African American Studies Padlet - Mason Nowak by

SINNERS

masonnowak21 — 2025-05-05 18:29:29 UTC

The movie Sinners is a really interesting take on a few different topics we have discussed in class. First, it's set in 1932, during the height of segregation, when two Black Men are very powerful, yet they still face many challenges brought on by White Americans. Additionally, we see a lot about soul music and how that way of life can transcend our world in a sense, and the movie connects this by talking about how it has been used to connect with ancestors from the past and future.

The Green Book

masonnowak21 — 2025-05-05 19:01:38 UTC

I chose the Green Book because it highlights many of the issues faced by African Americans in the Deep South. This movie encapsulates the issue of segregation during that time. It also highlights the irony of having a black pianist at a restaurant but not allowing them to eat there. It puts many of those insane ideals to the test as the characters navigate the South on Dr. Shirley's tour.

HIM

masonnowak21 — 2025-05-05 19:05:24 UTC

HIM is a really interesting movie to me for many reasons. The movie showcases a black man doing whatever he can to achieve fame, which I think is a metaphor in this case to talk about equality. He practically assaults himself to get better at football. I think the drive showcased in this movie and the willingness to do whatever he feels he has to, is a common thread within the African American community.

Fences

masonnowak21 — 2025-05-05 19:30:06 UTC

Fences is a movie that discusses many different aspects of African American life, not the least of which is family dynamics. This movie talks about the struggle of families who have suffered through segregation and who have lost hope in the American Dream because of it. Troy (the father) had dreams to be a baseball player, but even though he was one of the best, he was never allowed to play due to segregation laws. Now that his son wants to be a baseball player, Troy doesn't want to expose his son to the world, even though it has improved significantly since his time.

DEVOTION

masonnowak21 — 2025-05-05 19:37:20 UTC

DEVOTION is a movie about the first African American naval aviator in the US armed forces. It is a movie about bridging the gap between races, and it talks a lot about the challenges Jesse faces in his journey to become the first black naval aviator. It is also a story about courage, not only from the job of fighting in the Korean War, but also to leave the safety of his family life and to make a name for himself in a place that did not appreciate him for who his and what he brought to the table.

Harriet Tubman

masonnowak21 — 2025-05-05 19:48:02 UTC

This photo shows Harriet Tubman on the left, holding a pan, pictured next to 6 people she helped escape through the Underground Railroad. This is a really powerful image because it shows people, young and old, all leaving for a better life away from oppression and pursuing a life of freedom. This photo speaks to this groups' courage to attempt to escape their captors and to fight for equality despite the odds.

1936 Olympics

masonnowak21 — 2025-05-05 20:05:16 UTC

This photo is from the 1936 Olympics in Berlin, showing Jesse Owens (center) getting the Gold Medal for the Long Jump competition. On the right, we see a german competitor showing the Nazi Salute, which is a blatant white supremacist move. It shows that even though Jesse did better than the white German athlete, he is still being put down, and it shows the systemic racism throughout the 1930s.

The Tuskegee Experiment

masonnowak21 — 2025-05-07 01:56:05 UTC

The Tuskegee Experiment was a long-term experiment headed up by the US Government, which had hundreds of black men in Macon County, Alabama, unwillingly subjected to syphilis and denied treatment for 40 years. They used different forms of coercion to keep the men in the dark and refused to treat them. This went on until 1972, when it was reported by a journalist,t and many of those who were responsible quietly resigned before they could be charged for their crimes.

African Americans in WW2

masonnowak21 — 2025-05-07 02:04:11 UTC

African Americans served a variety of roles in World War 2, from the famed Tuskegee Airmen to cooks and many others. Even though their efforts were crucial to the war's outcome, they were still treated as 2nd class citizens and not given many of the tools white combat units were given. For example, the Tuskegee Airmen were given less desirable aircraft or much older aircraft that the white soldiers did not want anymore. Despite this, they were a highly decorated unit that had a significant impact on the war.

Malcolm X CBC

masonnowak21 — 2025-05-07 02:16:07 UTC

This talk show style interview of Malcolm X talks a lot about the current affairs (of that time) with his ideology and the ideology of some of the other African American social leaders. He talks about his disagreements with Martin Luther King Jr. and about his thoughts on segregation. I thought this was an important thing to show because of how he is portrayed in the media as somebody who is very violent and aggressive, and mainly to show that he isn't. In fact, he talks about how he doesn't encourage anyone to commit acts of violence against white people, but only to do whatever it takes to preserve life and liberty.

