How African American males were treated back then and now.

 

Jakayla Joseph

English 2016-44378

Ms. Harris

November 17,2022

 

How African American males were treated back then and now.

            I'm doing my essay on this topic because I feel African American males can’t catch a break from all the trauma they endure even though both black males and females go through it. After all, they still both get stereotyped for anything they do. My topic relates to the "Sea is Haunted" through the haunting aspect of it because for black men to continue going through traumatizing things is scary. It's like a generational curse because it's something that never stops and it's something we have to tell young black kids to pay attention to this and that.

            Back then, white males made sure it was known that they had the most power. The article “Men without Pants: Masculinity and the Enslaved” by Keri Leigh Merritt states, “According to scores of interviews with the formerly enslaved, denying black boys and young men the right to wear pants was a relatively widespread practice throughout the Deep South.” This shows that they feminize these men because it relates to the saying how the man wears the pants in a relationship so taking their pants makes them feel like no man. The article also mentions that another way they’d show male slaves that they aren't real men is by raping the women slaves. Even though most male slaves were treated terribly, Equiano wasn't he was treated differently. In his slave narrative, it states that “he was washed and perfumed and when meal time came he ate with his mistress and her son.” In another part of the narrative, it mentions how when he was begin transported to another slave house, the people “would carry him when he was tired of walking.” This shows the audience that some male slaves did get good treatment because a lot of whites back then wouldn't have carried a slave to their destination or, nevertheless, let a slave eat with them. I feel as skin tone played a major role back then with slaves. I realized that there are more dark skin slave narratives than light skin narratives because light skins were able to pass for being white.

            Meanwhile, present-day black males still have it bad even worse than women. They're getting thrown in jail for no reason, pulled over by cops, stereotypes, and even killed for no reason. Homegoing  in Sonny's chapter states “How many times they gotta throw you in jail? Says willie.” Sonny was thrown in jail for marching which is no reason to get thrown in jail because of his freedom of speech. In the article, "Research Shows Black Drivers More Likely to Be Stopped by Police" Jordan Bennett of NYU states that “”nearly 100 million traffic stops across the United States, black drivers were about 20 percent more likely to be stopped than white drivers.” It also states that “black drivers were searched about 1.5 to 2 times as often as white drivers, while they were less likely to be carrying drugs, guns, or other illegal contraband compared to their white peers.” This shows that one, racism still occurs and, two, that some type of stereotype is happening because officers are stopping black men because they know they can pin something on them, whether it is drugs or some other type of item. I realize that officers tend to stop people who drive chargers because they know a lot of African American males drive them. Skin tone also plays a role in the present day, especially with athletes. In the article, "The Color Line" by Micheal Eric Dyson, it states “Lighter-skinned blacks were deemed to be smarter and more culturally refined; darker blacks were believed to be dumber and cruder.” This quote explains how skin tones are viewed, which is true. For example, in any field involving the white population overpowering the blacks, some whites feel as if a black person can't obtain or do things they can.

In conclusion, African American males still get treated like they are menace to society. They get talked down to about anything they do, be it sports, education, etc. They also get stereotyped for the cars they drive and get killed for their looks or actions that aren't meant to harm anyone, like reaching for their driver's registration. Some people need to change their perspective on black men because most are trying to live their lives like others.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

Works Cited 

 

 

Dyson, Michael Eric. “The Color Line.” Andscape, Andscape, 6 Mar. 2019, https://www.andscape.com/features/light-skinned-vs-dark-skinned/. 

 

Equiano,Olaudah. The Interesting narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano: or Gustavus Vassa, the African. London, Equiano, 1789.

 

Gyasi, Yaa. Homegoing. New York, Knopf,2016.

 

Merrit, Keri Leigh. “Men without Pants: Masculinity and the Enslaved.” AAIHS,11 September 2016,https://www.aaihs.org/men-without-pants-masculinity-and-the-enslaved/.

 

“Research Shows Black Drivers More Likely to Be Stopped by Police.” NYU, 5 May 2020,www.nyu.edu/about/news-publications/news/2020/may/black-drivers-more-likely-to-be-stopped-by-police.html.