What Does It Mean To Be Black In America?

Question

What Does It Mean To Be Black In America? ...Im Really Not Sure because i haven't experienced any struggles or etc. So i wanted to know what are your perspectives of being black in America. PLEASE ANSWER BEFORE 02/14/07 (FEBRUARY 14, 2007)

Answer 1

It means that you are a member of an opressed underclass. It means your ancestors sufferred through 300 years of the most brutal slavery know to history, 100 years of jim crowe, and continue to suffer systemic racism. It means you are more likely to be murdered, arrested, or incarcerated than a similarly situated white person. It means your race is incarerated at the highest rate of any race in the country with the highest rate of incarceration in the world. It means most white people blame you for the problems of your community without admitting the history that has created your community's situation. It means that when you do well and achive your goals, white people assume you could only do it because of affirmative action. It means that even with all that, you wake up in the morning and keep going, keep striving, because you love your family, your community, and even after all that, your country, and you know you will prove them wrong. You know there is hope for tomorrow.

Answer 2

Being Black anywhere in the world is a challenge once u've lost your true identity. After all we've been through and are still going through, we'll live through it because we are survivors. It all comes down to we live not knowing who we can really trust in almost any aspect of our lives.
In religion they gave us a god who does not look like us and so when we and our children look in the mirror, and we see that we have a different from god, we develop an inferior complex from within ourselves. A negativity for our image & likeness is imparted in our minds (subliminally) and the result is we begin hating ourselves and our own. This negativity has been with us for generations and has been futher imposed through the media, the language, the entertainment industry etc.

Read the meaning of the word black in the dictionary...then read the meaning of white. In the early movies all the bad guys wore black, the most beautiful lady was a blonde (no offense intended), a black cat is a sign of bad luck, Friday 13th is called Black Friday, devil' fruit cake is black and if you were a Catholic and ever saw the picture of St. Michael conquering the devil, u'll see the image of a black man for the devil. Now if i ever hold a picture of a black Jesus for everyone to see, I'm called a racist but it was ok when caucasians held Jesus in their image and likeness. Our image was and is still being hated by our own because most of our women do not see themselves as beautiful in their natural state, so the perm, jerri, weave & wig their hair to look closer to another's image. All i'm stating is 1 aspect of our problems within our minds but i can go on & on to explain how far this can go.

Answer 3

I prefer to be black the in trouble-free terms connection I even ought to Africa is my ancestors. i have been informed through many Africans that we black people ought to end calling ourselves African because we are no longer organic blood, and our ancestors are susceptible for figuring out to purchase captured. So I call myself and one yet another American of Sub-Sahara African descent black. so some distance as what you need to call black people properly, it thoroughly relies upon on the guy maximum do not care both way. The politically maximum ideal time period will be "African American" @Chris You white people are those who all started calling us African American. no one is preventing you from calling your self Euro-American.

Answer 4

a due date? is this for homework or something?


I guess being Black in America...righ now is about is about trying to know down the hurdles that wheren't knock down during the civil rights movements.

although there aren't as many and they aren't as in your face as they where in the past.

It's about coming from a people that have a long history in this country, that doesn't really get the coverage that it deserves.

Answer 5

Being Black in America should mean being proud of your heritage and your ancestry. Never giving up. Undying strength in challenging situations. Keeping Reverend King's dream afloat. But now your generation relies too heavily on the entertainment and sports industry for role models. Find your role models at home or at shool or church. Being Black means recognizing who you are and making the best of what you have. Don't look for handouts. Earn yourself an hand up!

Answer 6

you know im not black but you guys do have your own culture and that culture contibutes to the us in many ways i mean just look at your music and how it has changed the industry forever as well as we are on the verge of the first black president ever
from an outside prespective i'd have to say its progress the progression of your culture would be the cuase that i would support if i was black and try to move you culture into other aspects of america and to form more of a community with one and another which why im excited about oboma it'll be cool to see the community united and moving toward a common goal

Answer 7

I don't consider my life to be ruled by race. It doesn't 'mean' anything to be Black in America any more than it means something to be White, Asian, Hispanic or Eskimo. It 'means' what I want it to mean, to ME. We will NEVER be free until we stop looking at OURSELVES as being of a certain race. That is just tribalism and there is no longer any place for it on this planet.

Answer 8

My husband always tell me that it's tougher on the Black male than it is on the Black female and I agree with him. My husband runs down his day for me every time he comes home from work - from the time he walks out the door to the time he comes back home. You'd be surprised from the things he tells me.
He explained to me that outside our society there is no embracement of the people of color, only tolerance of our existence, alongside painted picture descriptions of our character structures to be the worst contribution aspects to life.(whites whom say they have black friends almost always have to be different or a bad *** always in trouble but we can't just embrace and be ourselves)
This is what he says cause most descendants of a non-liberated peoples of slavery, whom never got to learn how to love themselves with truths of the history books and modern media, to turn on one another due to the fact that if one could not love himself how could he love those in his images?
Well added to this struggle he says that as black men in which he encountered, he always ask them if they feel guilt of self presence around whites sometimes?, they say yes, how about when you approach whites down the street do you feel that they may be afraid so you pardon yourself way farther than you should have to as an upright standing man? the response within every friend he has ever had was all the same, "You know that's the truth, and I just now realized it!"(This proves a psychological mental restitution is owe towards its fix)
If these are not clear examples of repercussions from the past hand downs of the white treatment upon a nation of peoples, what is it? They always say black men is angry so they can close our women ears to us.....(they call reaction and response reverse racism?)
The only way to fix this problem is not more jails for the black men and starving the black family.........
It begins with knowledge and restituted typed behavior from those whom history was responsible for my modern day to be a living hell....
These were all the words of my husband as he came home one day of frustration from what he says seems to be, "A day of servitude to the gatekeepers of a Hell."

Answer 9

Ehh...I have nothing to compare it to, really. Sure, it sucks hearing and seeing stereotypical things about black people in the media and trying to prove to people that not all black people fit into those stereotypes. That's really the most annoying thing. Other than that, I rather enjoy being who I am.

And I'd truly love to see all these opportunities and free rides I'm supposed to be getting.

Answer 10

Having to go the extra three miles......I believe its actually harder to be a African American female in America than it is for a AA male.....there are glass ceilings but in place just for black women that men of all races are able to escape. (Black women are rated 4th in Corp. America, Black men 3rd)
It is Americas expectations for African American women to compose the majority of the pink collar positions (waitress, cashiers, sales clerks, community service) I have heard countless women state to me that they were told a degree in Liberal Arts would better suit them (words from professional counselors)....and that the professional programs are "too competitive". Being Black in America means having to go the extra miles and still having to prove yourself over and over again.
I have personally witnessed girls with half the intelligence of some of my girlfriends fly through programs, without being able to verbally articulate the information themselves...hummmm
Being black in America changes from generation to generation....we can only wait to see what the next generation has to say...Good Luck