...African Americans: The Role of Race Abstract The Following Essay defines and integrates the role race plays on the African American culture in their family values and politics in comparison to the Anglo American Culture. The United States has become increasingly diverse in the last century. While African American families share many features with other U.S. families, the African American family has some distinctive features relating to the timing and approaches to marriage and family formation, gender roles, parenting styles, and strategies for coping with adversity. African cultures, slavery, slave rebellions, and the civil rights movements(circa 1800s-160s)have shaped African American religious, familial, political and economic behaviors. The imprint of Africa is evident in myriad ways, in politics, economics, language, music, hairstyles, fashion, dance, religion and worldview, and food preparation methods. In the United States, the very legislation that was designed to strip slaves of culture and deny them education served in many ways to strengthen it. In turn, African American culture has had a pervasive, transformative impact on myriad elements of mainstream American culture, among them language, music, dance, religion, cuisine, and agriculture. This process of mutual creative exchange is called creolization. Over time, the culture of African slaves and their descendants has been ubiquitous in its impact on not only the dominant American culture, but on world...
Words: 1369 - Pages: 6
...CONFLICT RESOLUTION. THE AFRICAN CONTINENTAL BODY (AFRICAN UNION). Introduction The AU project was born in Sirte in 1999 with the decision to draft an act of constitution. The AU’s Constitutive Act was subsequently signed in Lomé, Togo on 11 July 2000. The official inauguration of the AU took place in July 2002 in Durban, South Africa and represented the next level in the evolution of the ideal of Pan-Africanism. Learning from the lessons of the OAU, the AU has adopted a much more interventionist stance through its legal frameworks and institutions. The AU’s Peace and Security Council (PSC) was established in 2004 through the Protocol Relating to the Establishment of the Peace and Security Council of 2002 (AU 2002). The AU’s 15-member PSC is mandated to conduct peacemaking, peacekeeping and peace building. In effect, the AU maintained a working relationship with the UN and other international organisations, namely the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), the Southern African Development Community (SADC), The AU has adopted a number of important new documents establishing norms at continental level, to supplement those already in force when it was created. These include the African Union Convention on Preventing and Combating Corruption (2003), the African Charter on Democracy, Elections and Governance (2007), the New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD) and its associated Declaration on Democracy...
Words: 1307 - Pages: 6
...Grace March 2, 2011 Cultural Presentation |V11SP: INTRO CULTURAL ANTHROPOLOGY (ANT-1010-VO01-V11SP) | Drums are of big importance to the history of Africa, they have been a part of Africa's culture dating back to 500 A.D. In most Western Cultures, like India or China, the idea of drums is mostly always associated with entertainment. In Africa, drums hold a much deeper symbolical and historical meaning. Drums are referred to the “backbone” of African music because of the pulse it creates. The African drums basic uses are for communication, entertainment or both together. The talking drum has been called Africa's first telephone, this is because it was utilized to send messages or signals to surrounding tribes. These signals or codes, were sent to announce danger or upcoming meetings. The drums imitate the pitch patterns of languages, which makes it possible for others to interpret the messages. This drum is usually played beneath one arm and held against the ribcage, the drum is then squeezed to produce the pitch while the other strikes the drum head with structure resembling a stick. Drums are used during festivals, not only for entertainment but also for communication. Depending on the event being celebrated, drumbeats are played to instruct listeners of what type of dance is to be performed. For example, at the time of a birth of twins there is a different dance done than at...
Words: 628 - Pages: 3
...In Africa, dance has played an essential part in its culture. Dance has always been used as strong communication tool for entertainment, celebration, and to create stronger bonds. For many, African dance loosely refers to dances from the continent of Africa but it is much more complex than one would think. There are 53 independent countries within the continent of Africa with diverse people, culture, and traditions (Understanding Africa). They are further divided into different ethnic groups within the countries that have their own dance to represent their tribe (African traditions). While the styles of dance may vary from region to region, one unifying aspect in African music is the African drum. Every tribe incorporates the drums into their music and dance (Njai). It is hard to separate dance from the drums, as it would be hard to separate lyrics from a song. In class, we were reminded over and over that life is dance and dance is life. At first, the relationship between the two seemed a bit exaggerated, as some people would view life more important than dance but in Africa, those rhythmic movements are used to represent almost every occasion in someone’s life. Even in the book African Dance, Pearl Primus describes the relationship between life and dance as a “hypnotic marriage” which are inseparable (Primus). Whether it is for celebrations or religious purposes, dance is used to represent many aspects that are important to life. The specific dance that I chose is a little...
