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Class Activity:

According to Historian Darlene Clark Hine, the 5 characteristics of a Black Studies Scholar are: 1.) Non-Linear Thinking, understanding how the past is relevant to the present; 2.) understanding different diasporic perspectives and doing a comparative analysis; 3.) understanding the mechanisms of oppression while investigating different forms of resistance; 4.) being concerned with he interfacings relationships between categories of identity; 5.) and being in solidarity with all subordinated by relations of power (seeing connections between anti-black racism, settler colonialism, xenophobia, and imperialism; as well as solidarity with other groups of color and the marginalized ~ sexualities, gender, language, ability, et cetera).     

As Black Studies Scholars, how would you critique this commercial?  - Professor McNair

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The Summit: http://www.cleveland.com/sports/index.ssf/2016/06/muhammad_ali_top_black_athlete.html

This article details the detail of the infamous “Ali Summit” in 1967. The summit, which draw many major athletes including Jim Brown, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and Bill Russel, came together in order to show support for Ali’s choice to boycott the Vietnam war and being drafted into into it. Today, this events remains one of the shinning moments of Ali’s historical and inspirational career. The events also appears to be highly regarded in the black community, with American citizens from all walks of life arguing which major athletes would have gone if there would be a likewise events today. 

This ties in to what we have been reading about in class as I believe it is a clear display of the talented 10th theory. At the time period of the event, Ali was arguably one of the biggest voices and faces in the black community, second to possibly only MLK himself. On top of this, Bill Russel, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and Jim Brown were all certainly up there with him. Ali’s feelings on the war, why fight for a country that is incredibly discrimination towards me and my community, was no doubt felt by many other African Americans across the United States. The legendary boxer may not have carried or brought up the other 90% so to speak, but he undoubtedly gave a voice and a face to what many of them were feeling. This is how this event relates and how it shows itself to be aligned with the talented 10th theory.

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I chose this picture because it illustrates the inequality of wealth that plagues the Caribbean. Much like digging yourself a deeper hole, the journey out of poverty is hard, grueling, and often ineffective. The man at the top of the ditch represents the wealthy individuals that live in "great manors" whereas the man in the ditch represents the family a few blocks away living in "near shacks." I think that inequality of wealth is sometimes overlooked and resolved to be the problem of the poor man not working enough. This image however shows that no matter how hard the poor man works, the deck is stacked against him.

Justina Warnick

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I chose this photo because I thought it was neat to see Duke Ellington recognized as a "giant" and being the center of attention. As we discussed in class, many African American musicians, poets, and authors often went unnoticed or unappreciated in typical Eurocentric classrooms. They were seen as unworthy of such praise and undeserving of being listed next to great, white musicians. Therefore, a picture like above would rarely be published and taught. Note: The term "Big Band Era" defined the period of time where a type of musical ensemble usually involving jazz music became popular. 

Justina Warnick 

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I chose the poem Let America Be America Again by Langston Hughes.  In it he discusses how America was never America to him, and how what was promised was never a reality for him or the African American Community.  This relates to our class as it took class during the Harlem Renaissance in which Langston Hughes was one of the main leaders for poetry during this time.  He clearly was able to state how the America that he and others are currently living in is not the one they were promised or expected, and that the America that they believed they would live in is not a reality at all.  However, he wants to move towards the America he was promised and take what is rightfully his.

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War In Iraq

I feel that the recent war in Iraq relates to the article we read today for class in what its ultimate purpose was in correlation to Europe expanding into Africa for its resources. During what felt like my entire childhood, the United States was “at war” with Iraq and basically all of the Middle East due to the threat of them having nuclear weapons. From the beginning, the latter was highly speculative, and it would later be proven that this was not completely a lie, but did not at all have the basics we were lead to believe. The real reason, which is commonly held today hundreds of years earlier, Europeans would being to purge the African continent, both for its resources and tragically its people. These relate in the sense of foreign actions invading nations they are well aware are weaker than them, making up some baseless theory in order to go after what they really wants but its extremely unjust.

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This cartoon illustrates how Africa was affected by colonialism/imperialism. The continent was only seen as a hub for resources; nobody cared or thought to much about the people that lived there, in fact, they were seen as a resource as well. 

Sally Aldrich

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Why You Can't Ever Call an Enslaved Woman a "Mistress"

"This enraged many people because it's insulting to identify the relationship between a slave and a slave-owner using the term "mistress" when that term denotes a relationship predicated on mutual choice, autonomy, and affirmative consent — things slaves do not have... A slave cannot be a mistress. This is not an "alternative fact" but rather the objective reality of being dominated, dehumanized, and disenfranchised against your will. As we collectively aim to have black history given the weight and appreciation it's due, let us resolve to ensure that this historical discrepancies are straightened out, corrected, and handed down to future generations with a proper frame of reference. Let's do better."

