African American Essay Essay Example for Free

African American Essay Essay My name is Michelle Williams-Agwagu and my ethnicity group is African American. African Americans came here by forced immigration. They were not invited here to America, and they certainly did not come here by choice. They were forced and taken on ships that brought them to America just to become slaves to the white people. Upon arrival to America, African Americans were treated poorly. Many of them were torn apart from their family members and some were infants that had no knowledge of whom they were as they became older. The group faced many challenges such as prejudice, segregation, and racism. A set of codes were implemented that all African Americans had to adhere to, or they would be punished by either getting beat by their master or possibly killed. African Americans were not allowed to have any education; therefore, no one was allowed to learn to read or write. The slave owners made sure of that and if any slave did learn to read or write, he or she would be punished by their owner. They were separated from the other people because of the color of their skin and was not allowed to eat, play, drink or have any interaction with the masters or the master’s family members unless it was to do household chores as their servant. They did not have many opinions when it came to making decisions. Unfortunately, African Americans were affected by dual labor market and red lining. In the early stages of African American emancipation, not many of them had education or access to quality higher education. Even if they had this education, they were forced into the lower labor market and regardless of the quality of their education they would start in much lower positions than that of their white counterparts. African Americans were affected by this because they were not given any meaningful jobs with any type of significant pay structure and benefits. The jobs were more short-term than long-term. Red lining is a reality in African American communities across the United States. Red lining is a practice which discriminates against Blacks of all economic sectors when they apply for home and business loans and consumer credit. Blacks, more than any other racial or ethnic group (with the possible exception of Native Americans), receive less credit. Through all the bad treatment that African Americans received from â€Å"white† Americans, they (AA) still participated in reverse discrimination. Reverse discrimination is still a problem here in the United States because it is racism; and racism is racism, no matter how we try to spin it. â€Å"Society classes an African American discriminating against a Caucasian as reverse discrimination because for most of American history, it was the African Americans who were persecuted for something that they could not control their ethnicity. † (Libra, n. d. ) African Americans have also been affected by the glass ceilings form of discrimination, and that is still an ongoing problem also. â€Å"The glass ceiling refers to the barriers that often confront Ethnic Americans and women in trying to reach the upper ladders of corporate America. African Americans do not earn the same pay for comparable positions† (The Glass Ceiling for African, Hispanic (Latino), and Asian Americans, 2008. ) as that of their white counterparts in the same job. Environmental justice issues have plagued African Americans in the past and continue to do so today. In the past century, factories emitting toxic fumes and hazardous waste were positioned near large African American sections of major cities as well as small towns inhabited by mostly African Americans. Today, in areas of Louisiana along the Mississippi River known as â€Å"Cancer Alley†, petroleum and chemical manufacturing plans spew fumes and release carcinogenic chemicals near the water supplies of African Americans. There has long been controversy over this modern issue however no other ethnic or racial group has the desire to have these companies relocate factories near their living areas. African Americans have participated in affirmative action since the very beginning, in fact, affirmative action was implemented in the United States largely for the benefit of this group. Affirmative action makes a valiant attempt to make up for past and current discrimination against a certain group and makes jobs and opportunities that members of this group would not have access to ordinarily. Some African Americans agree with Affirmative Action, while some others disagree with it because they perceive it to be a handout and not being able to get jobs or opportunities on one’s own merit. We, as African Americans have and still face many forms of discrimination. Will it ever end, I do not think so. There have been attempts to close the gap and bring us into that circle of equality but I do not see that ever happening in its entirety, all though we know that all men are â€Å"supposedly† created equal. I culturally identify more with African Americans because it is who I am. However, it is evident that racism with any prefix is a problem in America it is a problem in the entire world, and I hope people will start accepting people as people rather than accepting that they must hate people because of the color of their skin. Reference Page Libra, Themis. (n. d. ). Is reverse discrimination a problem in the United States?. Helium The Glass Ceiling for African, Hispanic (Latino), and Asian Americans (2008). Ethnic Majority.