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Does Black Lives Really Matter Summary

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From the time Richard was born to the present day, there have been many advances in black equality, but racism and discrimination are still very apparent in our society today. There has been an increase in black pride and the encouragement for blacks to advance in social status, but a majority of blacks still remain in the bottom sector of the economic and social class. Richard Wright was born after the Civil War, but before the Civil Rights Movement. If he were writing an autobiography today about a black boy growing up in the United States, he would write about the positive increase of African American pride and empowerment, but also the unjust and sanctioned police brutality, and the growing poverty among most blacks.
Blacks had begun to …show more content…

In many areas in America, protests have begun and riots are becoming more common in a majority of black populated cities. In the article, “Question William Lynch… Does Black Lives Really Matter?”, by M/R Johnson, Johnson describes the police who have been targeting the projects; areas filled with lost hope and no jobs, but rather just crime and poverty. From the police brutalities, the group and movement called, Black Lives Movement, has arisen. They are calling for justice to be served as none of the cops that have committed “murder” were accused of a crime, despite clear evidence of an abuse of power and force. In the article, “KING: Outrage over police abuse has disappeared in 2016, even with hundreds already killed by law enforcement this year”, by Shaun King, King argues that most Americans are unaware of the vast number of unarmed blacks that have been murdered by cops within just 2016. He believes that despite the previous hype of this issue, it has died down in 2016 and the pressure for reform on the police enforcement has diminished. Richard would include police brutality in his autobiography because even though there are now laws that prohibit discrimination and are meant to protect people’s rights, the law enforcement agencies are still getting away with targeting people of low social class, which is majorily

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“’Can You Be BLACK and Look at This’: Reading the Rodney King Video(s)” by Elizabeth Alexander is a powerful analysis into the deep rooted sense of community felt by people who identify as Black, with specific regards to the videotaped police beating of Rodney King; and also examines the deep rooted White stereotypes surrounding people of color in America, more notably in the judicial system. This essay details the unity and solidarity seen in the times, not only surrounding the Rodney King videos, but also surrounding other notable stories about Black violence, such as the murder of Emmett Till, and the stories of Fredrick Douglass, to name a few. It describes in detail the horrible acts committed on Black bodies, and references numerous movements

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In a viewpoint by Nicole Flatow titled “History Indicates Varied Results in Improving Police Brutality in America,” She believes that there has been little reforms regarding police brutality. Nicole argues for years, America has barely made any effort on improving the use of force by police officers. For example, victims such as Rodney King and Amadou Diallo, led to some reforms, but did not solve the violence of police brutality. With the beating of Rodney King that was captured on camera, it sparked massive outrage that led to a riot when the police officers received no charges. Because of the riots, it created a momentum for a reform of the police.

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Addressing police brutality must be done with empathy for and awareness of the plight of the African-American community. Historically speaking, there has not been a period wherein the African-American community was not inhibited by institutionalized barriers. American enslavement provided the foundation for later oppressive provisions that are especially prevalent within inner-city, predominantly Black communities, which, incidentally, many of the prominent instances of police brutality have taken place. Political regimes like the “war on drugs,” “school to prison pipeline,” and mass incarceration criminalize and dehumanize the African-American community, and thus affect the collective mindset of the population. I believe that an imperative first step that has not been taken is acknowledging the effects these may have on the Black community.

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In recent news we have seen massive riots following the killings of African American men by caucasian police officers. These all follow after one of the most prominent not guilty verdicts of the 21st century on the Rodney King beating. With these riots we see the words of Teju Cole begin to take life.

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Echoes of Justice According to NBC News black Americans are 3.23 times more likely than white Americans to be killed by police, only 14.2% of the population in America is black making up 27% of all deaths caused by police brutality. These statistics are exemplified in the novel The Hate you Give by Angie Thomas talks about the story of Starr and how she changes throughout the story and how she earns her confidence on how to speak out against police brutality. The ideas in The Hate U Give connect to our world today through the article “How BLM Went From a Hashtag to a Global Rallying Cry” by Leah Asmelash and the other article “Homeroom” a Hulu documentary. We need to advocate and fight for change because people of color aren't treated subsequently.

