Black Men : A Black Man Essay

In “Black Men and Public Spaces”, Brent Staples is in his early twenties and is faced with the menacing crime of being a black man in the 1970’s. As Staples likes to walk the streets at night due to his insomnia, every stranger that comes close enough to realize that he’s a tall black man lets their fear take control of them as they avoid him to the point of fleeing. To the eyes of people (mainly women) at night, he was no different from any other thug or criminal who prowls the street. Having moved to New York, and growing accustomed to being perceived as a threat, Staples learned to properly give people their space to intimidate them less as he walks the streets. Despite being a journalist, he has even had security called in on him at a

The abolition of slavery in the United States presented southern African Americans with many new opportunities, including the option of relocation in search of better living conditions. The mass movement of black people from the rural areas of the South to the cities of the North, known as the Black Migration, came in the 1890s when black men and women left the south to settle in cities such as Philadelphia and New York, fleeing from the rise of Jim Crowe Laws and searching for work. This migration of blacks from the South has been an important factor in the formation of the Harlem Renaissance. The period referred to as the Harlem Renaissance, was a flourishing period of artistic and literary creation in African-American culture and

The short essay " Black Men and Public Space" was written by Brent Staples, the essay defines the hardships of being black in the 1980's. Brent uses emotion, credibility, and logic to convey his writing. These three rhetorical appeals are commonly used by many authors, but the way he uses them really depicts his experiences. I believe that his story is well written and sheds light on how black people in the 80's were perceived. Most of all, The author uses definition as a rhetorical tool to really get his point across, to make you feel as if you were there.

Today's education is often viewed as failing in its goal of educating students, especially those students characterized as minorities, including African American, Hispanic, and Appalachian students (Quiroz, 1999). Among the minority groups mentioned, African American males are affected most adversely. Research has shown that when Black male students are compared to other students by gender and race they consistently rank lowest in academic achievement (Ogbu, 2003), have the worst attendance record (Voelkle, 1999), are suspended and expelled the most often (Raffaele Mendez, 2003; Staples, 1982), are most likely to drop out of school, and most often fail to graduate from high school or to earn a GED (Pinkney, 2000; Roderick, 2003).

In the essay “Black Men and Public Space,” Brent Staples explains how people showed alienation towards him and he found ways to be less threatening to the people. Brent Staples is a twenty-year-old graduate student from the University of Chicago. He says the people around him see him as a bad influence because he is black. For example, people judge him in many ways such as a mugger, a rapist, and a robber. In his surroundings, he tells us people saw him as dangerous and frightening. In addition, Staples illustrates “language of fear” when women are scared of him being on the streets. In public places people illustrates him differently like mistaken for a burglar and showing discrimination. Staples shows how he learned to take precautions

Recently, the media has caused many stereotypes due to portraying African American males playing feminine roles. This perspective depicts men of color wearing attire outside of the stereotypical sagging pants and oversized t-shirts. It depicts an educated man with social class and sophistication. To date, society holds African American men to rigid stereotypes and a high standard of masculinity. However, once a man of color steps outside societal stereotypes and into the perspective reflected by this new lens, far too often his own race rejects him on the grounds of not molding into the same rigid stereotypes that prevents his growth. Stripping the young man who adopts this new perspective of his ability to identify with his own race,

The job of police officers around the world is to serve and protect the community; therefore, community members should feel safe and free under their protection. More often today in the United Sates, that is not the case. Several members of the black community do not feel safe under police protection; in fact, they feel like they are being harassed and threatened by the police. The accounts of people who feel this way has been growing ever since stories like Trayvon Martin, Sandra Bland, Michael Brown and many more. In the book Twelve Angry Men: True Stories of Being a Black Man in America Today edited by Gregory Parks and Matthew Hughey, Solomon Moore, Richard F., and Kent H. all share stories and personal experiences with the police.

