Essay on Sociology: Black Like Me

The United States of America is known to the rest of the world as the country where people are treated as equals and have the same rights despite race, gender, or religion. Yet, life in America during the 1950s and 1960s told a different story, one of hostility and segregation against those who were Black. Life for Blacks could be best explained by understanding that “Nearly 100 years after the Emancipation Proclamation, African Americans in Southern states still inhabited a starkly unequal world of disenfranchisement, segregation and various forms of oppression, including race-inspired violence” (History.com). African Americans were constantly attacked, killed, and discriminated against purely because of the color of their skin. Additionally,

To many people lack the vision of opportunity if a paycheck isn't attached to it.

Despite of being a decent person and graduate of the University of Chicago the author

All forms of racism, discrimination and prejudice had consequently been the cause of most of the problems that African Americans had faced during that time. The examples of institutional racism given in the stories also emphasize the corruption of the institutions, and although there has been progression in working towards achieving ultimate racial equality for African Americans, it has been a perpetual problem that is going to be difficult to overcome. But, stories and plays like these that do shine light onto how corrupt systematic racism is are beneficial because they continue to inform the readers about how the reasoning behind why the system is extremely

In the 1930s, “middle-class Negroes do better economically than do lower-class whites, but they must obey the deference [respect] forms characteristic of their caste position when dealing with lower-class whites” (Dollard 252). The classic early 1930s class structure places them at the very bottom of the order, with little room to advance upward. This arrangement kept the white community in a position of power. One’s background dictated where they stood

Being black has several dynamics. There are countless skin tones, hair textures, facial features and subcultures within the black community. However, none of those variations make an individual any less black whether they have lighter skin or softer features. Being black is not described by physical characteristics, but it is about the shared ancestry, culture and values within the ethnicity. During the twentieth century, being black was shamed. The hand game that stating, “White you’re right, black get back”, was very significant within the film because that mindset is still prevalent in today’s society. Young African-Americans often struggle with their identity and embracing with their skin tone. Likewise, within the black community manhood

Racial prejudice and discrimination often leaves its victim in a weak and vulnerable state; it elicits emotions of helplessness, non-belonging, and may manifest itself in a binding and enduring identity crisis. In the course of American history, decades of progress have been made to amend the wrongs of slavery, the wrongs of discrimination and prejudice, and the wrongs of segregation and morally conflicting understandings of equality. People such as Martin Luther King Jr. had helped pushed for accelerated progress for a united and humanitarian front as an ideal of the American society. It was in these times of great national disparity rose the greatest civil rights development and movements. However, progress has never been swift, and mental afflictions were and are still cast over millions of those who are affected. The mind is not always so resilient of the back-lashing negativity derived from the segregated society. Seen in the play A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry and Down These Mean Streets by Piri Thomas, there exists a world of segregation and racism that ultimately affects their life choices and mentality of identity. Furthermore, it goes on to fundamentally question the entire notion of white versus black or white versus brown, and from it, the derived racial categories along with social, political, and economic discourse the white society creates for minority opportunities and equality.

A culture’s rules of conduct are considered the norm and in the United States the accepted norm is white. “Through norms, in-group members know how to react toward the acts of outgroup members that surprise, shock, or annoy them or in any way go against the shared expectations. Anything contrary to this “normal” state is seen as negative or deviant. When minorities “act uppity” or “don’t know their place”, the majority view this as a violation and can have strong reactions because they appear to threaten the social fabric of a community” (Parillo, 2014, p. 27).

In the early 1900’s the black community was not given equal justice under the law. All around the South, black people were unjustly being lynched by white people. In “Strange Fruit” Billie Holiday states, “Black Bodies [were] swinging in the southern breeze,” Black people were unfairly hung from trees without due process, it was very common for this to happen all over the South. White people seemed to have complete control over any black person. It seemed that a black person was stripped of their legal rights. According to Ida B. Well’s article, it did not matter what position a black person held in society, he or she was not safe from the power of a white person. Back then, a white person could do anything wrong to a black person and would

“America at this moment”, said the former British Prime Minister Winston Churchill in 1945, “stands at the summit of the world.” In 1950’s America is propelling economically and has the strongest military in the world. Everywhere there were construction and development. On the other hand, Segregation or the Jim Crow (The term Jim Crow originated from the name of the character in an 1832 minstrel show, where whites performed in black face ridiculed African – American life.) , amongst the colored become the new normal. On buses, trains, hospitals, churches, cemeteries, restaurants, theaters, apartments/houses and even schools African Americans didn’t have equal rights to use them as a fellow Americans. They were separated from whites

For instance, African-Americans were seen as inferior to white people, especially in the South such as Mississippi. In the article featured in Time Magazine, “Voices of the White South” touches upon the thoughts of whites in 1956 who stood firmly for segregation. The reporter sums up the point of view of a white person in the subject of segregation, “Many are not afraid of the Negro in any fashion but simply believe he falls short of their standards…”

Many functionalists argue that in a labour system with equal rewards and a recruitment market which is hinged upon deservingness, the effect of inequality guarantees that the essential roles within society are occupied by the best candidates:

Being colored is a day to day hardship placed on the shoulders of everyone with brown skin. In the 1930s, being a colored man or woman was not only condemning, it was practically fatal. The injustice was so remarkable that the world’s head would be reeling at the brutality for years to come. And to even protect yourself or your loved ones could land you behind bars. “On the evening of June 24,1928, a black man named Morgan Thompson lost his temper. What provoked him was a confrontation between a white man and his seventeen year old son, George. There was an exchange of words about George’s behaviour with a girl on the street that

Functionalist argue that stratification is "necessary and beneficial" to a society to ensure the highest qualified individuals will fill the best societal positions. Inequality in the

The study of white racism towards African Americans in the United States is an important ‘contemporary issue’. It helps humans today understand how to prevent unequal treatment between the two races and prevent any further racist treatment from occurring because of past historical actions. There are two questions that this paper seeks to answer. The first is what are the historical causes of white racism towards African Americans? Secondly, what are the causes resulting in the current rights and freedom for African Americans in modern times? Racism has played a big role in millions of people’s lives globally, including Africa, Asia, and the Middle East. Today, 12.8 percent of the U.S. population consists of African Americans, growing from less than one percent when this country was first created. Over the centuries, blacks have fought for their freedom by avoiding the Ku Klux Klan, starting movements such as the Harlem Renaissance and the Civil Rights Movement, along with forming groups such as the National Equal Rights League and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. This essay aims to analyze the historical treatment of African Americans, leading to modern rights, racial views and treatment, and comparisons of equality between black and white people. The goal of this essay is to show that even though African Americans have dramatically improved their rights and treatment, they still have ways to go before obtaining full equality with the white