Throughout the course of African American studies, we have seen many recurring themes in the pieces we have seen and read. One of the most important themes I have depicted in my images and writing pieces is the idea of a “white lens.” Most of the time, blacks had to act under this white lens and be how the whites wanted them to be. When blacks realized the idea of the white lens, they became more aware of how they were seen by whites. As referenced in Maya Angelou’s poem, blacks had to wear “a mask.” This led to the idea of double consciousness which is basically “looking at oneself through the eyes of others.”
Another important theme we explored was racial profiling. Racial profiling is prejudging somebody and stereotyping based on their race, which triggers further interaction among the person profiling and the person being profiled. Interactions can include questioning and searching the subject. A lot of times, when an African American man is walking down the street, people will be scared of him just because of the fact that he is a black male. People think of the stereotypes they have heard and they are scared of the man before they have a chance to get to know him. Blacks, among many other racial and ethnic groups, were and still are very interested in the American dream. Everybody was entitled to be free and be an American and have equality. However, if we reference Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, blacks were not given even the most basic of human rights by whites and the people in control of government. Even today, racism is still alive and people still believe that there are many rights not given to African Americans that their white counterparts are given. They were stripped almost completely of their rights and yet they always maintained a sense of hope that one day Blacks would be completely liberated from their struggle.
One of the most prominent themes I took away from the viewing of Django was the idea of a “real man.” Slaves at the mansion literally and figuratively stripped of their manhood. Django was not able to protect his wife in the scene depicted in the image above, which is a big role in being a “real man.” There were certain criteria for someone to be a real man and if a male did not fulfill these criteria, he would be looked down upon. Blacks were not given even the most basic human rights they deserved and this course has changed my view on many aspects of African American history. Before this class, I believed it was White people’s job to get rid of racism, however, my thinking has evolved to believe that it is not just whites that have to get rid of the problem. Getting rid of racism will include everybody of all races and ethnicity. The experience in this class has showed me that there is more than one type of racism and racism comes in all different ways. There is more than one way to be racist and inequality is not part of the American dream.
-Patrick J. Connolly
Closing Statement:
As we have gone over many times throughout the course of African American studies, blacks have had many struggles that they have had to overcome. From this website, I hope you have learned more about "the mask" that African Americans had to wear, the inequality that blacks were put through, and the hopes and high spirits that blacks had throughout the entirety of their struggles. Some racism and internalized oppression is still alive today and it will take time to completely get rid of racism in our society. Everybody is entitled to the American dream and everyone has the right to be free. Although prejudice and stereotyping are still very prevalent in today's world, I believe everybody can work together to get rid of racism and prejudice.
Another important theme we explored was racial profiling. Racial profiling is prejudging somebody and stereotyping based on their race, which triggers further interaction among the person profiling and the person being profiled. Interactions can include questioning and searching the subject. A lot of times, when an African American man is walking down the street, people will be scared of him just because of the fact that he is a black male. People think of the stereotypes they have heard and they are scared of the man before they have a chance to get to know him. Blacks, among many other racial and ethnic groups, were and still are very interested in the American dream. Everybody was entitled to be free and be an American and have equality. However, if we reference Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, blacks were not given even the most basic of human rights by whites and the people in control of government. Even today, racism is still alive and people still believe that there are many rights not given to African Americans that their white counterparts are given. They were stripped almost completely of their rights and yet they always maintained a sense of hope that one day Blacks would be completely liberated from their struggle.
One of the most prominent themes I took away from the viewing of Django was the idea of a “real man.” Slaves at the mansion literally and figuratively stripped of their manhood. Django was not able to protect his wife in the scene depicted in the image above, which is a big role in being a “real man.” There were certain criteria for someone to be a real man and if a male did not fulfill these criteria, he would be looked down upon. Blacks were not given even the most basic human rights they deserved and this course has changed my view on many aspects of African American history. Before this class, I believed it was White people’s job to get rid of racism, however, my thinking has evolved to believe that it is not just whites that have to get rid of the problem. Getting rid of racism will include everybody of all races and ethnicity. The experience in this class has showed me that there is more than one type of racism and racism comes in all different ways. There is more than one way to be racist and inequality is not part of the American dream.
-Patrick J. Connolly
Closing Statement:
As we have gone over many times throughout the course of African American studies, blacks have had many struggles that they have had to overcome. From this website, I hope you have learned more about "the mask" that African Americans had to wear, the inequality that blacks were put through, and the hopes and high spirits that blacks had throughout the entirety of their struggles. Some racism and internalized oppression is still alive today and it will take time to completely get rid of racism in our society. Everybody is entitled to the American dream and everyone has the right to be free. Although prejudice and stereotyping are still very prevalent in today's world, I believe everybody can work together to get rid of racism and prejudice.