Free Essay

Journal of African Americans

In:

Submitted By kabalbaxton
Words 938
Pages 4
Journal

Good evening Journal, February 18, 1968
It has been quite some time since I have been to make the time to sit down and write to you. I have been so busy working long hard hours I just have not found the time. As my surroundings seem to dictate my life I wonder if I will ever be allowed to have the things in life I want. I still work for Blake Family on their farm. I still make the same wage I did when I first started four years ago. I get frustrated knowing the other workers here that are not of my color make more money, get raised, and receive other benefits like cattle, food, and horses. Journal, why does my color dictate what I am allowed to do, and what I am allowed to make? I am a very hard worker and do all of the hard physically demanding chores here but still get paid less. I am not paid as a hard working man, I am paid due to my color, which is less than the others. Don’t take me wrong I really love it here. The house is big and beautiful, the lawn is brightly green, the flower gardens are a wonderful site to see, and the large pond is wonderful for catching fish. The cattle, horses, fields of food, and gardens of vegetables makes this place have all you need. I hope that one day I will be allowed to have a breathtaking place like this. At this time I have no choice but to stay in this old bunkhouse that leaks when it rains and the sunrays shine through the cracks and spaces in the old wood when the sun shines. It freezes in here during the winter and is very hot during the summer.
As the days past I become more frustrated wondering why I am still treated like this if slavery ended many years ago. Why must I fight for a place in this country only to worry if I do fight, I will lose what little I have worked so hard for. My ancestors lived a happy fulfilling life in their tribes. Their life was simple, structured, and respectful. Each person had their part to do and everyone worked together to keep the tribe strong, unlike now, people work against each other and degrade a person because of their skin color. For some reason people decided it was a need to have slaves and forced many to come to American to be sold as slaves. Slaves were treated unbearable by being shackled, overworked, underfed, and beaten. The healthier the slave, the more people would pay for them. I believe writing to you Journal is helping me understand my hard times and feelings of irritation. I feel like a slave even though I do get a very little compensation for what I do. I do not agree with the way we African Americans are treated, even now a days. We as individuals and powerful African American leaders have fought for the right to be an active, working, fair part of this country. When we went through the racism and slavery of whites only, being able to use restrooms, whites only able to sit in the front, and white only restaurants. How are we able to come to peace between each group of skin color. How can one man come to terms with another man as his equal but has different skin color. God almighty made me who and what I am. I thank God for making me a hard working man that has beliefs this unfair treatment will sometime end. I do not hold any grudges against any slave owners and wish peace will come between races. Those that refuse to will bury the chance to open their mind and be educated on individuals and races, not the bias of skin color. I ask myself, do I as one person in one race have a chance at making a difference in this world? Sometimes I have the uplifting spirit and the power of God on my say believing that I can make that difference, but other days like today I feel the chance is very small.
My work days seem like they are becoming more unbearable as the labor gets harder and harder. Since my only friend here of the same race fled two months ago the labor amount increases for me. I do worry about my dear old friend, hoping he does not get caught by the white people. If he does he will surely be given a harsh beating and sent somewhere else. This is the exact reason why I have left. God, please continue to protect me dear old friend.
I hope, pray, and plead that one day all will change. If I end up staying here and passing away in this old bunkhouse, I hope someone finds you my dear friend. I hope they find you and reading you will educate the ignorance that people held between races and ethnic backgrounds. My dear Journal I must now go to bed for I have a long day of back breaking labor ahead of me.

