibiblio.org/sncc/index.html
Harlem Renaissance, http://www.kurahulanda.com/temporary-harlem-renaissance
Carroll, John. Harlem Renaissance. http://www.jcu.edu/harlem/index.htm
McElrath, Jessica. Writers of
http://afroamhistory.about.com/od/harlemrenaissance/a/harlem_writers.htm
Rowen Beth, Brunner, Borgna. Great Days in
http://www.infoplease.com/spot/bhmharlem1.html
Women in History. http://www.lkwdpl.org/wihohio/hurs-zor.htm
Friday, February 20, 2009
Privilege in our society
List of privileges
- I am sure that if the bus is full, a man will rather give up his seat to me than to another man. This is just because I am a woman.
- If I shop with my credit card, I am more likely to be asked ID for further verification just because I am black.
- I am pretty sure that If I drive a fancy car, I have more chance to be pulled over by a police officer just because of my race.
- Sometimes, I feel not considered by classmates when they see me at first or when I tell them I am from Africa. This is maybe because Africa is known to be a primitive continent.
-Also, I think the society is way too materialistic. In fact, I tried to dress differently in two days, and I made some remarks. For instance, I realize that when I am well dressed, people consider me or are more attentive to me.
- At work, I realized that my complaints were taken into consideration when I was directly speaking to my African American supervisor.
- Also, I found that some coworkers were favored just because they have been sexually involved with one or more supervisors.
- Moreover, I realized that African American customers were nicer to me than to other coworkers just because I was black.
- Also, in bank, the customer service is based on the amount of money you have in you bank account. Therefore, If you are broke, you will not receive the same level of customer service and consideration as a rich person.
- Education is another factor encouraging privilege. For instance, if you have attended college, you have better chance to obtain a job than a person who has merely a high school degree or a formation in this career field.
- Also, I think at work, a white person has better chance to be promoted than a black person even though they both started working at the same period of time. Another alternative is that a black person will have more to invest and prove than a white person.
- Also, in U.S. Blacks are more likely to be laid away than White people. In other hand, White people are more likely to be employed than Blacks even though the company proclaims to favor multicultural diversity.
- Most of the time I went shopping in fancy stores, I realized that employees generally helped me out either because the store was empty or because I was dressed like those spoiled rich kids.
- Also, at the cashier station at Wal-Mart, I can count on my fingertips how many times the cashier said “hello or hi” to me. But when the customer after me is white, I hear greetings like “ how you’ re doing? What a nice day outside mam, sir?” That is very irritating when you realize you are black and the other customer Caucasian. What a shame!
-I am pretty sure I have more chance to be accepted in a French company on the basis that I speak French than any other person not speaking French.
-I know that if I want to get a loan, in order to be granted, I will have to provide more information or more documents than any other White person.
- I am pretty sure that an overloaded woman is more likely to be helped or assisted than a man in this situation.
-I am persuaded that if I want to be promoted at a job, I just have to seduce my supervisor by wearing provocative clothes. Men are less likely to do so.
-Generally, women who molest children, received less charges than men convicted of the same act.
- Also, parents, especially fathers tend to be more attentive to their daughters than to their sons. In fact, they give more money to girls.
-Also, in my culture, women are not allowed to stay around men or to discuss with men. Their activities are limited to the kitchen and children care. Moreover, some tribes do not allow girls to attend school, because women are born to serve men who are considered the family’s force.
-police officers are generally more violent and aggravated with Blacks. Sometimes, they even beat them like they were animals.
To my mind, a privilege is an advantage somebody has over somebody else. According to Wikipedia, a privilege is “ etymologically "private law" or law relating to a specific individual—is a special entitlement or immunity granted by a government or other authority to a restricted group, either by birth or on a conditional basis.” This advantage is based on diverse aspects such as race, gender, social status, and of course money. As Tim wise says in the video, African Americans and Latinos are more likely to be stopped by police officer than any other White man. Also, I think everyone of us have been privileged or have specific privileges. For instance, every parent has more attention for their own kids than to their nephews or nieces. However, I think it is important that we know how to use them so that they would not discriminate anybody else in places such as work, hospitals and schools. I personally think privileges constitute a boosting factor in discrimination, therefore it is important the society knows how to regulate these privileges for a better functioning.
To my mind, a privilege is an advantage somebody has over somebody else. According to Wikipedia, a privilege is “ etymologically "private law" or law relating to a specific individual—is a special entitlement or immunity granted by a government or other authority to a restricted group, either by birth or on a conditional basis.” This advantage is based on diverse aspects such as race, gender, social status, and of course money. As Tim wise says in the video, African Americans and Latinos are more likely to be stopped by police officer than any other White man. Also, I think everyone of us have been privileged or have specific privileges. For instance, every parent has more attention for their own kids than to their nephews or nieces. However, I think it is important that we know how to use them so that they would not discriminate anybody else in places such as work, hospitals and schools. I personally think privileges constitute a boosting factor in discrimination, therefore it is important the society knows how to regulate these privileges for a better functioning.
