African American Injustice

For so long, African Americans have been subject to sub par treatment by the rest of society. From slavery to the separate but equal movement, African Americans have always been on the receiving end of extreme hate from the so-called “majority”. However, recently, the many injustices that African Americans still face are being revealed. This has come about through the spotlight on African American injustices such as the Michael Brown or Tamir Rice shootings. All of this has led to a rise of a “Black Lives Matter” movement. In order to facilitate this, many popular artists have come out with songs that furthered and strengthen the movement and reveal the injustices that African Americans have faced for decades. With the rise of the Black lives

Kendrick Lamar has far and away been the music leader of the Black Lives Matter Movement. From his performance at the Grammy Awards to his album “Suicidal Tendencies”, he has furthered the Black Lives Matter Movement more than any artist. He does this by revealing the injustices that African Americans face in a very straightforward manner so that the public can easily understand. These injustices can be seen in lyrics such as, “I was gonna kill a couple rappers but they did it to themselves Everybody's suicidal, they ain't even need my help This s*** is elementary, I'll probably go to jail” (Lamar). Lyrics such as “I’ll probably go to jail” show that African Americans are disproportionately sent to prison, regardless of the severity of the crime. This means that African Americans are wrongly thought to be violent and that due to their skin color, they are viewed as less than the rest of society. The fact that African Americans are sent to prison at a higher percentage is very relevant because it means that they have to be afraid of every action they take. This fear causes them to not be able to take risks to advance, leading to them living sub par lives. This song was not the only one in the album that talked about African American Injustices. In his hit song,

For jobs and Universities, African Americans are “thrown to the side” because they are thought to be less intelligent and less capable than those of other races. However, the Black Lives Matter movement has allowed society to see the injustices that African Americans face on a day-to-day basis. From low acceptances to Jobs and Universities to disproportionate incarceration rates, the American people can now see just how unequal African Americans are treated. Furthermore, artists like Kendrick Lamar have allowed the movement to spread to the younger generation who eventually will be able to make the decision to reverse the hatred. In the past few years, the Black Lives Matter movement has accomplished quite a lot, like forcing resignations at the University of Missouri and Yale University due to prejudice against African Americans (Foran). Even though the movement has accomplished a lot in the past few years, there is still a long way to go for complete