Words: 1928 - Pages: 8
...African Trypanosomiasis is a systemic parasitic disease, which is caused by a protozoan Trypanosoma brucei and is transmitted to humans and animals by the bite of the tsetse flies which obtained the infection from humans and animals. Also known as African Sleeping Sickness, it is one of the most significant and abandoned tropical infections. Discovered in Africa during the period of 1894 – 1910, African Trypanosomiasis was identified by Sir David Bruce, Joseph Everett Dutton, Aldo Castellani, J.W.W. Stephens and H.B. Phantham. This infection occurs in two forms, Trypanosoma brucei gambiense and Trypanosoma brucei rhodesiense. “During the period of 1894 – 1910, the cause of the sleeping sickness in humans and cattle was discovered. David Bruce identified trypanosomes in the blood of affected cattle and established that healthy game animals were host reservoirs of the disease. Trypanosoma brucei was identified in 1899 and in 1902 Joseph Everett Dutton along with Robert Ford were first to identify Trypanosoma brucei gambiense in a European patient. In 1903, working along with Bruce, Aldo Castellani identified trypanosomes in the blood and cerebrospinal fluid of a patient with sleeping sickness. In 1910, J.W.W. Stephens and H.B. Phantham first described Trypanosoma brucei rhodesiense (3).” Trypanosoma brucei is the protozoan that causes West African Sleeping Sickness and East African Sleeping Sickness. T. brucei has antigentic variations. Thus, by the time the body builds...
Words: 1416 - Pages: 6
...The Civil War brought significant changes for African Americans, as they were freed from slavery. However, rather than achieving complete legal, political, and economic equality during the Reconstruction Era, which lasted from the end of the Civil War until 1877, African Americans continued to be second class citizens. As will be argued in this paper, African Americans experienced hardship and significant discrimination after 1877 due to racist laws, social, economic, and educational inequality; however, as laws and cultural sentiments about blacks changed during the Civil Rights Era, African Americans today have more political, economic, and educational opportunities than ever before. On the following pages, this paper will trace the path of African Americans to equality by discussing salient events in African American history from 1877 to the present. Significantly, as the author believes, while progress has been made since the nineteenth century, complete equality remains elusive even today for many African American men and women. The end of slavery did by no means lead to the immediate equality of African Americans in American society. The years after the Civil War and the Reconstruction Era, were characterized by wide-spread discrimination against African Americans. In the South, so-called Jim Crow laws effectively barred African Americans from having very basic civil liberties. Public and social life in the South but also in other places in the United States, was strictly...
Words: 1373 - Pages: 6
...AFRICAN CHARTER ON HUMAN AND PEOPLES RIGHTS African Charter on Human and Peoples Rights Adopted in Nairobi June 27, 1981 Entered into Force October 21, 1986 Preamble The African States members of the Organization of African Unity, parties to the present Convention entitled »African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights »; Recalling Decision 115 (XVI) of the Assembly of Heads of State and Government at its Sixteenth Ordinary Session held in Monrovia, Liberia, from 17 to 20 July 1979 on the preparation of a »preliminary draft on an African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights providing inter alia for the establishment of bodies to promote and protect human and peoples' rights»; Considering the Charter of the Organization of African Unity, which stipulates that »freedom, equality, justice and dignity are essential objectives for the achievement of the legitimate aspirations of the African peoples'; Reaffirming the pledge they solemnly made in Artide 2 of the said Charter to eradicate all forms of colonialism from Africa, to coordinate and intensify their cooperation and efforts to achieve a better life for the peoples of Africa and to promote International cooperation having due regard to the Charter of the United Nations and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights; Taking into consideration the virtues of their historical tradition and the values of African civilization which should inspire and characterize their reflection on the concept of human and peoples rights; Recognizing...
