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Chapter 31

Paul D. Grant and Carl A. Grant in the chapter “To be Men and Women: The Black Struggle for Justice Continues,” explains that Black Africans living in America have, for long, struggled to become relevant and gain acceptance from as early as 1773. Phillis Wheatley composed the poem “On Being Brought from Africa to America,” explaining how Blacks were mistreated. In the poem, Wheatley laments that Africans were scorned and treated as “diabolic.” The article also highlights voices by various prominent personalities to affirm and respect the lives of Blacks such as Langston Hughes, W. E. B. Dubois, and Anna Julia Cooper.

The struggle to promote Black acceptance is common in speeches, conversations, social gatherings, and formal language. The quest for Blacks to gain acceptance became apparent in the 1950s with the formation of the Civil Rights Movement. Media like the television have highlighted attempts by the Blacks to gain relevance, such as Black men dressing in over-the-shoulder signs with the inscriptions “I AM A MAN.” The article also explains that Charles Hamilton and Stokely Carmichael, in 1967, elevated the struggle for Black emancipation by advocating for “Black Power,” arguing that the historical beliefs, values, and institutions in America had contributed to the unjust discrimination of Blacks. Hamilton and Carmichael suggested that Black Power was necessary to enable the Black community to repossess their history and identity, redefine themselves, and ensure Black are regarded as equal women and men. The victory of Barack Obama as America’s President in 2008 revealed that Blacks were equally competent as the Whites. Whereas Obama’s assumption of office was expected to mark a new era for the struggle of Blacks against oppressive white culture, some people opposed the move suggesting Obama was not worthy of being President, while others declared that Obama was not American. According to the chapter, America is yet to achieve justice for Blacks since most of the Black males undergo police brutality and shootings, unlike their white counterparts. The judicial system is rigged against the Blacks with the police, judges, and prosecutors condemning Black men instead of according justice to them. Justice for Blacks calls for the upholding of their political, economic, and civic rights.

Another aspect that reveals a disregard for the rights of Blacks is the naming of things. Historical bias may portray black actions in a bad light while glorifying the same actions done by Whites. The naming of Black realities highlights the cruelty and reluctance to accept Blacks as equal members of the community. Still, the struggle by Blacks for personhood and justice continues.