Friday, February 13, 2009
Blog Assignment
1)
Even after the ratification of 13th, 14th, and 15th amendments between 1865 and 1870, Black people were still not treated as Human beings and not able to enjoy their rights. In the contrary, they were still victims of injustice and abused by White people who only saw them as “slaves” and nothing else. Also, these White supremacists called Blacks “Negroes,” a term that is really disgusting. Thus, in order to abolish segregation, disfranchisement, and inequality, Black community decided to stand up and fight for their rights. One major organization that fights for the advancement and respect of Blacks is known to be NAACP. This acronym, which stands for National Association of Colored People, is an interracial organization existing since February 12, 1909. This date was set on purpose, since it marked the 100th anniversary of President Lincoln who was a protagonist for abolition of slavery. His prominent members were W. E. B. Du Bois, Ida B. Wells, Archibald Grimke, Henry Moskowitz, Mary White Ovington, Oswald Garrison, and William English Walling. However, it is really important to mention that these members were not all Blacks. For instance Henry Moskowitz, Mary White Ovington and Oswald Garrison were Caucasian people who lined up with Blacks and help them fight for their rights. The major goals targeted by NAACP were to stop the segregation, violence against Blacks, and of course grant civil rights to Black people.
In fact, the birth of NAACP comes from the “Niagara Movement” which according to African American Registry was “a black civil rights organization founded in 1905 by a group led by W. E. B. Du Bois and William Monroe Trotter.” It is called Niagara Falls because his founders met in hotel located in Canada by Niagara Falls given that at this time in United States, hotels were segregated. Latter on, after the coalition of Ovington, Moskowitz, Walling, and the Niagara Movement became NAACP.
In a letter of Mary White Ovington written in 1914, it is mentioned that “NAACP was formed in response to the 1908 race riots in Springfield, capital of Illinois and Birthplace of President Lincoln.” According to Wikipedia, NAACP’s mission is “to ensure the political, educational, social, and economic equality of rights of all persons and to eliminate racial hatred and racial discrimination.”
There are many examples that justify the importance of NAACP for African Americans. First, NAACP fights for equal rights among all Americans and contribute to the civil rights movement. This organization step by step brought numerous cases to the Supreme Court to point out practices of segregation against Blacks. These points are emphasized by Veronica Shoemaker in the Naples Daily News. Veronica Shoemaker is an African American Woman who lived and grew up in the segregation. She remembered the period when Black and White division was accentuated. In the Naples Daily News, she stated “the NAACP is the mother, the father, the sister, the brother, that has kept this civil rights movement together.”
Also, NAACP put an end to the segregation which caused the death of numerous Blacks. Back then, everything was segregated, school, restaurants and even public restrooms. Blacks under no circumstances were allowed to use the same restrooms or sit on the same table with Whites. For instance, Wilson Bradshaw, president of Florida Gulf Coast University shares his testimony in the Naples Daily News. Here, he states “I remembered growing up in West Palm Beach and attending segregated schools, eating at segregated lunch counters, and drinking form colored water fountains.” This statement shows how bad, Blacks were treated back then.
Moreover, NAACP helped fight Jim Crow laws which limited or reduced rights of Blacks. For example, in 1917, NAACP won the case Buchanan v. Warley which “nullified Jim Crow housing ordinances in Louisville, Kentucky, as they were found to be in violation of 14th amendment.”
As I already mentioned, NAACP brought numerous case to the Supreme Court which ruled in favor of Blacks. Some of these cases pointed out different domains such as transportation. For example, in 1946, the NAACP won the case Morgan v. Virginia with the help of Thurgood Marshall, the counsel of NAACP. This case opposed Irene Morgan in Virginia, who refused to give up her seat to a white couple in a greyhound bus. As result, she got arrested for violation of Virginia’s segregation law. According to NAACP and Thurgood Marshall, her arrest was in violation of 14th amendment that protects the right of former slaves. Therefore, they bring the case to the Supreme Court that rules in favor of NAACP.
In addition, there are other Supreme Court cases won by NAACP that marked the history of African American evolution in United States. Among them, there are Smith v. Allwright (1944), Shelley v. Kraemer (1948), Sweatt v. Painter (1950), and Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka (1954).