Words: 4659 - Pages: 19
...In the Conniff, Part I Preface, the author basically summary the book which is about African diaspora in the Americas. It includes African Americans’ individuality and personality. It “fills the continents from north to south and at all points in between”. Moreover, the book also include about global history and as well as the multicultural in classroom. In order to do so, many people contributed to finish the book, there are over fifteen main scholars and many reviewers who combine their ideas together to create the book. All of that said, the book is a combination of many people ideas, experience and surveys. Therefore it is a reliable book to read and study. Last but not lease, the author does not forget to explain to the reader more about the language term in the book to avoid misunderstanding between the author and reader. After reading the preface of the book, I feel that this should be a good book to read to understand more about African American culture and there living style. It should provide me a better view on African Americans’ individuality and personality. Furthermore, the preface mentions about the relations between Africa, Europe, and African American. That should be an interesting topic that I am looking forward to study about. I want to know more about African American normal life, their advantage and disadvantage when they live in America through the racism between black and white. That is the reason why the history of the civil rights interested me. After...
Words: 310 - Pages: 2
...Africans Americans in the Revolution Damon Davis Damon Davis Mrs. Lafaele 11th Grade English 19 November 2012 African Americans in the Revolution The American Revolution was not only the colonist’s fight to gain independence but also the African-Americans to gain freedom as well. There was a conflict in the whites wanting to gain liberation from England while also having black slaves and taking away their freedom at the same time. The contradiction to this is that the white’s concept of their freedom they were fighting for was different of those by the African Americans. To white Americans the war meant freedom and liberty in a being free from England’s political hold and taxes on the united states rather than what the blacks faced in personal, labor bondage the blacks suffered from. The whites in fighting for their freedom gave the blacks a great chance to try to get their own personal freedom. They increased the number of chances a black would have in getting his freedom. They had to form a petition to let numerous amounts of blacks be freed at one time. The unfairness of this pushed blacks to fight for their freedom. African Americans saw this as an opportunity to use as leverage in their own quest in search of freedom. However the blacks got most of their freedom by volunteering of taking up arms. They took up arms fighting for the British early in the Revolution. The British also...
Words: 1196 - Pages: 5
...Critical Response #5 Many rivers to Cross Civil rights movement was accomplishing in the court and congress in 1968. How African America dream to be able to achieve equality. The news of Martin Luther King was assassinated, killed the Politics of non-violence and blacks started to rioting across the country. African American started a group of the Black Panthers. Guns were used for defense the black community’s. Maulene karenge created Kwanza and how soul train helped spread the new that African American is beautiful. African American got job and black student’s alliance shaping the education. FBI launched an attack on The Black Panther and started conflict between black groups. Black organization came together in Gary to start The First National Black Political Convention. Successful blacks, middle class that have stability and some middle class that was poor. Problem that started in black communities have been addressed to the government that was lead to drug to increase. In 2005 Hurricane Trina struck the city of New Orleans and about 1500 lost their lives and hundred thousand lost their homes because they were black and poor. Almost them were senate Barack Obama. Then a year later Barack run for President. Obama became the first Back President. How Black man was in prison and when they are release it was hard for them to find employment The African American’s struggles have been many as well as continuous throughout the century. However, Black people are still faced with...
Words: 283 - Pages: 2
...African American Health Issues Eric Nordberg Grand Canyon University: HLT-305 9-28-2014 The African American population within the United States is a rising minority. There are 44.5 million African Americans in the United States, making up 14.2% of the population. It is projected that by the year 2060, that demographic will rise to 18.4 %( Black or African American Populations, 2014). Similar to any other demographic, the top three causes of death in the African American population are heart disease, cancer, and strokes. Apart from high mortality rate diseases, African Americans have the highest infection rate of HIV and have the highest death rates from homicides (Black or African American Populations, 2014). According to the National Center for Biotechnology Information, “the health status of African Americans identifies a higher prevalence of cardiovascular diseases, cancer, hypertension, diabetes, obesity, and sexually transmitted infections when compared with Whites” (Health Status of African Americans, n.d.). So comparing to the most common population, Caucasians, African Americans across the board have a higher prevalence for many of the major diseases. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the national average for unemployment is 6.1%; the national average for African Americans is 12.6%. With a higher unemployment rate, African Americans experience a higher rate of not having health insurance (Black or African American Populations, 2014). Apart from unemployment...