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Richard Wright experiences a life of segregation while growing up in the American South at the turn of the 20th century, as detailed in his autobiography Black Boy. Richard Wright was born into an African American family, who suffered from economic and social disadvantages. He was part of a big family, with multiple aunts and uncles. However, his father left very early, his mother became ill and he was placed into an orphanage with his brother in hopes of earning enough money to put the family back together. In Part One of the book "Southern Night" as he tries to understand the world around him and the factors that have shaped his personality.

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Throughout Richard Wright’s Black Boy, Richard has to learn to cope with the White world and cope with society. He has many experiences involving work in which he learns how difficult it is being a Black boy in the society he lives in, especially while having such unique thoughts, actions, and views of the world like he does. Richard must restrain his feelings and desires around White people, which is straining and anxiety-inducing. But, the ambitions that he must conceal are a part of the very nature of his life and personality and the only thing that keeps him from acting on that ambition is his need for survival. The tension that Richard feels surrounding White people and conformity in society comes from the internal tension between his

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Black Boy by Richard Wright is a memoir that details Wright’s childhood as a talented but poor Black boy in the Jim Crow south. The book focuses on Richard’s metamorphosis into a writer by emphasizing the development of the traits that allow him to mature. One of those traits is self confidence. Throughout the book, Richard maintains a strong and unbreakable belief in his own abilities, and he tries to dissociate himself from those who would minimize them. Richard is an oppressed minority, and he often does not have power.

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The freedman and abolitionist Frederick Douglass said, “Where justice is denied, where poverty is enforced, where ignorance prevails, and where any one class is made to feel that society is an organized conspiracy to oppress, rob and degrade them, neither persons nor property will be safe.” Although Frederick Douglass lived before the time Richard Wright lived, Wright’s autobiography Black Boy is still reminiscent of enforced poverty, ignorance, and oppression. Richard Wright lived in extreme poverty, faced ignorant people, and encountered black opposition everywhere he went. Also, the PBS documentary “Slavery By Another Name” is a prime example as to how white people were able to criminalize black people into enforced poverty and slavery.

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So far in the year of 2015, 66 unarmed African Americans have been killed by police authorities. Ever since the death Michael Brown in August 2014, the world has become much more aware of police brutality. According to wisegeek.org, police brutality is “a form of police misconduct in which officers engage in an excessive use of force.” Police brutality against African Americans is an issue that has been causing a lot of controversy in the past year. This issue needs much more awareness than ever before, since there have been many startling cases during and after the Ferguson protest.

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From the time when he was almost abused to death by his mother and father at the age of four, to his young adult life where he was verbally and physically tormented by his white counterparts, Richard Wright fought through life, struggle by violent struggle. As an African American living in the South, struggle is a day to day battle. For Richard, one of the struggles is violence, and being that he was born and raised in the South, he doesn't know anything different. Violence, whether it be verbal or physical, is something that many southern African Americans faced. This struggle debilitated Richard throughout his adolescence, and it poisoned his views of white people, religion, and the South.

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According to “The Washington Post”, Last year 963 African Americans were shot and killed by police. Ever since the 1960s Africans has been fighting for equality; in the Eric Garner case and Michael Brown, it demonstrated how White police officers abuse and misuse their power towards African Americans. Since the increase of police brutality communities has had marches, rallies, and even the Black Lives Matters movements as a response to show that Polices’ abuse of power is unacceptable. The Black Lives Matter movement was created after radical discrimination it is a political movement to inform and protect Black Lives. (Wesley Lowery.

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On that note; does ‘Black Lives Matter’ mean that only black lives matter; or is it the concept that Black lives mattering is a precondition for all lives mattering? This paper will discuss in the rationality of the movement. The movement was created by Alicia Garza, Patrisse Cullors, and Opal Tometi in response to the acquittal of George Zimmerman for Trayvon Martin’s death. It underlines the “racism and policing that shatters the illusion of a colour-blind , post racial United States” (Keeanga-Yamahtta, T., 2016).

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