History of Racial Segregation and Oppression and the African

Introduction

Racial segregation and oppression refer to how a group of individuals is dominated by another group based on the color of their skin and origin. In America, exclusion and oppression was rampant throughout history with African American being sold into slavery, denied fundamental human rights and stopped from participating in civic duties across different states while the white man had access to all what was denied to the African American. Racial segregation and oppression is wrong and should be fought in any area of America since it is common knowledge that all humans are equal regardless of their skin color or country of origin. All persons involved in the oppression of people of a different race ought to be incarcerated to pay for their crimes. Individuals going through racial segregation have stood up in the past and continue to make their voice heard through civic action or media coverage and in so doing give courage to others who may be going through the same. This paper will discuss into great depth the depictions of African Americans' reaction to racial segregation and oppression both in the past and currently.

The first media source I will analyze is;

Smith, J. (2018). Times. Retrieved from The Revolutionary Power of Black Panther: https://time.com/black-panther/

Black Panther is a recent motion picture that brought to the attention of many Americans and people across the globe that people of color can also have their heroes and successfully fight their own battles. As discussed by Smith, 'Black Panther' brought a lot of uproar about the courageous nature of the African American. Despite being only in fiction, the theme of courage and determination can be extrapolated to real life as the history of the title 'Black Panther' from as early as 1966 depicts (Smith, 2018). The African American in that day and age were fed up of all the oppression they were facing from the Americans and therefore took it upon themselves to search for liberation and freedom where they could assimilate and integrate freely with the rest of the people in America. They organized marches to beat the fear that the African American had learned to live in looking for a brighter future for their people. Despite losing some people along the way, the 'March against Fear' continued since they had to persevere to get 'Black Power' (Smith, 2018). The heroes in the movie 'Black Panther demonstrated all the qualities of leadership when it came to protecting their nation, 'Wakanda' against the world. The black man is depicted as one who can utilize his resources and help others in distress thus perpetuating the idea that there is no use oppressing the African American, instead, let him make use of what is present in the creation of a better future.

The history channel in YouTube provides a documentary on the Montgomery Bus Boycott and its impact sixty years later. It gives the story of an African American woman, Rosa Parks who refused to follow the rules of racial segregation at the time by continuing to sit on her seat in a bus as opposed to giving it up for a white person as was expected (HISTORY, 2015). The event of the bus boycott is known as what launched the American Civil Rights movement in the 20th Century (HISTORY, 2015). Nevertheless, it demonstrated how the African Americans decided to stand up and face their oppressors instead of cowardly following the choices made for them by their counterparts. The bus boycott was an audacious move by the oppressed that brought a revolution in America where people of different races can now use the same social and economic amenities available in the society presenting and perpetuating the notion of equality among citizens. It was commendable that Rosa Parks decided to start the end of racial segregation and promote equality and such actions should have been much more in the American history much earlier from the onset of the slave trade and other oppressive times.

Similarities and Differences

Comparing the documentary on the bus boycott of Montgomery and the debut of the Black Panther movement, there are various similarities of how the African American decided to put an end to racial segregation and oppression in days past. Of great significance is the fact that there came up courageous heroes among the community who were willing to be seen as opposing the white man. The heroine Rosa Parks (HISTORY, 2015) of the Montgomery bus boycott and the hero Carmichael (Smith, 2018) of Black Power movement were leaders of the American Civil Rights Movements that were able to bring together the force of the African American community in an attempt to fight oppression. Therefore, the two sources proceed to give an account of the evils committed against the black person in America and how he responded to it projecting virtues like courage and perseverance in the course of narration of their stories. Positive outcomes are also presented to the current generation of Americans who are encouraged to consider all races as alike with nothing to show one as deserving better treatment from the other race. The movie 'Black Panther' is similar to Rosa Parks' decision to stay in her seat has brought about pride in being African American among today's population of the race in America.

Nevertheless, the two sources appear to harbor some differences from each other in how the African American responded to racial discrimination in the past and present. The bus boycott only showed how a movement came up against the rules of the epoch with Rosa Parks deciding to go against the law (HISTORY, 2015). On the other hand, the current depiction of Black Panther shows the African American race focusing on how to gain status and ability to become a superpower in how they make use of their resources (Smith, 2018). They make their own rules and extend help to other nations as they advance in technology and civilization. Black Panther presents the black race as resourceful while the bus boycott presents it as rebellious both of which help in achieving freedom and equal treatment.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the African American has had great tribulations since time immemorial, but that has not meant that they have succumbed to the racial oppression. Instead, the race has risen against tyranny and continues to fight to achieve true liberty. The liberation is yet to come fully, but that does not mean that effort has not been put in place to make it. The black race is brave and strives to provide a better world to its future generations since they accept that one's color should not define who one is since there is beauty in diversity. The media sources selected have shown the struggle of the African American to fight off the oppression of the white man with successes that have created a ripple effect across different states of America.

Cite this page