Being African

American Is freak’in hard

By Latagia Copeland B.S.,A.S.

“To be a poor man is hard, but to be a poor race in a land of dollars is the very bottom of

hardships.”~W. E. B. Du Bois~

Why is it so hard?

For several reasons including but not

limited to the following….

History

Such As…..• Some 400 years of slavery. • Another 90 years of Jim Crow

Laws• Civil rights struggles.

• Pervasive inequality, racism, and discrimination.

[I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but

people will never forget how you made them feel.]

~Maya Angelou~

Perceptions (stereotypes) by non-minorities

Such As….. • African American people are poor

because their lazy.• lack intelligence and drive.

• Are dangerous and/or criminals (especially males).

• Are welfare queens. • Cant let go of the past (slavery

and Civil rights).

“ We don’t see things as they are, we see them as we are”

~Anais Nin~

Inequality

Such As….• Median African American household net

worth in 2013 was $11,ooo compared to $141,900 in Caucasian households.

• African Americans are nearly 3 times as likely to be poor as non-Africans

Americans.

• Jobless rate for African American college grads last year was 12.4% versus 4.9%

for Caucasian college grads.

“I have a dream that my four children will one day live in a nation where they will not be

judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.”~Martin Luther King, Jr~

Systemic racism and

discrimination

Such As….• African Americans comprise about 13% of the

US population and 14% of monthly drug users but are 37% of the people arrested for drug

offenses.

• Nationwide, African-Americans represent 26% of juvenile arrests, 44% of youth who are

detained, 46% of the youth who are judicially waived to criminal court, and 58% of the youth admitted to state prisons (Center on Juvenile

and Criminal Justice).

• African-Americans make up 28% of the foster care population. This disparity is magnified in

certain states.

Such As Cont….• Of the 2,000,000 men in prison 39.1% are African

American.

• African American students are 3.5x more likely to be expelled than Caucasian students (40% are actually

expelled).• When doctors were shown patient histories and asked to

make judgments about heart disease, they were much less likely to recommend cardiac catheterization to African American patients (even when their medical files were statistically identical to those of Caucasian patients).

• Caucasian state legislators were found to be less likely to respond to constituents with African-American names. This was true of legislators in both political parties.

“ Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man’s character give him

power” ~Abraham Lincoln~

The bottom line is that….

• African Americans are much more likely to run into a wide range of issues

throughout our society.

• Once these issues arise (and they will), African Americans are much more

likely to be treated harshly/unfairly and to have worse outcomes than non-

minorities.

Do you know what it's like to be …

... followed in a store.… "mistaken" for the help.

... petted like a dog because your hair is "interesting."… told to "get over" the wholesale trade and trafficking of your ancestors?

I do.

And so do millions of other black Americans. Rich and poor. Uneducated and those with a Ph.D. Famous and anonymous.

We are exhausted. We are tired. We can't breathe.

~ Arienne Thompson, USA TODAY~

In conclusionAs a proud African American woman who has

experienced everything discussed this presentation (or personally know others whom have experienced it) I

hope that it is enlightening. I am thoroughly convinced that the contents within come as no surprise to my

fellow African Americans; but I have no doubt that it may come as a surprise to others. But we all must

remember the following

References http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2014/12/12/racial-wealth-gaps-great-recession/ http://www.nytimes.com/2014/12/25/business/for-recent-black-college-graduates-a-tougher-road-to-employment.html?_r=0http://www.psmag.com/business-economics/the-rigged-economics-of-race-in-america http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/why-racism-still-flourishes/2015/06/26/d0e1f2e4-1b6e-11e5-ab92-c75ae6ab94b5_story.html http://www.huffingtonpost.com/bill-quigley/fourteen-examples-of-raci_b_658947.html http://www.naacp.org/pages/criminal-justice-fact-sheethttp://www.bet.com/news/national/2013/05/31/commentary-we-must-care-for-black-foster-youth.html http://www.clutchmagonline.com/2014/07/19-things-black-people-need-know-racism-today/ http://www.nytimes.com/2015/01/04/upshot/the-measuring-sticks-of-racial-bias-.html?abt=0002&abg=1 https://abagond.wordpress.com/2013/01/17/american-racism-against-blacks/