2)
In 1913, NAACP emerged in Oklahoma, at its head Roscoe Dunjee. According to the Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History, “people of professions were the first to join the organization.” Among them, there were lawyers, preachers, doctors, and teachers. In Oklahoma, NAACP’s objectives were the same the organization applied in other states and all over the country. To be more explicit, NAACP fought to achieve segregation, injustice, discrimination, torture and lynching perpetrated on Blacks. The organization also wanted to lead and drive African Americans of Oklahoma towards the civil rights movement. That is why Dunjee through his speeches urged Blacks to wake up and to follow him in the fight against segregation. Another point that NAACP underlined is “silence means approval.” By this expression, NAACP wanted Blacks to take action and revolt early, because if they do not do so, they will be victims of torture, lynching, and segregation.
However, the arrival and rise of association were not accepted by everyone in Oklahoma. In fact, the organization was mostly contested by white supremacists who still wanted to abuse of Blacks. In the encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture, James Smallwood, mentioned that “Most whites viewed the NAACP as sinister organization that threatened their way of life. They believed the NAACP was a danger to white society.”
As in other states, Oklahoma NAACP brought and won numerous cases to the Supreme Court. For instance, the Sipuel v. Board of Regents of University of Oklahoma case of 1948 marked the history of Oklahoma. This case opposed Ada Lois Sipuel and the University Of Oklahoma that refused to admit Sipuel to the Law School of the University just because she was Black. Her refusal is more detailed in the Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture (EOHC) by Melvin Hall who states “after reviewing Fisher’s credentials, the university’s president Dr. George Lynn Cross, advised her that there was no reason to reject her application for admission, but that Oklahoma statutes prohibited Whites and Blacks from attending classes together.” Determined to attend OU college of Law, Sipuel and NAACP represented by Thurgood Marshall, her lawyer brought the case to the Supreme Court which ruled in favor of Sipuel. However, her battle and admission to the college law was not easy and direct in the sense that she was at first suggested to attend Langston University School of Law. Sipuel refused this proposition because Langston School of law was not as qualified as OU school of Law. On June 18 1949, she was finally admitted to the University because attorney general of Oklahoma did not want to return to Washington for another trial.
Another case won by NAACP in Oklahoma, is the Mclaurin v. Oklahoma State Regents in 1950. In fact, McLaurin is an African American man who was refused admission to the graduate program. Once again, NAACP brought this case of injustice to the Supreme Court that rules in favor of NAACP. According to NAACP, this case is another illustration of violation of 14th amendment of U.S. constitution. From this period, African American students were no longer segregated at the University of Oklahoma.
Moreover, NAACP members in Oklahoma fought hard to put an end to segregation. One important figure is Clara Luper who was the NAACP advisor for Oklahoma City. She is very famous for her sit-in movement of 1958. This sit-in movement is better explained in the EOHC by Stephanie lee Decker who underlined “on August 20, 1958, walking into the store and ordering cokes, the youth, under Luper’s guidance, demonstrated their discontent with segregation and launched the nation’s sit-in movement.”
3)
The civil rights movement started in 1955 and lasted about 10 years. According to Wikipedia, the civil rights movement refers to “the reform movements in the united stated aimed at abolishing racial discrimination against African Americans and restoring suffrage in southern states.” This movement is marked by the civil rights Act of 1964 and the Voting rights Act of 1965. However, it is important to mention that this movement was boosted by NAACP. One key event of the civil rights movement is Brown v. Board Education in 1954. Once again, Thurgood Marshall is the attorney of NAACP in this case. We all know that one principal goal of NAACP was to put an end to segregation in schools. Theatrically, schools were known to be “separate and equal.” However, it was not technically the case given that schools were still not equal. In this case, according to Wikipedia, the court stated the “Segregation of White and Colored children in public schools has a detrimental effect upon colored children. The impact is greater when it has the sanction of the law; for the policy of separating the races is usually interpreted as denoting the inferiority of Negro group.”
Another key event in civil rights movement is Rosa Parks and the Montgomery Bus Boycott. In fact, in 1955, Rosa Parks, a member of NAACP, was arrested because she refused to give up her seat to a white person in a Montgomery bus. To protest against her arrest, about 50,000 African Americans led by Martin Luther King organized a bus boycott that lasted about 381 days. Due to significant reduction of bus revenues, the Montgomery Bus Company decided to stop segregation in bus.
The 1960 sit-ins are also a key event in the civil rights movement. The sit-ins were held in segregated public places such as parks, swimming pools, churches, and libraries. These non violent sit-ins were initiated by members of NAACP youth in lunch counters. For instance the Greensboro sit-ins of 1960 involved four students: Ezell Blair Jr., David Richmond, Joseph McNeil, and Franklin McCain. Basically, the goal of sit-ins was to put an end to segregation to public places.