Thanking you for always being there and excepting my words of thoughts, Jerome

References
Schaefer, Richard T. (2006). Racial and ethnic groups (10th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall.
U.S. Census Bureau. (2009). Demographic Profile Highlights. Retrieved June 4, 2009 from http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/ACSSAFFFacts?_event=Search&geo_id=&_geoContext=&_street=&_county=african+american&_cityTown=african+american&_state=&_zip=&_lang=en&_sse=on&pctxt=fph&pgsl=010

Similar Documents

Free Essay

Social Ills

...Social Work Research on African Americans and Suicidal Behavior: A Systematic 25-Year Review Sean foe and Danielle M. Niedermeier Suicide among African Americans is a neglected topic. Social workers practice in both clinical and nonchnical settings, and as the largest occupational group of mental health professionals, they have a unique opportunity to reach this underserved group. However, little is known about social work's empirical knowledge base for recognition and treatment of suicidal behavior among African Americans.The authors performed a systematic critical review of published articles by social workers on African American suicide and suicidal behavior, to ascertain the state of social worker's contribution to and knowledge of suicide risk factors and effective treatments. They conducted Web-based (for example. Social Work Abstracts, PsycINFO, PubMed,JSTOR) and manual searches of suicide research conducted by social work investigators and pubhshed in peer-reviewed journals from 1980 to 2005. References cited in the articles were used to identify candidate articles. According to the search results, social workers contributed only 11 empirical research articles focusing on African American suicide or nonfatal suicidal behavior. Risk factors for suicide are reviewed, and the implications for clinical social work practice and research are addressed. KEY WORDS: African Americans; clinical knowledge; ethnic minority populations; suicide S uicide is one of the leading...

Words: 4916 - Pages: 20

Premium Essay

Literature Review - the Achievement Gap

...Review Taletta J Wilson Liberty University Abstract The following traditional literature review examines the disproportionate number of young African-American males who have been placed in special education. The articles highlight factors such as cultural misunderstandings and teachers’ perceptions and attitudes towards African- American men. This literature review not only observes the misunderstandings, but it also looks at strategies and techniques that can be used to lessen the gap. Keywords: African American boys, African American males, special education, overrepresentation, disproportionate, educationally disadvantaged, cultural Literature Review Introduction: According to a recent study conducted by the Council of the Great City Schools, Black and Hispanic males constitute almost 80 percent of youth in special education programs. In addition, Black males make up 20 percent of all students in the United States classified as mentally retarded, although they are only nine percent of the student population (Barbarin 2011). Over the years, overrepresentation of African American males placed in special education programs continues to be a growing problem and it has not gone unnoticed that some of these identified minorities have been misplaced and inaccurately diagnosed. This paper reviews peer reviewed journal articles on this phenomenon. The authors attempt to explain, through qualitative and quantitative research, where the discrepancies originate – the process...

Words: 1243 - Pages: 5

Free Essay

Thesis

...BGLO Membership and Class Participation 94 The Effects of Sorority and Fraternity Membership on Class Participation and African American Student Engagement in Predominantly White Classroom Environments Shaun R. Harper The relationship between Black Greek-letter organization membership and African American student engagement in almost exclusively White college classrooms was explored in this study. Data were collected through interviews with 131 members from seven undergraduate chapters at a large, predominantly White university in the Midwest. This study resulted in an explanatory model that shows how underrepresentation, voluntary race representation, and collective responsibility positively affect active participation, while Forced Representation has a negative effect. Findings also reveal that faculty teaching styles both positively and negatively affect engagement among African American sorority and fraternity members in their classes. The implications of these findings are discussed at the end of the article. The title of Kimbrough‘s (2005) article, ―Should Black Fraternities and Sororities Abolish Undergraduate Chapters?‖ captures the essence of an ongoing debate among students, various stakeholders on college and university campuses across the country, and leaders of the nine national Black Greekletter organizations (BGLOs). Instead of offering a balanced description of risks and educational benefits associated with membership, Kimbrough...

Words: 8911 - Pages: 36

Free Essay

History

...all-white group of concerned citizens organized the American Colonization Society. At the time it was the most significant organization that was anti-slavery. The citizens had three major concerns at this time. One of those concerns was that of having emancipation progressively moving forward. The second concern that they had was that the need for an established colony in Africa, where African Americans could go, and there they would be in charge of their own life away from the American society. The third thing that they were concerned with is that of allowing the chiefdom in African give the right to a parcel of land to the African that went over. Several key people played important roles in the colonization in Africa. There were the ones that supported it and some citizens that opposed the colonization. The citizens that supported colonization had thought it was a good ideal for a number of reasons. One of those reasons was that the white prejudice was not going to change in the future; therefor they saw it as a better way of life over there. Other reason supporters were for it was that African Americans would get somewhat of a freedom it they travelled back to Africa and that if African Americans stayed and not return, they would not get full citizenship, therefor African Americans thought that it was a good idea to go to a place where you could benefit from having that full citizenship. Born to a creole mother and an American father, was one supporter of the colonization in...

