- Black Americans have a lack of belonging. Due to the ideas of not really belonging to America or belonging to Africa there is stress on their identity and roles. This is evident by the lack of many black Americans preferring the term blacks to the identity of African American. This can be associated with the lack of feeling of belonging in America and belonging to Africa. America has been detrimental to this break down of identity and belonging. Black America has been labeled by stereotypes by other American identities.” When Donald Trump refers to “the African Americans,”his use of the word “the” attempts to put Black Americans into one subordinate monolithic category. The “the” becomes a code, a signal that he distances himself from an entire group. He is reassuring his supporters that “the” group he is referring to is the Other” (Powell, 2018). This use a prime example of black Americans Bering exempt from a group they assumed they belonged to.
- Then it comes to the relationship that black American have with Africa. Due to the removal of the history many families had to endure for generations this caused a lack of cultural identity that was once associated with the continent of Africa. “The negative images of Africa, coupled with racist scholarship and the weaponized usage of Christianity, made some African Americans avoid an African identification. Though slavery exacerbated a disconnection with their ancestral homelands, African Americans developed unique traditions rooted in their African ancestry; though they were not regarded as ‘African’” (Mares, 2020). This was an intentional removal of identity. Although, some believe that in order to gain this identity back there only needs to be a home coming of black Americans to Africa. However, many also believe there is no where for them to go and no one to welcome them.
- This is causing extreme depression in black Americans. The thoughts of never belonging or feeling welcomed has taken it’s toll on them. “Exacerbating a feeling of alienation are incidents of discrimination and racism, large and small, intended or unconscious, on the part of their fellow students and the institutions themselves. Together, these stressors — which occur at a time in life when mental illness is known to develop at a higher rate — create a scenario ripe for the emergence of depression, anxiety disorder” (Powell, 2019). With this high rate of depression and anxiety many black Americans do not have the means to find help. This can be seen in behaviors of acting out or suicidal ideations. This can be seen in the film Black Panther. Thus making Killmonger a relatable antagonist to many black Americans.
Mares, R. (2020, August 14). The relationship Between African Americans and Africa. Retrieved April 02, 2021, from https://www.aaihs.org/the-relationship-between-african-americans-and-africa/
Powell, A. (2019, September 19). Feeling of alienation could account for higher rates of mental illness among minority students. Retrieved April 02, 2021, from https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2019/09/feeling-of-alienation-could-account-for-higher-rates-of-mental-illness-among-minority-students/
Powell, J. A. (2018, November 01). Obama’s people and The African Americans: The language of othering. Retrieved April 02, 2021, from https://belonging.berkeley.edu/obama%E2%80%99s-people-and-african-americans-language-othering
Hey! Thanks for this context presentation. I really enjoyed how you pointed out the intentional removal of Black people from Africa and their subsequent lack of identification with the place they “come from” but have likely never been to. I think this is a really important consideration, especially for racists who may claim that Black people should “go back to where they came from” even though white people were the ones who brought them here.
Great Context Presentation blog post! I like how you mentioned how African Americans deal with the feeling of lacked identity. They feel like they don’t belong no matter where they are. They are told to “go back to where you came from”, meaning Africa, however most of them have grown up in America their entire lives and haven’t even stepped foot in Africa. I also like how you made a connection between the word “the” seen before African Americans when talking, to the concept of the “Other” that we learned in class.
Thank you for your interesting post, your presentation is wonderful! The issue of black identity has always been a serious problem in the history of the United States. The early colonists transported African slaves to the United States to serve them. When the colonists’ homes were established, they now want to blast them out of the United States. This is completely absurd. These blacks are part of the United States, and racists have no right to send them out of the United States.
I found it very interesting how you connected mental health to black Americans and the film of Black Panther. This is not something that I have seen addressed too much so it is definitely an intriguing lens to view this film through. It would make sense that some of these issues would arise in the case of a struggle to find identity for African Americans.
This is a great and insightful post. I knew the background of what African Americans went through by just living in America bur what we don’t talk about is the mental toll it can have on them which is something I loved that you mentioned. Also, little things like using the word “the” in front of African Americans really is a terrible thing to do and just further tries to ostracize them. Things need to change and will hopefully continue to change in the right direction as time goes on.
This post was very informative to read before I watch Black Panther. While I’ve already watched the movie, knowing how others relate to the character of Killmonger is something that will definitely give me a different viewpoint on my second go around on watching it. I often do not see all the struggles and things that others have to go through so I do sometimes forget that it’s an issue, probably from doing schoolwork all the time.
I found this post to be insightful and easy to read. I enjoyed the connection between mental health and the African American population, as this is something that is often overlooked. This post gave a different perspective to view Black Panther from, better understanding the issue with sense of belonging can be applicable in multiple parts of the movie.
This is an outstanding presentation because it really goes more towards what we did not fully go into when it comes to the emotional and spiritual area within the black American community. Within this information, it uncovers that it brings in more of an understanding for the overall aspect for this week’s materials, especially since it would be looking at stereotypes, relationships with their ancestors, roots, and from African, and how they feel emotionally with depression because of the negative impact it is having on the community.
Thank you for your post! It is true that many African Americans cannot feel it as home in the US, since there are still many people who insist in racism, especailly to the black people. In your post, you mentioned that because of the discrimination, many black people suffer from depression. I think the government should appeal people to pay attention to the problem of racism, and give more aid to the black people community, especially to the teenagers, since dual pressure of academic and ethnic issues would more likely to cause the depression on teenagers.
Thank you for the great presentation! It is very interesting to see a new person’s perspective on how Black Americans view Africa. Its so sad to see how much anguish and sadness it is still creating today. This does a great job connecting how real people feel to how some people in Black Panther, especially Killmonger, felt in the movie. Thanks again for the fresh perspective and the great presentation all around.
Hello! I really enjoyed reading the context presentation. I like how it specifically addressed crucial topics in a concise way. I agree that black Americans have a sense of lack of belonging. The creation of Wakanda– a fictional place where everyone is welcomed and feels at home, and the hype and resonance this fictional place received blatantly supports this. This definitely affects the mental health of black people and I am glad it was addressed.
Hey! Great presentation, I liked the perspective of Black Americans view on Tribal Africa. You did a really great job hitting on so many different connections between the movie, life of African Americans, as well as people groups in Africa. It was cool to see the ways that a movie was able to create a world that follows in line with Tribal Africa, but also be so much different. Thanks for the post!
I really like your post, especially how you related to the concept of Oneness and Otherness. I did not realize that identity is just as big of an issue as racism itself.