Another key event of civil rights movement is the Voting rights Act of 1965. This act was signed by President Lyndon Johnson who convinced the congress to pass his voting right acts. According to Johnson, “every American citizen must have an equal right to vote, the harsh fact is that in many places in this country men and women are kept from voting because they are Negroes.” According to Wikipedia, this act “prohibited poll taxes, literacy tests, and other subjective voter tests.”
There are other events that marked the civil rights movements. Among them, there are Mississippi freedom Democratic Party of 1964, freedom rides of 1961, and desegregation in little Rock in 1957.
4)
There are a lot of similarities between the NAACP’s relevance to the African American experience and the legal movement. In fact, both organizations had for mission to improve the living conditions of African Americans. They were always pointing out acts of discrimination against African Americans. African Americans were tired of being behind, tortured, lynched and segregated. They wanted to be treated just as the Whites; they also wanted to benefit the same treatments received by Whites. Black people were determined to bring segregation and discrimination to an end in United States. They wanted their child to attend or receive the same quality of education as White students did. To arrive to this point, they organized non-violent sit-ins in public segregated places such as school, parks, and restaurants. Thus, NAACP and Civil rights movement brought numerous cases of segreagation to the Supreme Court. One of them is Brown v. Board Education in 1954.
5)
The reconstruction is a period that marked the history of U.S. This period went form 1863 to 1877. The major goal of reconstruction was to bring the divided country back together as one. Also, another purpose of reconstruction was to rebuild the countries since many factories, farms, and cities had been destroyed by the civil war. The reconstruction is detailed in two parts: presidential reconstruction and congressional reconstruction. In fact, presidential reconstruction is marked by President Andrew Johnson who assigned black codes in southern state governments. According to black codes, “the freedmen have more rights than the free blacks before civil war.” However, black codes implement some restrictions to black rights. For instance, Jessica McElrath in the document entitled The Black Codes of 1865, mentioned that “blacks could not control their own employment, they were still not citizens, and they could not own firearms.” Later, the congress passed a series of amendments in favor of Blacks. The first one is the 13th amendment. This amendment was signed in 1865 and also marked the end of slavery in United States. The section 1 of 13th amendment indicates “Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime where of the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States or any place subject to their jurisdiction.”
Next, the 14th amendment is a 5-section document ratified in July 9, 1868. His principal goal is to secure the rights of former slaves. The first section of the document states:
“All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside. No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.”
Finally the 15th amendment, passed in 1870, provides the right to vote to everybody, even colored people. This document has two sections and the section 1 states: “The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude.”
To my mind, reconstruction was not successful in the sense that there were still riots in United States. For instance, there was a riot that happened in 1908, in Illinois; obviously, this occurred the ratification of the three amendments. Therefore, we can conclude that the reconstruction was not really successful, but yet marked the first steps of African Americans towards civil rights movement.
6)
This year, NAACP is celebrating its centenary proving the association is still active and not ready to retire. The longevity of this organization is synonym of strength, charisma, and determination that his members have used since its creation to fight for African American rights. However, NAACP is representing every people of colors; otherwise it would be against their ethic.
For instance, in 2008, NAACP created the Voter Empowerment Program. This latter, according to civic engagement staff, Greg Moore was designed “to empower African Americans and people of color by increasing awareness and participation in the electoral process.” On the other hand, this program was divided in five sections: voter registration, voter education, election administration, Election Protection and Get-Out-The-Vote (GOTV).
Until today, NAACP work is to ensure that all students of all colors, especially Black students received the same education as the White students. The organization is fighting against segregation in public schools. On their official website, NAACP national education department mentions its goal is “to ensure that all students have access to an equal and high quality education by eliminating all education related to racial and ethnic disparities.” Also, their goal is to increase teacher quality and sensitize parents who have to engage themselves in their children education.
Moreover, NAACP is also active on judicial and economic sectors. In fact, the organization has released the 12th Annual economic Reciprocity Initiative. The criminal justice goal of NAACP is to “eliminate disparate treatment of blacks in all aspects of law enforcement and criminal justice systems.”
NAACP health goal is to improve health conditions of African Americans who are more exposed to certain types of diseases than any other groups. The organization also wants to sensitize African American community by providing some tips about avoiding diseases such as AIDS. NAACP health program involves Health screenings, HIV/AIDS testing, Kick the Habit Program, and Montague Cobb health Advocacy Award.