Words: 1021 - Pages: 5

Premium Essay

African American Dance History

...A thorough look at Africans in America would not be complete without considering African-American dance. From plantation dances that enslaved Africans used to express their tragedy and triumph, to the ever-changing slick motions of modern hand dancing, black rhythmic movements are an integral weave in the fabric of American culture. Dance grew out of hardship but became entertainment. African dance has contributed a plethora of qualities to dance in America; and we can see proof of this through the dance of today. Being such a diverse country, America has the gift of consolidating unique moves from various societies to acquire an outstanding dance collection. American dance as we know it would be totally different if not for African Americans....

Words: 1213 - Pages: 5

Free Essay

Health Promotion Among Diverse Populations

...the United States of America (79 Years). Furthermore, a healthy nation has a chance to reap the benefits of active and rejuvenated workforce that facilitate her progress. The government has a role to ensure that her citizens meet basic health requirements through the provision of essential services to the public. This paper will discuss health situation among the African Americans for comparison and contrast to the national averages. Current Health Status of African Americans Gee (2012) noted that the African Americans have a substandard health status compared to the national average. For instance, this racial group had the highest death rates in 2009 according to the reports of the Center for Disease Control of the United States of America. The deaths occur following severe heart disease and stroke among this race. Moreover, the adults above 65 years in this race had the highest prevalence of hypertension thus surpassing the average records for the CDC. These health risks and diseases make health status of the African Americans poorer than their counterparts from other races in the USA. How African Americans Define Health Promotion The race defines health promotion as an involvement of programs that are community-based with the view to foster participation in health practices. For instance, there is a need for...

Words: 1334 - Pages: 6

Premium Essay

Sociological Portrait: Milestone 1

...Economy of African American Music." Teaching the Journal of American History Vol. 90, No. 4.March 2004 (2004): 1295-1324. Web. 1 Mar. 2004. African American owned Record Company, which produced records for African American consumers, was faced with attempts by a large record corporation to force them into bankruptcy. Why would a large company do this for such a small African American owned company? How would it merit attention from African American people in this medium when you have more important subjects like voting rights and lynching? Moreover, why would it merit any attention at all, not to mention, selling records to black consumers. This article answers these questions and investigates the rise and fall of the small record company and explores the political economy in which it operated. Black Swan Records created by Henry H. Pace, who saw a way to respond to a hostile environment that African American people faced with, both in the entertainment industry and in American society. The protégé of W.E.B Du Bois, also saw that African Americans were not equally even when they were freed from slavery. Access to material goods that cultivate and motivate African Americans creative spirits were denied by America. The fear of African Americans, by White America, to support one another and encourage each other to develop business, and economic self-sufficiency was racially evident. African American growth and prosperity would shape the landscape for African Americans....

Words: 1774 - Pages: 8

Premium Essay

The 1964 Civil Rights Act: The Crucial Role Of Social Movements

...scholarly journal dealing with the African American history, I chose the journal article named “The 1964 Civil Rights Act: The Crucial Role of Social Movements in the Enactment and Implementation of Anti-Discrimination Law”, written by Gerald Rosenberg. After just reading this title, I have a question about how the status of African American have been changed due to the Civil Rights Act. Through reading some material from classes and researching about African American history and culture, I found out that for centuries, the African American never gave up to fight for the equal rights, especially after the Second World War black American civil rights movement. The Civil Rights Act is actually the result of long struggle to achieve the content of equality by the black people. The American blacks in politics, education, economy and other aspects have brought a great impact. The Civil Rights Act basically ensures that the rights of the law on the equality....

