Essay on Development of African American Studies

“The Black Studies Program: Strategy and Structure” was published Fall of 1972 in The Jounal of Negro Education. It’s contents are a relection on the years before when colleges and universitys were allowing African Americans to attend , but did not provide curriculum about or for African Americans.

The aspect of African-American Studies is key to the lives of African-Americans and those involved with the welfare of the race. African-American Studies is the systematic and critical study of the multidimensional aspects of Black thought and practice in their current and historical unfolding (Karenga, 21). African-American Studies exposes students to the experiences of African-American people and others of African descent. It allows the promotion and sharing of the African-American culture. However, the concept of African-American Studies, like many other studies that focus on a specific group, gender, and/or creed, poses problems. Therefore, African-American Studies must overcome the obstacles in order to

During my early years of school, I remember being taught white accomplishments and wondering if blacks and other people of color had made any significant contributions to today's world. I noticed that television consist of all white people. Throughout my research paper I hope to cover certain aspects of African American heritage. Aspects such as blacks making up the largest minority group in the United States, although Mexican-Americans are rapidly changing that. The contributions blacks have provided to our country are immeasurable. Unfortunately though rather than recognizing these contributions, white America would rather focus on oppressing and degrading these people. As a consequence American

African Americans now constitute nearly 1 million of the total 2.3 million incarcerated; that is 60% of 30% of the African American population. African Americas are incarcerated at nearly six times the rate of whites. “Between 6.6% and 7.5% of all black males ages 25 to 39 were imprisoned in 2011, which were the highest imprisonment rates among the measured sex, race, Hispanic origin, and age groups." (Carson, E. Ann, and Sabol, William J. 2011.) Stated on Americanprogram.org “ The Sentencing Project reports that African Americans are 21 percent more likely to receive mandatory-minimum sentences than white defendants and are 20 percent more likely to be sentenced to prison.” Hispanics and African Americans make up 58% of all prisoners in 2008, even though African Americans and Hispanics make up approximately one quarter of the US population. (Henderson 2000). Slightly 15% of the inmate population is made up of 283,000 Hispanic prisoners.

Within both of Nathan Hare’s articles, he discusses his beliefs on what Black Studies can

There is no doubt that African Americans have a rich cultural background and history like the many different ethnic groups who settled in the New World, whose origins lie in another country. For this reason, America was known as the melting pot. However, the backgrounds of each of these cultures were not always understood or, in the case of African Americans, accepted among the New World society and culture. Americans were ignorant to the possibility of differences among groups of people until information and ideas started to emerge, particularly, the African retention theories. This sparked an interest in the field of African culture and retention in African Americans. However, the study of African American culture truly emerged as a result of increased awareness in America, specifically through the publication and findings of scholarly research and cultural events like the Harlem Renaissance where all ethnicities were able to see this rich historical culture of African Americans.

The purpose of my research paper is to build awareness, which has been disconnected between the two groups. This paper will underline the very basis of the chasms that have caused this disconnect between African-Americans and Africans. Awareness is essential

One African American professor named Dr. Maulana Karenga developed the Kwaida theory that exposed the cultural and social disadvantages African Americans faced because of a Eurocentric

Jones’s, “The Legitimacy and Necessity of Black Philosophy: Some Preliminary Considerations” what does Jones mean when he states his purpose for writing the article is apologetic? Briefly discuss the five methods of investigation in determining the intellectual enterprise of the Black philosophical tradition.

Thesis: Even with the creation of Black Studies as an academic discipline, the culture and influence of white dependency still seem to block people of color’s mental potential, and inherently their ability to progress as a group.

In this paper, I will reflect my experience on working on the African American’s project with my group members. I will share the process on how we completed the project as a team. In addition, I will my assessment of each member I worked with on this project. In addition, I will include my contribution to this project. Lastly, I will conclude my overall reflection of working on this project with my group mates and my decision if I would change anything about this project.

This idea has taken on many different forms over the past century and a half, and its discourse has evolved alongside the major works of prominent figures like W.E.B. Du Bois, Martin Delany, and Marcus Garvey. A common theme among these thinkers is the notion of historicizing the development of black culture relative to diasporic movements in the preceding centuries. However, they differ significantly in their visions and aspirations for the culture at large, as well as in their interpretations of how peoples of African descent should behave with respect to the dominant (primarily white) societies in which they live and function. In particular, earlier scholars like Du Bois tended to “sustain their faith in a partnership with white allies, wagering that [their] commitments to ‘civilization building’ ... would hasten the day when they and their race would be respected as equal partners” (Ewing 16). In contrast, Garvey, a contemporary of Locke, supported a radical agenda for African independence, and a mass migration to bring peoples of African descent back to Africa (Ewing 76).

Dr. Molefi Kete Asante is Professor and Chair, Department of African American Studies at Temple University. Considered by his associates to be a standout amongst the most recognized contemporary researchers, Asante has distributed 77 books. Molefi Kete Asante moved on from Oklahoma Christian College in 1964. He finished his M.A. at Pepperdine University in 1965. He got his Ph.D. from UCLA at 26 years old in 1968 and was designated a full teacher at 30 years old at the State University of New York at Buffalo. In 1969 he was the prime supporter with Robert Singleton of the Journal of Black Studies. Asante coordinated UCLA's Center for Afro American Studies from 1969 to 1973. He led the Communication Department at SUNY-Buffalo from 1973-1980.

The study of the psyche of African Americans first began by a African American psychologist by the name of Dr. Francis Sumner. Sumner was the first of his kind—studying the black mind. Since this groundbreaking action numerous psychologists of African American decent have come about, yet there is still a major problem with understanding the psychology of the African American mind. Dr. Sumner began his work in the 1920’s and since then there have been multiple social events that involve African Americans and that definitely have made profound impact on their psyche.

As the semester comes to an end, within the course of AFRS 113A I can say it has been a great and empowering experience throughout my freshman year. I learned many new things about African culture that I beforehand I would not have any idea on what was being discussed. Retaining all the new knowledge about African culture and lifestyle, it has helped me enhance my construction of a well-written essay on the concepts. For example, my first essay for The Progression is about the importance of Black Consciousness to the Africans descent. I wrote about the importance of Black Consciousness and how the movement permits a deeper connection with one’s culture, empowerment and erases interior complex to Africans descent. Having this type of essay