7)
First of all I want to be honest about my total ignorance on NAACP. In fact, I thought NAACP was an organization only representing Blacks. Thus, I was surprised when Anthony R. Douglas informed us that NAACP is also representing Whites and other groups of color. Next, I was informed about the NAACP involvement in youth education. During the meeting, the guest speakers asked us to be very thankful to God since we have the chance to attend university. They also emphasized on the importance of equality of education. To better illustrate this point, Rhonda Williams, NAACP Youth and College Division Adviser for Oklahoma narrated us her childhood. She told us she could not read because of segregation, she could not attend college early because of segregation. However, she told us she has succeeded in life because she was a good athlete and she was determined to succeed. Also, the two guests informed us about the existence of an OU’s NAACP student Chapter. Basically, Rhonda Williams and Anthony Douglas, want us to be more involved into the NAACP youth department by spreading the message everywhere and by convincing non scholar African Americans to attend schools. For instance, I remember Mrs. Williams saying, “We have to always give back to the community.”
References:
Selanders, Renee. “Rebirth of NAACP student chapter on the horizon.” OU Daily. Feb. 9, 2009. Accessed Feb. 13, 2009. http://oudaily.com/news/2009/feb/09/rebirth-naacp-student-chapter-horizon/
“African American Registry.” The Encyclopedia Britannica. Fifteenth Edition. 1996. Accessed Feb. 12. 2009. http://www.aaregistry.com/african_american_history/1005/The_Niagara_Movement_founded
Bishop, Kathy. Miguel, Tracy. “A lifetime of changes: Reflecting on the NAACP's 100-year anniversary.” Naples Daily News. Feb. 11, 2009. Accessed Feb 12, 2009. http://www.naplesnews.com/news/2009/feb/11/justice-all-countrys-evolution-our-evolving-equali/
NAACP. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NAACP
Civil Rights Movement. http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/NAACP.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/African-American_Civil_Rights_Movement_(1955%E2%80%931968)
Smallwood, James. “NAACP In Oklahoma.” Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History & culture. Accessed feb. 11, 2009. http://digital.library.okstate.edu/encyclopedia/entries/N/NA001.html
http://digital.library.okstate.edu/encyclopedia/entries/F/FI009.html
http://digital.library.okstate.edu/encyclopedia/entries/L/LU005.html
Johnson, Lyndon B. “We Shall Overcome.” The History Place . Great Speeches Collection. March 15, 1965. Accessed Feb. 11, 2009. http://www.historyplace.com/speeches/johnson.htm
McElrath, Jessica. “Black Codes of 1865.” Accessed Feb. 12, 2009. http://afroamhistory.about.com/od/blackcodes/a/blackcodes1865.htm
Moore, Greg. “NAACP Civic Engagement.” Accessed Feb. 13, 2009. http://www.naacp.org/advocacy/civic/index.htm
http://www.naacp.org/advocacy/health/index.htm
Even after the ratification of 13th, 14th, and 15th amendments between 1865 and 1870, Black people were still not treated as Human beings and not able to enjoy their rights. In the contrary, they were still victims of injustice and abused by White people who only saw them as “slaves” and nothing else. Also, these White supremacists called Blacks “Negroes,” a term that is really disgusting. Thus, in order to abolish segregation, disfranchisement, and inequality, Black community decided to stand up and fight for their rights. One major organization that fights for the advancement and respect of Blacks is known to be NAACP. This acronym, which stands for National Association of Colored People, is an interracial organization existing since February 12, 1909. This date was set on purpose, since it marked the 100th anniversary of President Lincoln who was a protagonist for abolition of slavery. His prominent members were W. E. B. Du Bois, Ida B. Wells, Archibald Grimke, Henry Moskowitz, Mary White Ovington, Oswald Garrison, and William English Walling. However, it is really important to mention that these members were not all Blacks. For instance Henry Moskowitz, Mary White Ovington and Oswald Garrison were Caucasian people who lined up with Blacks and help them fight for their rights. The major goals targeted by NAACP were to stop the segregation, violence against Blacks, and of course grant civil rights to Black people.
In fact, the birth of NAACP comes from the “Niagara Movement” which according to African American Registry was “a black civil rights organization founded in 1905 by a group led by W. E. B. Du Bois and William Monroe Trotter.” It is called Niagara Falls because his founders met in hotel located in Canada by Niagara Falls given that at this time in United States, hotels were segregated. Latter on, after the coalition of Ovington, Moskowitz, Walling, and the Niagara Movement became NAACP.
In a letter of Mary White Ovington written in 1914, it is mentioned that “NAACP was formed in response to the 1908 race riots in Springfield, capital of Illinois and Birthplace of President Lincoln.” According to Wikipedia, NAACP’s mission is “to ensure the political, educational, social, and economic equality of rights of all persons and to eliminate racial hatred and racial discrimination.”
