This chapter’s main focus was on the Black self and the race’s relationship with the rest of American society. I’m sure, or at least hope, that we all know about the struggles throughout history among the black race in the
I think that it is safe to say that the Black population has made their mark in society since this particular theorist wrote this chapter. Although racism, prejudice and discrimination are still present within today’s general public, our country on the “racism front” has drastically improved since the days of Du Bois. As an example, I don’t think that anyone (Black, White, Red, Green…whatever) in the early 1900’s would believe that a Black man could become this nation’s President.
Overall, I don’t really feel like this chapter revealed anything different from what we have heard before (on the news, from our parents/grandparents, teachers, SOC-301 in class discussions). We all are aware of the black inequalities in this nation’s history. However, Du Bois does present his thoughts/information in a way that shed some light on these issues in a different way than I had knowledge of.
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Did you all see this? http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/02/21/weekend-opinionator-a-nation-of-cowards-stimulus-wielding-chimps-and-hip-hop-republicans/
To put it plainly, what I got from Du Bois’ writing was that emancipation did not necessarily mean equality. This writing was written 40 years after the emancipation proclamation was initiated, and points out that the injustice and inequality between African Americans and white Americans is still very evident.
As the blog post points out, Du Bois makes it clear that being an African American comes with two halves, which he called the double consciousness. I think this is probably still very relevant today as the nation still struggles with prejudice and racism, although much better than when he wrote this.
African Americans Du Bois points out, basically want to become equal to the white people of his day, without giving up a part of themselves. This to me is the most important part of the article because it seems to be true of what has happened throughout African Americans’ struggle for equal rights. No one should ask someone to conform, give up their culture , or any such thing in order to be equal to the major it power.
Finally another important point Du Bois makes is the importance of political power. Du Bois realized that without political power there wasn’t even a guarantee that slavery wouldn’t make a comeback. As the blog post also points out, through over 140 years of striving for equality, the political influence has reached its highest point with an African American being elected president of the United States, something Du Bois himself probably never would of predicted happening.
If I step on any one's toes, I apologize. If I cross the line, then as our professor says “drop me a note and I may not do it again”. I feel that what Du Bois has to say in 1903 is just a prevalent as it is today in 2009. If we think that racism doesn't exist strongly today because we are more politically correct than in the past, then we need to take off our white colored glasses ( I mean rose colored glasses) and really look at what is going on around us. Du Bois starts out with silence to the question of “How does it feel to be a problem?” He talks about the first time he realized he was different. He talks about the African American's longing, how “he simply wishes to make it possible for a man to be both a Negro and an American, without being cursed and spit upon by his fellows.” This still happens today folks. I witnesses it not very long ago at a public school, a young lady getting spit on and being called nigger because of the color of her skin. When I talked to the teacher in charge, her comment was “women get used to being called bitches all the time, she will just have to get used to it.” Whoa...... First off no woman should ever get used to getting called a bitch. Second, any race woman can be called a bitch. Third, only a black person is called a nigger which makes it racist. I took the matter higher up. This is a teacher who is forming the minds of our up and coming generation. Do you think she is an active participant in putting an end to racism? Du Bois goes on to talk about “The red stain of bastardy” and the legal rape of African women. It may not be legal rape today, but more often than not a blind eye is turned to the rape of an African American woman.
My girl friends house was broken into. She lives just a few blocks from me. The man that broke into her home found her 13 year old little girl there alone and raped her. They caught the man and it turns out the prosecutor really didn't want him prosecuted and wanted to work something out. You see, he was just a month away from being 18, from a really good family, and just got accepted into a really great college. His whole future would be ruined. Did I mention that the little girl he raped was black? Anyway, the family got a hold of an organization to help them and a visiting prosecutor and judge were sent in to try the case. The good looking white man, from the really good family and a great college career ahead of him, who liked to break into homes in his spare time and raped a little girl went to prison. If that had been a black man breaking into a house and raping a little white girl, (even though we think racism isn't that bad today) do you think that family would have had the same trouble getting justice? Du Bois talks about Emancipation and yet freedom was not found because there were housing problems, land ownership problems, Ku-Klux Klan, (they are still around in 2009), disorganization of industry, etc. All that was wanted, according to Du Bois, was to “be a co-worker in the kingdom of culture, to husband and use his best powers and his latent genius......” I believe that is all anyone wants today. I think it is great that Barack Obama is our President. His parents are so proud. His father is from Kenya, who came to the U.S. on a scholarship. (I am soooo trying to be nice and leave out – 'and not on a slave ship') In the Village of Kogelo, Kenya, where Barack's father is from, the people feel like one of their own has made it to the Presidency. Our President has a great family history. Many African American's can not say that for themselves because their ancestry ends with their Master. O.K. I'm finished. But I am not done. I have a lot more I could say.
So I end this with W.E.B. Du Bois wish “that some day on American soil two world-races may give each to each those characteristics both so sadly lack. We the darker ones come even now not altogether empty-handed: there are to-day no truer exponents of the pure human spirit of the Declaration of Independence than the American Negroes; there is no true American music but the wild sweet melodies of the Negro slave; the American fairy tales and folklore are Indian and African; and, all in all, we black men seem the sole oasis of simple faith and reverence in a dusty desert of dollars and smartness.”
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