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African Americans Face A War On More Than One Front By Wes Moore

1081 Words5 Pages

African Americans Face a War on More Than One Front
America has been known throughout history as the home of the free, but that freedom did not come without struggles. While the Revolutionary War and the fight for abolition represent famous past struggles, there are still fights for freedom taking place in America today, specifically in the African American community. African Americans have struggled unnecessarily in America, in particular with police and drugs.
The indifference between African Americans and police, although widely publicized recently, is not a recent problem. Many issues pertaining to this struggle is discussed in The Other Wes Moore by Wes Moore. Moore discusses the adversities of growing up in inner city neighborhoods, …show more content…

Wes Moore examines the affect of drugs in not only his community but other predominantly African American communities as well. “There was so much money to be made that… turf wars became deadly… In 1990, there was 2,605 [homicides in New York City] … and the victims were concentrated in a single demographic: young black men.” (51) As the demand for drugs heightened in the 70s, so did the supply, leading to greater and stronger drug rings. As gangs increased, so did the fear in the neighborhood, giving way to deadly consequences. Unfortunately, the majority of these consequences were taken out on the African American community and young black men were given an unnecessary sentence over a struggle with the world of illegal drugs. In an article examining the structure of an African American house hold during the Crack Era, Eloise Dunlap determines a line between the struggling family and drugs. She states there were “…increasing concentrations of poverty during the 70’s and 80’s, particularly among African Americans...” with “Poverty and joblessness associated with…drug and alcohol abuse…” Not only is the use of drugs affecting their safety, but it is now ruining their home life and economic stability as well. As they continue to abuse these drugs, their money is going towards their addiction and not their monthly fees, increasing poverty. However, as poverty also increasing, it is more likely they will return to drugs to alleviate the stress, leading to a vicious, unnecessary and avoidable cycle that is near impossible to break. However, there may be evidence that the African Americans struggle with drugs is not entirely the fault of the community, but however a different group of people, the CIA. According to “Crack, the CIA and Media-All Complicit in Destroying Black Communities”, “… a journalist Webb first broke the story that for the better part of a decade

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