Essay: Examining the Lives of African American Men in the US | Black Men Discrimination



Michelle Njiva

Research Paper Draft

AFAS 220

The lives of African American men in the American Society

One of the most controversial issues that have been happening the American society is the lives of black men and how they are treated in this society. As a woman of color who has parents, friends and brothers of color, it is hard to watch what is in the media or books regarding African American men. This topic is important to me because it talks about the current problems that are happening to our own sons, brothers and fathers. The main issues that have been focused on in this paper are mainly based on the kind of brutality black men usually undergo while in the hands of police officers as well as the kind of discrimination the African American man has to undergo while trying to acquire an education in America.

The mistreatment and discrimination of the African American man has been rampant ever since the days of slavery. You would think that with time and the advancements of human rights as well as other constitutional rights, these kinds of mistreatment and discrimination would be a thing of the past (Ellison 1995). This is not the case however. In fact, acts of discrimination and unfair treatment towards the African American man has been on the rise in recent years. This is clearly illustrated on a daily basis where we watch on the news and even see in our streets the manner in which the African American man is being discriminated upon both by the police and other members of the society especially in colleges and on our streets.

We get to see on a daily basis how black men are brutally treated by the police and blamed in colleges for any unfortunate events even without being given the benefit of the doubt. These happenings are so rampant to the point where you find yourself wondering whether we have a selective constitution or whether the principle of being innocent until proven guilty was only effected for other communities and not the African American man.

Several individuals like Amadou Diallo, Trayvon Martin and Rodney King are great examples of African American men who have had to undergo serious mistreated alongside other forms of unfair treatment. The fate of these figures would ultimately be to die innocently in the hands of these brutal police officers who seem to apply the law selectively. These are men who had to die without due justice being accorded to them and all these was simply because they were black (Spencer et al 2006). Black men were not only treated unfairly in the hands of the police but also in other sectors such as sports as well as in the education sector.

A good example of how black men have continuously been treated unfairly and without any justice in the field of sports is in reference to persons like Jackie Robinson. Jack Robinson was a very gifted and talented athlete who was treated poorly and unfairly simply because he was black. Regardless of all the effort he made in making his team, state and ultimately the entire nation proud, he was never appreciated and neither were his efforts simply because he was black. Due to these racial problems and the injustice for black men that began since the 1870s, African American men have had to undergo very many as well as serious struggles, trials and hardships on a daily basis (Woodson 1933). Discrimination and racism is something that has been going on since a long time ago and is still going on. It is therefore important for solutions to these problems that are undergone by African American persons to be looked into as soon as possible and with the urgency that they deserve. It is imperative that different stakeholders look into the different possibilities through which we may be able to make life easier for the African American man.

The black man has had to undergo different kinds of struggles since time immemorial. This is so especially with regards to issues they face to date such as police brutality, racism, and discrimination within the education system alongside many other forms of discrimination that have been discussed herein.  Many other black men in education system are suffering from struggles of social injustice and racism (Huellsman 2015).

When it comes to the education of the African American man, it is clear that much more needs to be done in order to accord him a better education. Dr. Carter, in his book the “Miseducation of the Negro” brings to light the importance of educating a person especially a black person. He further stresses on the importance of not only providing information to a person in the name of educating them but rather ensuring that in providing that said information, the said person shall be able to use that information to become a better person. He stressed on the fact that education involves much more than merely conveying information to students. The entire effort of education must ultimately result in giving a man the ability to reason and act on his own. This is not the way the black man has been treated since before the ages of slavery. The black man has since the past ages been given limited knowledge for purposes of holding him down as opposed to letting him reason for himself and subsequently act on his own. This message was clearly conveyed by Woodson (1933) in his statement which stated as follows: “The problem of holding the Negro down, therefore, is easily solved. When you control a man’s thinking you do not have to worry about his actions.

You do not have to tell him not to stand here or go yonder. He will find his “proper place” and will stay in it. You do not need to send him to the back door. He will go without being told. In fact, if there is no back door, he will cut one for his special benefit. His education makes it necessary.” It is therefore necessary for serious efforts to be made with regards to enabling the entire American society to properly and clearly understand where and when the African American man’s problems began and the different ways in which we can all work together both individually and communally in order to improve the situation for our African American men.

In his book, “The Souls of Black Folks”, Du Bois (1903) gave a clear description of how the black man has had to endure a lot of discrimination, humiliation and torture in order to get to where he is today. This was all in the hope of a better and brighter future but this has however never been the case. In his work, Du Bois (1903), has centered his work along two main thematic areas. These two areas are inclusive of the aspect of “double consciousness” and “the Veil." The former entails the assumption or rather the belief that Black men in America are wired in such a manner that there always exists two personalities within them that are usually at odds with each other. These two personalities are believed to be incapable of being fused together. The two identities that are discussed by Du Bois are inclusive of: the black man whose identity is mainly based on slavery and the second identity is the black man who has an American identity. The aspect of the “veil” entails the different ways through which the African American man found himself working with a double conscious.

Du Bois (1903), further helps to shed light on the walk taken by the African American man through making a thorough analysis of the years that preceded the Civil War. This was especially with regards to the role played by the black man towards reconstruction. He further looks at the role of the educator in the black man’s life. He believes that the educator is the one party that has been charged with the most significant role in the African American history. He looks into the role played by Washington with regards to the progress he made as well as the damages he caused in terms of racial discrimination. Through his work, it is quite clear that the rights to education as well as the right to vote alongside other civil rights are very essential in helping the African American man to progress.

Works Cited

Ellison, Ralph. Invisible man. New York: Vintage International, 1995. Print.

Fanon, Frantz. Black skin, white masks. New York: Grove Press, 1967. Print.

Hine, Darlene Clark., William C. Hine, and Stanley Harrold.

The African-American odyssey. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, 2000. Print. Huelsman, Mark. The debt divide: The racial and class bias behind the “new normal” of student borrowing. 2015. Retrieved from the Demos website:http://www.demos.org/sites/default/files/publications/The%20Debt%20Divide.pdf.  

Spencer, Joi., Carr, Clementine., Mattocks, Carolyn and Fairnot, Vivian.

Study guide to “The mis-education of the negro.” Association for the study of African American life and History, 2006.   

Woodson, Carter Godwin. The mis-education of the negro.

Trenton, N.J.: Africa World Press, 1990. Print.