Words: 455 - Pages: 2
...‘The Supreme Court was the main obstacle to the achievement of African American Civil Rights between 1865 and 1915’. How far do you agree? The Supreme Court lack of involvement regarding African American was an obstacle to the achievement of their social rights between 1985 and 1915. The Supreme Court can be accused for creating an obstacle because they were incredibly lenient towards white southerners in comparison to African Americans towards the end of the period. This view can be supported in the 1883 case whereby members of the Supreme Court ruled the Second Civil Rights Act of 1875 unconstitutional; as a result African Americans were not entitled to ‘full accommodation’ in public places. This case is extremely important in highlighting the Supreme Court’s lack of involvement in achieving African American Civil Rights between 1865 and 1915 because by ruling the Second Civil Rights Act unconstitutional it enables similar cases in the future to be ruled out in the same which was the situation in 1896. Plessy vs. Ferguson in 1896 was ruled constitutional, stating that African Americans were ‘separate but equal’, in other words, racially separate facilities, if equal, did not violate the constitution as ‘segregation’ in the eyes of the Court, ‘was not discrimination’. The importance of this case meant that white southerners were able to ignore particular amendments which impacted negatively on African Americans achieving their social rights as they could now segregate all...
Words: 653 - Pages: 3
...History shows that slavery consisted of African Americans being treated inferior to whites. Slaves were mostly African Americans and even though today slavery is over people still look at blacks as less important than whites. Slavery has impacted our society today because people are still prejudice and discriminatory towards African Americans, they are still living in poverty and don’t have proper education and they don’t have an equal opportunity for jobs. Still today African Americans continue to lag behind whites. In our past history, African Americans were slaves and were viewed as less important than whites. Still today in our society, people are prejudice and discriminatory against blacks. Many people still look at blacks differently because of how they were treated as slaves. As a result, blacks don’t get the same opportunities as whites with housing, education, employment and healthcare. The white people in the southern states are not as accepting to blacks and discrimination is more common there because that is where a lot of slavery was in history. The majority of blacks in America still live in extreme, deep poverty and a lot of them never receive a proper education. According to Phil Jackson’s article “Remembering the Millions the American Dream Left,” 30% black Americans in Illinois live in poverty while only 8% white Americans do. One way African Americans can move out of poverty is by getting a better education but because the blacks have such low income,...
Words: 494 - Pages: 2
...African Americans Peggy Dismuke SOC: Racial & Ethnic Groups Pamela Creasy December 5, 2011 African Americans No matter where or when a person lives, skin color, beliefs, class, or history he/she will see a difference in the way every ethnic group is treated. This world has never been fair for anyone. Life can treat a person with the greatest of care or it will treat a person as if he/she is lower than dirt. African Americans are no different. They have faced great hardships and triumphs throughout the years. Since they had been forced from their homeland they have been treated as if they had no rights or thoughts of their own. They were placed in the status of slaves even though they were human beings too. No matter if they were placed in the minority group by the dominate majority group of white Americans they remind structurally pluralism by keeping to their beliefs and traditions. Before and after slavery African Americans did not receive equal treatment. “Even when slavery ended, Jim Crow laws went into effect meaning that the very best of everything was reserved for whites only-school, jobs, neighborhoods, hospitals, etc” (Moore, 2008). In other words, the African Americans took the subordinate status to the dominant white Americans. It was their race that was used to dictate what rights they would be allowed to have in America. At one point they did not have the right to be free and over the years they were given that right back. Even...
Words: 707 - Pages: 3
...African Americans Final Review Questions True/False 1. The first Africans to come to the Atlantic cost colonies arrived in Jamestown in 1619. True 2. The vast majority of all slaves brought to the Americas between the 1600s and 1860s came to the North American colonies. 3. Approximately 500,000 slaves were imported into the North American colonies/states between the 1600s and the Civil War. True 4. George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and James Madison were all major slave owners. True 5. The Declaration of Independence contains a strong antislavery statement. False 6. In 1860 approximately one-fourth of southern white families owned almost four million slaves. 7. Although slaves were the legal property of their owners in the American South, the Anglo-Saxon legal tradition assured their fair treatment by protecting the rights of slaves. 8. Slavery was abolished in New England in the 1780s because the majority of the population believed slavery to be morally wrong. False 9. Stereotypes are developed by the dominant group as one means of rationalizing the domination of the subordinate group. True 10. Most lynchers were eventually punished by the U.S. criminal justice system. 11. Today blacks in America are to be found disproportionately in the secondary labor market. True 12. Black voters seldom had a significant impact on election results except in local elections. 13. The number of black elected officials has increased sharply since the passage of the Voting Rights...
Words: 808 - Pages: 4
