Article+Summaries



Article Summaries Finding a solution for healing the scars of racism is an obligation that’s hard to fulfill, because the wounds have already been imprinted. The article, “Souls of Black Folk” describes the ways of freedom for African Americans. Black people were a formed group that was put at the low end of social classes. They were also looked down upon as people. For many years, African Americans were looking for a way to escape slavery, but this was often difficult because whites empowered everything that they did. Bios stated, “Here in America, in the few days since Emancipation, the black man's turning hither and thither in hesitant and doubtful striving has often made his very strength to lose effectiveness, to seem like absence of power, like weakness.” More often than not, African Americans thought they were going to be rejected when they went up against a white person for a job. They’re also less confident when it comes to academics and getting into college. One major consequence of the legacy of slavery for African Americans would be self-confidence, and motivation to move forward. Stapleford’s article goes through many consequences due to the legacy of slavery for African American’s. They’re less likely to get a job, get a lease on a house, and to receive a loan from a bank. The author also states that African American’s take after the tendencies of white people that were in slavery in the South. Because of this, blacks are more likely to become lazy when it comes to the work place. During the time of Christ, Jesus spoke of His word to everyone, not just whites. Jesus loves all His children, it doesn’t matter what race they came from, or what country they were born in. When He commands us to spread His word, He isn’t speaking to one individual race. “The Warmth of Other Suns” article describes many things that discuss the freedom of African American’s through the “Great Migration”. A man from Selma, Alabama, said, “They will almost starve and go naked, before they will work for a white man. If they can get a patch of ground to live on and get from under his control”. The significance of freedom wasn’t something that white people understood, because blacks weren’t respected by the whites. African American’s received a small portion of land. This was considered their “freedom”. Because so many black families were moving to big cities in the North, such as Chicago, they started going up against population problems, because there were so many people living in one area. As time passed, once migration was less of an issue and the concept of whites and blacks living in the same area became more accepting, but another issue arose. The problem with people being of different colors diminished, but the fact that blacks were known for being in the “lower class” became a new problem. This issue has never really gone away, and white still stereotype blacks as being less intelligent, and miscevious individuals. There are several wounds due to racsism today, but more so the past. The first wound of racism is violence against different races. This could include violence between races such as Asians, Arabians, English, or the Spanish. After reading the articles of the 22 murder victims of the L.A. riot, I was more aware that there's violence between more races than just whites and blacks. The L.A. riot happened because the beating of Rodney King by four police officers. This resulted in the most violent civilian war in America. There is no race being blamed for this riot. People from all sorts of racing were injured, and even killed. There are other stories like the L.A. riot, involving different races. Riots still burst out today in the United States, especially in Urban areas. The second wound is the judgement of race trumping charater. This was a huge issue in the election of Barak Obama. There were some people who voted for him because he would have been the first black president of the United States. Others didn't vote for him because he wasn't white, and didn't care about his values and morals. Watson stated that because of the DNA of black people, they're less educated than whites. This is something I strongly disagree with, and find to be very offensive. This is brought up huge controversy. I believe that President Obama is a very intellegent man, regardless if I agree with his methods or not. Through out time there have been solutions to racism, or “bandages”. I think that one "bandage" was the NAACP. This organization has been a huge contributor in the result of resolution of racism in the United States for all races, and ethnic groups. This organization has been around for quite some time (1905), and because of this it has become a form of enlightenment for racism. The mission for this organization is something I find very encouraging. It says, "The NACCP will remain vigilant in its mission until the promise of America is made real for all Americans." I think organizations like NACCP, and organizations in general should take after this mission statement. It's important that the people an organization is reaching out to understand the mission statement, and the statement is carried out. Another "bandage" is those who aren't afraid to stand up against people who are racist. The "Ann Arbor Abolitionists" article is a good example of this. During the Civil War there weren't a lot of abolitionists in the state of Michigan. After a church meeting there was a group of men that became abolitionists because they felt convicted. This led to the falling of the racial barrier, when President Obama was elected. Although some may not agree with Obama's policies, they should agree that we're apart of historical legacy. This could have not happened without people putting their lives on the line, and standing against people who didn’t believe what they believed. ​