As a Black woman, I see many of the issues that plague the Black community such as systematic racism, mass incarceration, poverty, and broken families to name a few. However, this class has allowed to understand why things are the way they are as well as the history behind many issues and attitudes present in the Black community. The key terms discussed will be objectification, marginalization, African American culture, and Black Nationalism. Objectification is a major problem African Americnas have faced throughout history and continue to experience in society today. In literature, Black characters have often been portrayed as being simple, almost childlike, ignoring the character's psychological traits. This portrayal of Blacks in literature reinforced the …show more content…
Marginalization is not recognizing those who are not considered to be important to a society, culture, or sex. Throughout American history, Blacks have continued to be marginalized. During slavery, Blacks were not considered to be entitled to basic human rights. This continued through Jim Crow and the Civil Rights Movement, in which Blacks experienced brutality, racism , and stifled opportunities at the economic, social, educational ,and political levels. African American culture has continued to not be valued by the majority. The Black Vernacular tradition has been undervalued, oversimplified, and not always considered to be a beautiful art form. Because African American culture has developed out of the culture of its oppressors, African Americans often experience feelings of inadequacy, struggling to find value in themselves and their work. Today, this persists in Black film, art , and music, in which are often view in a negative connotation by the majority, who think that Black art is “ghetto”, derogatory, and filled with unfortunate