There are many examples that justify the importance of NAACP for African Americans. First, NAACP fights for equal rights among all Americans and contribute to the civil rights movement. This organization step by step brought numerous cases to the Supreme Court to point out practices of segregation against Blacks. These points are emphasized by Veronica Shoemaker in the Naples Daily News. Veronica Shoemaker is an African American Woman who lived and grew up in the segregation. She remembered the period when Black and White division was accentuated. In the Naples Daily News, she stated “the NAACP is the mother, the father, the sister, the brother, that has kept this civil rights movement together.”
Also, NAACP put an end to the segregation which caused the death of numerous Blacks. Back then, everything was segregated, school, restaurants and even public restrooms. Blacks under no circumstances were allowed to use the same restrooms or sit on the same table with Whites. For instance, Wilson Bradshaw, president of Florida Gulf Coast University shares his testimony in the Naples Daily News. Here, he states “I remembered growing up in West Palm Beach and attending segregated schools, eating at segregated lunch counters, and drinking form colored water fountains.” This statement shows how bad, Blacks were treated back then.
Moreover, NAACP helped fight Jim Crow laws which limited or reduced rights of Blacks. For example, in 1917, NAACP won the case Buchanan v. Warley which “nullified Jim Crow housing ordinances in Louisville, Kentucky, as they were found to be in violation of 14th amendment.”
As I already mentioned, NAACP brought numerous case to the Supreme Court which ruled in favor of Blacks. Some of these cases pointed out different domains such as transportation. For example, in 1946, the NAACP won the case Morgan v. Virginia with the help of Thurgood Marshall, the counsel of NAACP. This case opposed Irene Morgan in Virginia, who refused to give up her seat to a white couple in a greyhound bus. As result, she got arrested for violation of Virginia’s segregation law. According to NAACP and Thurgood Marshall, her arrest was in violation of 14th amendment that protects the right of former slaves. Therefore, they bring the case to the Supreme Court that rules in favor of NAACP.
In addition, there are other Supreme Court cases won by NAACP that marked the history of African American evolution in United States. Among them, there are Smith v. Allwright (1944), Shelley v. Kraemer (1948), Sweatt v. Painter (1950), and Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka (1954).
2)
In 1913, NAACP emerged in Oklahoma, at its head Roscoe Dunjee. According to the Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History, “people of professions were the first to join the organization.” Among them, there were lawyers, preachers, doctors, and teachers. In Oklahoma, NAACP’s objectives were the same the organization applied in other states and all over the country. To be more explicit, NAACP fought to achieve segregation, injustice, discrimination, torture and lynching perpetrated on Blacks. The organization also wanted to lead and drive African Americans of Oklahoma towards the civil rights movement. That is why Dunjee through his speeches urged Blacks to wake up and to follow him in the fight against segregation. Another point that NAACP underlined is “silence means approval.” By this expression, NAACP wanted Blacks to take action and revolt early, because if they do not do so, they will be victims of torture, lynching, and segregation.
However, the arrival and rise of association were not accepted by everyone in Oklahoma. In fact, the organization was mostly contested by white supremacists who still wanted to abuse of Blacks. In the encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture, James Smallwood, mentioned that “Most whites viewed the NAACP as sinister organization that threatened their way of life. They believed the NAACP was a danger to white society.”
As in other states, Oklahoma NAACP brought and won numerous cases to the Supreme Court. For instance, the Sipuel v. Board of Regents of University of Oklahoma case of 1948 marked the history of Oklahoma. This case opposed Ada Lois Sipuel and the University Of Oklahoma that refused to admit Sipuel to the Law School of the University just because she was Black. Her refusal is more detailed in the Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture (EOHC) by Melvin Hall who states “after reviewing Fisher’s credentials, the university’s president Dr. George Lynn Cross, advised her that there was no reason to reject her application for admission, but that Oklahoma statutes prohibited Whites and Blacks from attending classes together.” Determined to attend OU college of Law, Sipuel and NAACP represented by Thurgood Marshall, her lawyer brought the case to the Supreme Court which ruled in favor of Sipuel. However, her battle and admission to the college law was not easy and direct in the sense that she was at first suggested to attend Langston University School of Law. Sipuel refused this proposition because Langston School of law was not as qualified as OU school of Law. On June 18 1949, she was finally admitted to the University because attorney general of Oklahoma did not want to return to Washington for another trial.
Another case won by NAACP in Oklahoma, is the Mclaurin v. Oklahoma State Regents in 1950. In fact, McLaurin is an African American man who was refused admission to the graduate program. Once again, NAACP brought this case of injustice to the Supreme Court that rules in favor of NAACP. According to NAACP, this case is another illustration of violation of 14th amendment of U.S. constitution. From this period, African American students were no longer segregated at the University of Oklahoma.
