Afro-Americans’ Past, Present, and Future

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Table of Contents

Afro-Americans and Their Historical Past
Contemporary Issues
What Lies in the Future
Accomplished Black Americans
Rosa Parks
Works Cited

Afro-Americans and Their Historical Past

Afro-Americans are descendants of the black race or the Negro race of Africa who reside in the United States (McKinnon, 2001). This racial group is also called Black Americans, came into the American lands in 1619 mostly to take upon the role of servants. British North America, as the United States was referred to at that time, specifically the Jamestown in Virginia was the first hometown of these Black Americans. Other inhabitants of this town were people who traded their entry to the land for labor and also those who are not well-off.

This went on until the slave system has been defined in the United States that when the year 1860 came, there were over three million slaves in the Southern American lands and another half a million who lived freely in the country (Boddy-Evans, n.d.).

“It was in 1863 during the American Civil War when President Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation which gave these African-American slaves their freedom” Davis, n.d.). After this emancipation, however, it was a hard time for these Afro-Americans to be adapted to the mainstream culture than Jim Crow laws were adapted in the Southern region (Davis, n.d.). Basically, these Jim Crow Laws are those which enforce racial segregation such that there are establishments that are exclusive to the black race and the white race. There were also social gatherings and functions wherein only one type of color should attend.

Even churches, bars, and schools were built exclusively to cater to the needs of these black Americans because they believe that by this, they would maintain their self-esteem and dignity without making any conflicts with the white race (David, n.d.).

Several laws and mandates aimed at racial discrimination and segregation of the Afro-Americans were made during the late nineteenth century and this actually started to burn the candle of the Great Migration which occurred in the early 20^th century. This “Great Migration” occurred because of the growing violence and discrimination among the Blacks in the south which led them to migrate to other places of the United States where they can start anew.

Contemporary Issues

Presently, there are over forty million Black Americans living in the United States today, with more than fifty percent in Metropolitan areas. Out of these African-Americans, the most common problem which is pronounced among them is poverty. Although poverty has dropped in percentage since the 1990s, the rate is still high considering the increase in their population. As of today, the poverty line hasn’t dropped lower than 20%, and the causes of poverty range from marital affairs, stress, low education level, and the likes (Carmen, Proctor, Lee, 2005).

However, despite poverty being the most common problem among Black Americans, many African Americans are also earning high in terms of work. In fact, African Americans ranked the second highest in minority income next to Asian-Americans. Income level related to gender is also a big issue because African men and women have a wide gap between their income levels. More than that, African American men have lower income such that a single dollar earning is considered $1.17 for a European American but for an African-American, it is only approximately 72 cents (McKinnon, 2003). African-Americans also suffer from job loss and unemployment which again, leads them to partake in the poverty line of their race.

In terms of health, it is good to see that the life-expectancy gap between whites and blacks has been closing in convergence by a difference of about five years. This means that there is progress in terms of the health system catered to the African-Americans. However, another big problem in health is the emerging of HIV/AIDS cases in which more than 50% of those affected are from the Black American race.

What Lies in the Future

No one can be precise and accurate on the future of African-American people in the United States. However, based on the data and facts acquired in this research, we can see that there is a progressive tendency in terms of the health and social life of these blacks. Racial discrimination has been diminished in the larger society, although there are still certain cases of hate and violence involving blacks and whites. Politically speaking, among all the minorities in the US, the Blacks have the largest representation and are actively involved in policymaking and law enforcement. Economically speaking, however, the vision of the future is still unclear and blurred because of the race’s high unemployment rate and poverty rate.

Accomplished Black Americans

Oprah Winfrey

This multi-awarded female talk show host has been a big pride to the whole African-American race because of her ever successful and never declining career in television. More than that, she is also the only African-American billionaire who has been on the list for three years in a row. Winfrey, a woman who suffered a very tragic childhood, proved to many that anyone can really succeed with hard work and perseverance.

Martin Luther King, Jr.

Whatever benefits the Black Americans are experiencing today is due to the efforts of several activists who bravely fought for the rights of the oppressed and morally abused race. His efforts paid off and thereafter, many laws and mandates were focused to eradicate racial discrimination and oppression. What made King a model and a prominent peace worker is that he led a peaceful revolution by non-violent means, i.e. civil disobedience. These efforts of King made him win the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964 making him the youngest among all Nobel awardees.

Rosa Parks

Rosa Parks can be considered as Martin Luther King’s female counterpart. She also had led several civil rights movements which really made a great contribution to the status quo of the Black American’s way of living today. She became popular with her refusal to vacate her seat in a Montgomery Bus just so the white passengers would something to sit on. This event caused a Montgomery Bus Boycott by many Black Americans. Though how simple her purpose in her refusal is, she wasn’t aware that her simple act of refusal would stir many people and that she would be an inspiration to many.

Works Cited

Oscar Barbarin, PhD. Characteristics of African American Families. University of North Carolina. 2002. Web.

Carmen De Navas Walt, Bernadette D. Proctor, Cheryl Hill Lee. “Income, Poverty, and Health Insurance Coverage in the United States: 2004“: P60-229. U.S. Census Bureau. Web.

Davis, Ronald, Ph.D. Surviving Jim Crow. The History of Jim Crow. New York Life.

Davis, Ronald L.F., Ph. D. Creating Jim Crow: In-Depth Essay. The History of Jim Crow. New York Life.

Boddy-Evans, Alistair. The Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade. African History. 2008. Web.

McKinnon, Jesse. The Black Population: 2000 United States Census Bureau. United States Census Bureau. 2008. Web.

Jesse McKinnon. The Black Population in the United States: March 2002. United States Census Bureau. 2003. Web.

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