Quote: "African Americans, also known as Afro-Americans or Black Americans, are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from any of the black racial groups of Africa."
Refers to people who identify as having an African ancestry.
Historical context of the Black community: A study of African American history helps to understand the community's background, culture, and issues. It is essential to learn about slavery, segregation, the civil rights movement, and the achievements and challenges faced by African Americans till date.
Social construction of race: The concept of race is a socially constructed one based on skin color, ethnicity, and cultural backgrounds. It is imperative to understand how these factors shape the individual and the society they live in.
Stereotypes and racial prejudices: Racism, bias, and rejection are deeply ingrained in society. It is vital to recognize stereotypes, and how they negatively impact people's lives, creating barriers in various fields, from education to employment.
Intersectionality: The intersection of various identities, such as race, gender, class, ability, and sexual orientation, defines an individual's experiences of privilege or oppression. It is crucial to understand how these identities intersect with each other and shape an individual's life.
Education: Education rates for black Americans have trailed that of white Americans for years. It’s essential to study this discrepancy and its causes.
Housing: There are significant disparities in the availability of quality housing for African Americans, leading to concentrated poverty in many areas.
Health Disparities: African Americans have higher rates of a range of health problems, including heart disease, diabetes, and some cancers.
Criminal injustice: Black Americans experience higher arrest rates, longer sentencing, and disproportionate rates of incarceration than white Americans for similar offenses.
Politics and Voting: African Americans have faced challenges with attaining their right to vote and representation in government.
Cultural expressions: Each discourse bears the perspectives gained from their experiences in life in a different way, from music to literature and food, which can help you understand more about the community's nature, customs, and cultural values.
Quote: "The term 'African American' generally denotes descendants of enslaved Africans who are from the United States."
Quote: "While some Black immigrants or their children may also come to identify as African American, the majority of first-generation immigrants do not, preferring to identify with their nation of origin."
Quote: "African Americans constitute the third largest racial ethnic group in the U.S. after White Americans and Hispanic and Latino Americans."
Quote: "On average, African Americans are of West and Central African, Western European, and Native American ancestry."
Quote: "African American history began in the 16th century, with Africans from West and Central Africa being sold to European slave traders and transported across the Atlantic to the Western Hemisphere."
Quote: "After arriving in the Americas, they were sold as slaves to European colonists and put to work on plantations, particularly in the southern colonies."
Quote: "A few were able to achieve freedom through manumission or escape and founded independent communities before and during the American Revolution."
Quote: "Four million enslaved [people] were only liberated during and at the end of the Civil War in 1865."
Quote: "During Reconstruction, they gained citizenship and the right to vote."
Quote: "Due to the widespread policy and ideology of White supremacy, they were largely treated as second-class citizens and found themselves soon disenfranchised in the South."
Quote: "These circumstances changed due to participation in the military conflicts of the United States, substantial migration out of the South, the elimination of legal racial segregation, and the civil rights movement which sought political and social freedom."
Quote: "In 2008, Barack Obama became the first African American to be elected president of the United States."
Quote: "In 2021, Juneteenth, a day which commemorates the end of slavery in the US, became a federal holiday."
Quote: "African American culture has had a significant influence on worldwide culture, making numerous contributions to visual arts, literature, the English language, philosophy, politics, cuisine, sports, and music."
Quote: "The African American contribution to popular music is so profound that virtually all American music, including jazz, gospel, blues, disco, hip hop, R&B, soul, rap, and rock has its origins either partially or entirely in the African American community."
Quote: "The African American contribution to popular music is so profound that virtually all American music, including jazz, gospel, blues, disco, hip hop, R&B, soul, rap, and rock has its origins either partially or entirely in the African American community."
Quote: "In 2008, Barack Obama became the first African American to be elected president of the United States."
Quote: "In 2021, Juneteenth, a day which commemorates the end of slavery in the US, became a federal holiday."
Quote: "However, racism against African Americans remains a problem into the 21st century."