Moreover, NAACP members in Oklahoma fought hard to put an end to segregation. One important figure is Clara Luper who was the NAACP advisor for Oklahoma City. She is very famous for her sit-in movement of 1958. This sit-in movement is better explained in the EOHC by Stephanie lee Decker who underlined “on August 20, 1958, walking into the store and ordering cokes, the youth, under Luper’s guidance, demonstrated their discontent with segregation and launched the nation’s sit-in movement.”
3)
The civil rights movement started in 1955 and lasted about 10 years. According to Wikipedia, the civil rights movement refers to “the reform movements in the united stated aimed at abolishing racial discrimination against African Americans and restoring suffrage in southern states.” This movement is marked by the civil rights Act of 1964 and the Voting rights Act of 1965. However, it is important to mention that this movement was boosted by NAACP. One key event of the civil rights movement is Brown v. Board Education in 1954. Once again, Thurgood Marshall is the attorney of NAACP in this case. We all know that one principal goal of NAACP was to put an end to segregation in schools. Theatrically, schools were known to be “separate and equal.” However, it was not technically the case given that schools were still not equal. In this case, according to Wikipedia, the court stated the “Segregation of White and Colored children in public schools has a detrimental effect upon colored children. The impact is greater when it has the sanction of the law; for the policy of separating the races is usually interpreted as denoting the inferiority of Negro group.”
Another key event in civil rights movement is Rosa Parks and the Montgomery Bus Boycott. In fact, in 1955, Rosa Parks, a member of NAACP, was arrested because she refused to give up her seat to a white person in a Montgomery bus. To protest against her arrest, about 50,000 African Americans led by Martin Luther King organized a bus boycott that lasted about 381 days. Due to significant reduction of bus revenues, the Montgomery Bus Company decided to stop segregation in bus.
The 1960 sit-ins are also a key event in the civil rights movement. The sit-ins were held in segregated public places such as parks, swimming pools, churches, and libraries. These non violent sit-ins were initiated by members of NAACP youth in lunch counters. For instance the Greensboro sit-ins of 1960 involved four students: Ezell Blair Jr., David Richmond, Joseph McNeil, and Franklin McCain. Basically, the goal of sit-ins was to put an end to segregation to public places.
Another key event of civil rights movement is the Voting rights Act of 1965. This act was signed by President Lyndon Johnson who convinced the congress to pass his voting right acts. According to Johnson, “every American citizen must have an equal right to vote, the harsh fact is that in many places in this country men and women are kept from voting because they are Negroes.” According to Wikipedia, this act “prohibited poll taxes, literacy tests, and other subjective voter tests.”
There are other events that marked the civil rights movements. Among them, there are Mississippi freedom Democratic Party of 1964, freedom rides of 1961, and desegregation in little Rock in 1957.
4)
There are a lot of similarities between the NAACP’s relevance to the African American experience and the legal movement. In fact, both organizations had for mission to improve the living conditions of African Americans. They were always pointing out acts of discrimination against African Americans. African Americans were tired of being behind, tortured, lynched and segregated. They wanted to be treated just as the Whites; they also wanted to benefit the same treatments received by Whites. Black people were determined to bring segregation and discrimination to an end in United States. They wanted their child to attend or receive the same quality of education as White students did. To arrive to this point, they organized non-violent sit-ins in public segregated places such as school, parks, and restaurants. Thus, NAACP and Civil rights movement brought numerous cases of segreagation to the Supreme Court. One of them is Brown v. Board Education in 1954.
5)
The reconstruction is a period that marked the history of U.S. This period went form 1863 to 1877. The major goal of reconstruction was to bring the divided country back together as one. Also, another purpose of reconstruction was to rebuild the countries since many factories, farms, and cities had been destroyed by the civil war. The reconstruction is detailed in two parts: presidential reconstruction and congressional reconstruction. In fact, presidential reconstruction is marked by President Andrew Johnson who assigned black codes in southern state governments. According to black codes, “the freedmen have more rights than the free blacks before civil war.” However, black codes implement some restrictions to black rights. For instance, Jessica McElrath in the document entitled The Black Codes of 1865, mentioned that “blacks could not control their own employment, they were still not citizens, and they could not own firearms.” Later, the congress passed a series of amendments in favor of Blacks. The first one is the 13th amendment. This amendment was signed in 1865 and also marked the end of slavery in United States. The section 1 of 13th amendment indicates “Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime where of the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States or any place subject to their jurisdiction.”
Next, the 14th amendment is a 5-section document ratified in July 9, 1868. His principal goal is to secure the rights of former slaves. The first section of the document states:
“All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside. No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.”
Finally the 15th amendment, passed in 1870, provides the right to vote to everybody, even colored people. This document has two sections and the section 1 states: “The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude.”