Relative to our readings to not ignore the power of language and the abuse of enslaved women. Important article in mainstream media targeted to younger people. Teen Vogue has fallen under new leadership recently and this has increased political coverage, especially into what will relate to young women and particularly women of color. This history lesson contextualizes some slave narratives including that of Sally Hemings, whose enslaver was Thomas Jefferson and she was said to have had six children with him. The romanticization of rape happens frequently in tales of white men abused black women but it must be understood for what it was and the further treatment this caused the treatment, with blood purity in the United States. 

Alena

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To Kyles post by The Root, do you think that the historical inaccuracies that were portrayed in the Birth Of A Nation could have portrayed stories of other African slaves during this time? Do you think that if that were the case that this would add to Afrocentrism by telling stories of those that were unable to? -Slade Reisner

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This is an illustration of the Harlem Renaissance. In the mid 1920's and 30's, African Americans went to Harlem to express their talents in arts. Jazz, Blues, Poetry, were all major key factors of the "new negro." This was their new escape from their terrible past in America. Alaine Locke, who was a writer, philosopher, educator, and patron of the arts came up with the name "New Negro." New Negros were people who migrated from the south to the north to show their passion of art and literature. I found this photo on history.com. It illustrates the happiness the African Americans have when they aren't kept away of their talents. Some famous Harlem Renaissance people are; Jesse Jackson, Lucy Terry, and George Moses Horton. 

Graham Klimley 

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Jesse Jackson "Rainbow Coalition"

Jesse Jackson makes a speech in 1984 to inspire people to come together to vote for the Democratic Party and therefore he pledges that the Democratic Party must give their best. Jackson promises not to let the people down and he puts this new election in the context of choice. In the speech he also speaks about the importance of leadership and the history of the nation within farming metaphors. He believes this election would be revolutionary as he supports the vice president pick of Geraldine Ferraro for Walter Mondale.

"No generation can choose the age or circumstance in which it is born, but through leadership it can choose to make the age in which it is born an age of enlightenment, an age of jobs, and peace, and justice"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cWjPrIUgKA4

Alena Gormally

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#imperialism #conquest #Europeans 

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The Ethics of Living Jim Crow: An Autobiographical Sketch

By: Richard Wright

I first read Richard Wright’s The Ethics of Jim Crow last year in my English class. Upon reading it the first time last year, it really helped to open my eyes to what life was like for African-Americans under Jim Crow. His essay takes readers on a journey through his childhood utilizing anecdotes to express how he and his peers learned how to live daily life under the harsh discrimination of Jim Crow laws. The horrific inferiority of blacks is widely emphasized throughout his essay.   One of the most distinguished moments of this took place when he was a young boy. He partook in an innocent game of warfare with some of his peers and white boys from the “all white” section of town. The young white boys retaliated by throwing broken bottles at Wright and his friends. Cut, bloody, and hurt Wright ran home to his mother expecting her condolences. However, instead of sympathizing with Wright his mother punished him and stated, “…was never to fight any more wars. I was never, never, under any conditions, to fight white folks again. And they were absolutely right in clouting me with the broken milk bottle” (Wright, 2).  From then on in his essay, Wright learns to deal with this injustice. Nevertheless, he pushes through the injustice still exhibits slight defiance and pride within himself. This is seen when he bravely convinces a white man for him to use his library card and when he intentionally drops packages to avoid having to take off his hat when a white man entered the elevator. Through these examples, Wright seemingly learns to live in accordance to Jim Crow, while at the same time not accepting oppression.

Ashley Carroll

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1914 Map of Colonialism In this map, we can clearly see that the whole continent has been almost completely colonized by 7 European countries, only except for Ethiopia and Liberia. The former one is the only country in African history that successfully fight against colonialism using military forces, whereas the second one is a newly found country formed by American and slaves. As what we read from our reading, by the 1920s, Europeans had, using violence and military forces, controlled the whole continent for their own uses. By Ziting

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This is a picture of the colonization of Africa right after the Berlin Conference. The Berlin Conference came to a peaceful agreement about the amount of land that each country would have in Africa. A reason for the colonization was the abundance of resources that were in Africa. It is amazing how these European countries were able to colonize the land even though they had no right to be there in the first place. 

- Patrick McCain

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Discussion question for Sally's post:

Do you think the purchase of woman slave separated from her child is worth it since she would likely be uneager to work due to depression and a lost sense of purpose without her child? Do you think slave masters considered this possibility?

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Jazz and the blues served as a social commentary. As African Americans were able to discover a new type of music and crest a powerful type of communication people like Louis Armstrong provided a crazy new funk that allowed white people to serve the equalness of whites.