Words: 498 - Pages: 2

Free Essay

African American History

...African American History Michele Matthews HIS 204 American History Since 1865 Instructor: Mark Hoffman November 13, 2013 African American History To earn their place in America’s Society, African Americans fought many battles that brought them a very long way from 1865. African Americans went through a whole lot of hardship to get where they are today. Yes it is not perfect now but every actions made a big different through history. There are many achievements African American has made since the ending of slavery. Many sat, spoke, marched, cried, fought, died, and dreamed to make footprint in history. In this paper I will discuss some very important event in African American history like our 44th President Obama back to when slavery was ended. It all started in 1865 when the Civil war ended. The African American felt their freedom was a great turning point. Once slavery ended African American made plan to expand their culture. In our textbook, it states “They had a clear vision of what freedom meant. It was not just freedom from white control, but also the opportunity to expand the institutions and autonomous culture that they made while they endured slavery” (Bowles, 2011). As they develop a new society and beliefs, the laws started to change as while. The Plessy v. Ferguson case was the birth of the Jim Crow law. In David Bishop journal, he stated “Bernstein concluded that the “Supreme Court was compelled to distort cases before it could pollute the stream...

Words: 554 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

Erik Ericsson

...Erik Erikson Author’s Name: Instructor’s Name: Institutional Affiliation: Course Details: Date of Submission: Erik Erikson Introduction Erik Erikson was a rare psychologist who created an eight-step model outlining the different steps in development psychology in the growth of an ordinary human being from birth to old age. His specific insights concerning human mental processes would affect the way people reacted to children and foment a deep interest in studies in human psychology. Though other psychologists have improved on Erikson’s initial findings, original findings retain a lot of significance. There is need to research and study Erikson’s work with particular interest in his explanation of the ‘adolescent stage’ Erikson’s Contribution Freud’s views about the nature and construction of the human personality significantly influenced Erik Erikson’s understanding of humanity. There was a considerable difference between the two men: whereas Erikson was an ego psychologist, Freud was an ID psychologist. Erikson stressed on the functions of society and culture and the divergences that can occur within the ego itself while Freud highlighted the conflict between the superego and ID. At all psychosexual phases, Erikson observed that the person grows in three levels concurrently: social, biological, and psychological, which represent the person, his or her connection to society, and individualism. His work was a lifetime representation of human development...

Words: 3420 - Pages: 14

Premium Essay

Summary: Barriers To Using Palliative Care

...From an outsider’s perspective it appeared extreme that all it took to take this family from wanting further evaluation at the University of Michigan to changing a code status and becoming comfort care was a chat from an African American doctor. However, Sheronda Drisdom, MSN, ARNP, AOCNP noted that this behavior is not uncommon in the African American community. In her journal “Barriers to Using Palliative Care: an Insight into African American Culture”, Drisdom acknowledged that African Americans are unlikely to trust doctors related to past maltreatment and studies such as the Tuskegee experiment where African American males were left with untreated syphilis simply to see what would happen (2013). This information is further backed by Cathy...

Words: 278 - Pages: 2

Premium Essay

Lut 1 Task 1 Outline

...Running Head: AFRICAN AMERICAN WOMEN ARE MORE LIKELY TO DIE FROM BREAST CANCER    1                                                     African American Women Are More Likely To Die From Breast Cancer   Denise Blanchard   Student ID: 000239612   Western Governors University   August 20, 2012   AFRICAN AMERICAN WOMEN ARE MORE LIKELY TO DIE FROM BREAST CANCER   2                                                     Research suggests African American women are more likely to die from breast cancer because of their lack of health insurance, late stage diagnosis, and their rate of obesity.   AFRICAN AMERICAN WOMEN ARE MORE LIKELY TO DIE FROM BREAST CANCER   3   Outline         I. Introduction A. African American women are more likely to die from breast cancer than any other race of the same gender. B. African American women are more likely to die from breast cancer because of the lack of health insurance, late stage diagnosis, and their rate of obesity. 1. In 2009 it was reported that 1 in every 6 Americans was without health insurance (News-Medical.net, 2009). 2. African American women are often diagnosed with later stage breast cancer.     3. African American women are 26 percent more likely to be obese. II. The absence of health insurance is barrier for African American women. A. The absence of insurance leaves low-income women open to a higher rate of mortality since regular breast cancer screenings are almost...