To my mind, reconstruction was not successful in the sense that there were still riots in United States. For instance, there was a riot that happened in 1908, in Illinois; obviously, this occurred the ratification of the three amendments. Therefore, we can conclude that the reconstruction was not really successful, but yet marked the first steps of African Americans towards civil rights movement.
6)
This year, NAACP is celebrating its centenary proving the association is still active and not ready to retire. The longevity of this organization is synonym of strength, charisma, and determination that his members have used since its creation to fight for African American rights. However, NAACP is representing every people of colors; otherwise it would be against their ethic.
For instance, in 2008, NAACP created the Voter Empowerment Program. This latter, according to civic engagement staff, Greg Moore was designed “to empower African Americans and people of color by increasing awareness and participation in the electoral process.” On the other hand, this program was divided in five sections: voter registration, voter education, election administration, Election Protection and Get-Out-The-Vote (GOTV).
Until today, NAACP work is to ensure that all students of all colors, especially Black students received the same education as the White students. The organization is fighting against segregation in public schools. On their official website, NAACP national education department mentions its goal is “to ensure that all students have access to an equal and high quality education by eliminating all education related to racial and ethnic disparities.” Also, their goal is to increase teacher quality and sensitize parents who have to engage themselves in their children education.
Moreover, NAACP is also active on judicial and economic sectors. In fact, the organization has released the 12th Annual economic Reciprocity Initiative. The criminal justice goal of NAACP is to “eliminate disparate treatment of blacks in all aspects of law enforcement and criminal justice systems.”
NAACP health goal is to improve health conditions of African Americans who are more exposed to certain types of diseases than any other groups. The organization also wants to sensitize African American community by providing some tips about avoiding diseases such as AIDS. NAACP health program involves Health screenings, HIV/AIDS testing, Kick the Habit Program, and Montague Cobb health Advocacy Award.
7)
First of all I want to be honest about my total ignorance on NAACP. In fact, I thought NAACP was an organization only representing Blacks. Thus, I was surprised when Anthony R. Douglas informed us that NAACP is also representing Whites and other groups of color. Next, I was informed about the NAACP involvement in youth education. During the meeting, the guest speakers asked us to be very thankful to God since we have the chance to attend university. They also emphasized on the importance of equality of education. To better illustrate this point, Rhonda Williams, NAACP Youth and College Division Adviser for Oklahoma narrated us her childhood. She told us she could not read because of segregation, she could not attend college early because of segregation. However, she told us she has succeeded in life because she was a good athlete and she was determined to succeed. Also, the two guests informed us about the existence of an OU’s NAACP student Chapter. Basically, Rhonda Williams and Anthony Douglas, want us to be more involved into the NAACP youth department by spreading the message everywhere and by convincing non scholar African Americans to attend schools. For instance, I remember Mrs. Williams saying, “We have to always give back to the community.”
References:
Selanders, Renee. “Rebirth of NAACP student chapter on the horizon.” OU Daily. Feb. 9, 2009. Accessed Feb. 13, 2009. http://oudaily.com/news/2009/feb/09/rebirth-naacp-student-chapter-horizon/
“African American Registry.” The Encyclopedia Britannica. Fifteenth Edition. 1996. Accessed Feb. 12. 2009. http://www.aaregistry.com/african_american_history/1005/The_Niagara_Movement_founded
Bishop, Kathy. Miguel, Tracy. “A lifetime of changes: Reflecting on the NAACP's 100-year anniversary.” Naples Daily News. Feb. 11, 2009. Accessed Feb 12, 2009. http://www.naplesnews.com/news/2009/feb/11/justice-all-countrys-evolution-our-evolving-equali/
NAACP. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NAACP
Civil Rights Movement. http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/NAACP.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/African-American_Civil_Rights_Movement_(1955%E2%80%931968)
Smallwood, James. “NAACP In Oklahoma.” Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History & culture. Accessed feb. 11, 2009. http://digital.library.okstate.edu/encyclopedia/entries/N/NA001.html
http://digital.library.okstate.edu/encyclopedia/entries/F/FI009.html
http://digital.library.okstate.edu/encyclopedia/entries/L/LU005.html
Johnson, Lyndon B. “We Shall Overcome.” The History Place . Great Speeches Collection. March 15, 1965. Accessed Feb. 11, 2009. http://www.historyplace.com/speeches/johnson.htm
McElrath, Jessica. “Black Codes of 1865.” Accessed Feb. 12, 2009. http://afroamhistory.about.com/od/blackcodes/a/blackcodes1865.htm
Moore, Greg. “NAACP Civic Engagement.” Accessed Feb. 13, 2009. http://www.naacp.org/advocacy/civic/index.htm
http://www.naacp.org/advocacy/health/index.htm
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