I never read this piece but after looking over it, it really made me think of how spot on his depiction of what happens to black every time they’re in a particular space. In his story he says, “At dark, shadowy intersections, I could cross in front of a car stopped at a traffic light and elicit the thunk, thunk, thunk, thunk of the driver—black, white, male, or female (Bedford Reader pg.225).” I understood what he was saying because personally I do it majority of the time when I am in the city as well. I could remember visiting New York over the summer and my mom constantly reminding me to watch my surroundings. Without really realizing the actions that I was taking at the site of a black man I would put my phone away and tug on my purse a little harder. Thinking back on it I should have felt more comfortable around someone that was the same race as me, but knowing what people are capable of I didn’t care. This essay is mind blowing and really made me take a step back and examine the stigma put of black men. I guess so much repetitive stereotyping has caused people to examine black men whether dressed in a suit or in beat up clothing as a

Misunderstandings happen all the time, but how one handles those misunderstandings tells a lot about their character and who they really are as a person. Sometimes misunderstandings are a result of someone stereotyping because of a race, religion or even simple actions. This issue is apparent in “Black Men and Public Places”. A graduate student at University of Chicago as endured these issues, but has found ways around them.

Identity communicates a strong characteristic that cannot naturally be expressed in terms of a social category. Social and personal identity enable the formation of an individual, reflecting the idea that social categories are assured with the bases of an individual’s self esteem. “Race and racial identity are identifiable as a social constriction culture” (Little and McGivern, 328). However, issuing social categories based on race or ethnicity links to biased regulations and practices. Johnson’s novel, The Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man, examines ways racial identity is socially constructed through the segregation of Jim Crow Laws, the act of "passing off” another race, and through practices of lynching. The Autobiography of an Ex Colored Man explores the way racial identity is socially constructed within legally sanctioned forms of racism and discrimination.

In the news we hear stories about how another black male have been sent to prison. The big question that most people ask is “why?” He was selling drugs. A petty crime like that gets a black male at least 10 years in prison. Whereas, a white male selling drug gets probation. African American are portrayed as thugs who either sell drugs or are always in the streets terrorizing people. For instance, in the article, THE FIGHT FOR BLACK MEN, by Joshua Dubois. A man named Joe, who lived in a typical african american life style was fatherless. At a young age, he started to use narcotics. Later on, he was caught by the police and was sent to jail. Where he met someone that taught him the knowledge on how to sell drugs in the streets. This lifestyle is the stereotypical lifestyle of Black males or Black people in general. People assume that ‘ALL’ African Americans are the same. In another article, Black Men and Public Space, by Brent Staples; the character describes his first encounter with racism when he was behind a white woman, who thought he was going to rob her. So, she started to run. He mentions that just because he was wearing baggy clothes and black, she automatically thought the worst of him. Another stereotype for Black males is that they are not educated. In Black Boys in Crisis: The School-To-Prison Pipeline, it states that dropouts (mostly black kids) are going to be incarcerated at one point in their life. In this article, it states the statistic percentage of how

There have been many stories about discrimination. It has affected people of color. Those stories explained how bad it can be for outsiders. Stories like that have had a big impact on society. Two stories that are an example of that are “Black Men and Public Space” by Brent Staples and “The F Word” by Firoozeh Dumas. The stories, “Black Men and Public Space” and “The F Word” are similar because both characters were discriminated against themselves, were not the only ones harassed, and each went through a tough moment.

The stories “Black Men in Public” and “Champions of the World” relate to me in similar ways. Authors Staples and Angelou have had gone through challenging experiences and have been discriminated and stereotyped; they share my beliefs that we should not judge by someone’s skin color or by appearance.

Black males in society have expectations to live up to and guidelines on how they should act. Although these expectations and guidelines vary individually from person to person, generally black men all are bound to the same rules. Ralph Ellison’s novel Invisible Man explores the intersections of race and power, where this seemingly ideal black male is one that can outwit the white men. In Kiese Laymon’s novel Long Division, the ideal man is one that can survive white oppression by not coinciding with racial stereotypes. Although these novels introduce the same idea of the us-versus-them mentality, both have vastly differently interpretations on it and ways of fulfilling it.

3. General Scope and Content: White begins his analysis by summarizing the literature examining the development of black culture and identity and showing the prevalence of racist ideas even in racially homogenous areas. African American identities were shaped by the adversity and discrimination they faced. In contrast, the identity of the “white working class” was shaped in contrast to their perceptions of black identity.