Words: 1253 - Pages: 6

Free Essay

Discovering Truth in Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl

...Discovering Truth in Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl _________________________ Melissa McGowen English 601 December 2013 Melissa McGowen Barish Ali English 601 December 2013 Discovering Truth in Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl Publication and Critical Reception: The autobiographical text, Incidents in the Life of Slave Girl suffered a difficult road in becoming published. The text suffered an even larger feat in becoming recognized for its worth. Because it took many years for the author, now revealed as Harriet Jacobs, to be properly identified, the work had been dismissed as fictional. Jacobs’ decision to remain anonymous came from guilt and disgrace over the way she was treated while enslaved and the actions she was forced to take to become free, particularly those pertaining to sexual acts. Wanting to be viewed as a “proper Christian” she decided to create the pseudonym name Linda Brent. It was under this name the text was published. In later years, her text has been viewed as an important text, speaking truth to the ears of sentimental novel readers in the north, and calling for action against the cruel institution of slavery. Employed as a teacher by Pace University in 1968, Jean Fagan Yellin wrote and published her dissertation. While re-reading Incidents in the 1970s as part of the project and to educate herself in the use of gender as a category of analysis, Yellin became interested in the question of the text's true authorship. Over the...

Words: 3336 - Pages: 14

Premium Essay

Enthnicity

...Caucasians represent the ethnic majority, while African Americans, Hispanics, and Asian Americans constitute the three major ethnic minorities in the United States (Julian, McKenry et al. 1994). Caucasians are American citizens who have origins in any of the original peoples of Europe, the Middle East, or North Africa (Bhopal and Donaldson 1998). African Americans refer to American citizens who have ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub – Saharan African (Logan, Deane et al. 2003).Hispanics are American citizens who have origins in any country of Latin America and the Iberian peninsula (Watson, Kumar et al. 1993). Asian Americans are American citizens of Asian descent ((Kim 1999). Generally speaking, the four ethnic groups have the following distinctions respectively. Caucasians have been characterized by an emphasis on individualism, competition and future orientation, and the neglect of ethnicity as identity (Cokley, Komarraju et al. 2007). African Americans have the features of emotional vitality, collective survival, oral traditions and interdependence (White 1984). Hispanics are characterized by high levels of interdependence, conformity, a readiness to sacrifice for the welfare of in-group members, flexible attitudes toward time and obedience to people in authority (Marín and Marín 1991). Asian Americans have been described as reflecting an emphasis on the harmony in relationships, the precedence of group interests over individual interests, and the importance...

Words: 643 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

African-American College Students: Personal History, Struggles, and Graduation

...African-American College Students: Personal History, Struggles, and Graduation Rheon Gibson Northern Illinois University Abstract In this report, I discuss the importance of African-American college students in higher education realms and why the topic appeals to my interests. I will also identify trends in research questions, methodology, and research findings; regarding three identified themes; Personal History, Struggles, and Graduation. In addition, I will provide the reader with an evaluation/critique of the existing literature, including; 1) contributions of literature to the field, 2) overall strengths, 3) overall weaknesses, 4) missing elements, and 5) what are the next steps for research. African-American College Students: Personal History, Struggles, and Graduation Introduction Importance to the Field Educational attainment amongst African-Americans is a crucial concept that not only affects African-American communities but it also affects society as a whole. Education provides a solid foundation for individuals to experience personal growth, increase one’s socioeconomic status, and obtain professional careers and licensures. Obtaining higher education does not begin upon admission to an accredited college or university; instead, it begins when one is first introduced to the educational system. This introduction can be in Kindergarten, Pre-K, the first year of home school, or wherever the first fundamental steps of acquiring a higher knowledge of comprehension...

Words: 2986 - Pages: 12