The Twentieth Century and the African Americans - Paper Example

Introduction

The twentieth century was marked by dramatic changes in the African-American history. This period saw a radical transformation in the life of the African Americans. Several antidiscrimination laws and policies were passed with the aim of eliminating racial inequality, discrimination, and segregation from the American life. These changes occurred across sectors including in education and in the labor market, and included the 1954 Supreme Court declaration as unconstitutional the racial segregation of schools. This paper, drawing from the narrations of six students at UNC-Greensboro, argues that despite the many dramatic developments in the drive to eliminate racial inequalities, discrimination, and segregation, many things, especially for the African Americans remained as they were in the nineteenth century.

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To begin with, despite the 'integration' of the black students in UNC-Greensboro, a school that was formerly predominantly white, the black students were seen by their white counterparts as outsiders in the block. The black students were strangely stared at and sometimes called derogatory names by the white students. Rence Flood 1970 wrote, "I have been made to feel as an intruder here at UNC-G...One day on the way to the cafeteria, I passed a group of black kids who were in front of the dorms talking. A girl in front of me whispered to one of her friends her surprise and dismay in seeing the number of "colored people" on campus - a significant remark that I have not forgotten" (Six students, 14). Ada Fisher 1970 also narrated how she, while in the company of her high school classmate, was first called "nigger" to her face.

The black students also had to endure the invisibility. Wilsonia Cherry 1970 termed this the most frustrating racial problem that they faced. She wrote, "When many white students see you as you're walking across campus, they smile and say, "How are you?" But they really don't see you. They look through you because, for many of them, you're just a necessary evil that must be tolerated, and they would rather you did not exist at all" (12). Ada also wrote how, while speaking to a student; she knew quite well while outside campus she could sometimes be ignored as though. These incidences in the social lives of the students show the existence of racial segregation and discrimination even when it was generally presumed that the radical policies would bring changes in real life experiences of the blacks. Despite the black and the white students being in the same institutions, their interactions were still guided by the very nineteenth-century stereotypes.

Secondly, there still existed racial discrimination and segregation in the access of services. At UNC-Greensboro, there was racial segregation in the dormitories with roommates being assigned based on race. This was so strictly adhered to even when there were housing shortages in the institution and other dormitories did not have full occupancy. Some specific still maintained their vacancies. As Ada Fisher wrote, "My first year here all black students were assigned black roommates, and I was transferred from a three-girl black rooming situation to another room where there was only one black girl in occupancy. Even through housing shortages, I maintained half vacancies" (11), it is easy to deduce that there was also racial discrimination in the dining halls. One's race determined the amount of food one was served. Suzette Thompson 1970 wrote, "I learned that the discrimination on campus even extended to the dining hall. Black students were given less food and that which was given were thrown at them" (14).

Further, there was racial discrimination in service delivery. Suzette Thompson 1970 narrated how she was treated while she had gone to pick her cap and gown for graduation at Elliot Hall. She narrated how she got a relatively shorter gown which could not fit her. When she asked a white colleague to assist her, the colleague picked up a cloth from the floor and showed her to try it on. However when the white student came, the lady assisted her with warmth. "...When the white student had been properly fitted, the nice lady who was there to help turned and said that the robe that she had previously given me was fine for me, that it would have to do" (15).

Moreover, there still existed racial discrimination in academics. Whereas, on fair grounds grading should be objective and strictly based on individual performance, in UNC-Greensboro, as reported by the students, the grading was racially biased. White students were graded better than their black counterparts. Suzette Thompson 1970 wrote, "In classes in which I had a 'B' average before the exam, my final grade was 'D'. In other classes I got 'C' rather than the expected 'A'." Larry Williamson 1972 also pointed out cases of other black students; one of who had a 'B' but received a 'C' and after discussions with her professor she was told that "a 'C' is good enough for you people" (15). Another student who had also scored 'B' in a course but received a 'D' for writing a paper that opposed what her professor's book said about black people.

There was also discrimination in the classroom for black students. Suzette Thompson pointed to professors either ignoring her or singling her out for the hardest questions. Ada Fresher also wrote of her experiences in class where she was told the negative stereotypes about negroes, and that they, the blacks, had no culture of their own. Despite her efforts to challenge and prove otherwise the assertions of the professors through authoritative works, no one would listen.

Conclusion

In conclusion, while the twentieth century saw radical changes in laws and policies that were expected to eliminate racial inequalities, discrimination, and segregation, these were only done in principle. The laws and policies were there that removed the structural barriers, but missing was the intent of their implementers. The attitudes remained the same. This, therefore, saw some of the things that were characteristic of the African-American relation in the prior centuries as evidenced by the instances of racial inequality, discrimination, and segregation exhibited above.

Reference

Six Students Speak on Being Black