Denzel Washington talks about Color Vs. Culture

masonnowak21 — 2025-05-07 04:29:38 UTC

In this clip, actor Denzel Washington responds to a question regarding whether a white director could make the movie he was in as good as a black director. His response, that it wasn't about color as much as it was about culture, really spoke to me. I think that's one of the problems shown in society today. Many people are too hung up on color and the differences between black and white, when they should be focused on the culture and how we can all incorporate and share our cultures with one another, so we all have a better understanding of our world.

How the NAACP Fights for Equality

masonnowak21 — 2025-05-07 04:36:10 UTC

This video talks about how the NAACP works to combat racism and increase equality for Black Americans. This is a really important organization, and I really like what the NAACP has been doing to promote equality in the US. From wealth disparity, to housing to voting rights, the NAACP has been the foremost organization fighting to help make things fairer.

The Transatlantic Slave Trade

masonnowak21 — 2025-05-07 04:38:23 UTC

The Transatlantic Slave Trade is one of the most important topics to talk about when we discuss African American history, because it sets a lot of the precedents that slavery and segregation were based on. It's important to realize this wasn't a short timeframe; this was happening; it went on for 400 years. Not only did this set up precedents for what was to come in the shorter term, but it also denied African Americans the possibility to kickstart generational well-being for that time as well. This is partly why the wealth disparity is so high, and why there is an implicit bias of having stereotypes form of African Americans as people that many White Americans did not want to be associated with or interact with.

MLK Jr. Talks about the legacy of slavery

masonnowak21 — 2025-05-07 04:41:01 UTC

I really do like what MLK Jr. has to say about the legacy of slavery. He highlights the problems associated with the Emancipation Proclamation and how it didn't just magically fix things. There were still many issues to deal with, and I think there are still things we have to work on today. It also showcases the plight of the African American situation, where other groups, especially immigrants who came willingly, were given better treatment than those who were enslaved for over 200 years. The irony of that still haunts us to this day, where we are trying to help many African American Communities where they haven't been able to establish the same type of economic baseline that White people have.

Legacy Museum

masonnowak21 — 2025-05-07 04:43:57 UTC

The Legacy Museum is a grim reminder of the early African American Experience in the US and is a testament to all of those who have suffered. It's really important to keep these memories alive so we can show the faults of humanity, so that we can never recreate them. I thought this video was important to show because it talks about a physical place of learning where you can go and see so many different parts of the Black experience and you can get a better grasp than if you were to be watching the video itself or read a book about it.

Adultification Bias

masonnowak21 — 2025-05-07 04:45:50 UTC

Adultification is a big problem in the US because it places unintended responsibility on Black children, which can result in bad situations. Many problems arise from people being deemed as a lot older than they are, such as a 12 or 13-year-old Black boy who is playing with a stick being interpreted as an 18-year-old man with a gun. While it seems absurd, it is a common reality that only has bad endings.

Working out in NYC

masonnowak21 — 2025-05-07 04:47:27 UTC

I thought this video was really interesting because it talks about how many people have to invent a way of dealing with their emotions. For many people put in disadvantageous positions and society refusing to help them, they can often turn to destructive means of letting their emotions out. These guys instead formed a group that runs around New York City, and they do Calisthenics to motivate others to work out, as well as them sharing their stories on camera and how they have overcome challenges in their lives.

Mass Incarceration - Visualized

masonnowak21 — 2025-05-07 04:50:09 UTC

Mass Incarceration is something that was a foreign concept to me before this class. I think what this video does better than talking about it is give me perspective and a visual on how widespread and corrupt the system is. This video puts everything on display and makes me feel very connected to the issue, rather than just having numbers alone thrown out at me. It also gives a lot of explanation of the effects of mass incarceration, which puts everything into perspective for somebody not familiar with the reasons for the status quo.

How the New Deal left out African Americans

masonnowak21 — 2025-05-07 04:52:05 UTC

The New Deal was promised to be this grand bill that would help all Americans, but it really only helped those who were White. I don't think this is super widely known, and I wanted to share it because I think it's important to realize that there was still a white supremacist movement at the top levels of the government, even from the president, which meant that African Americans couldn't have any benefits from the New Deal. They had also lived through the Great Depression, but White Americans were given ways to bounce back. It allowed many people to buy cars and houses, but African Americans did not receive any of those things.

"So are White People"

masonnowak21 — 2025-05-07 04:53:52 UTC

This clip showcases President Donald Trump answering a question about why Black Americans are still being killed by police, and instead of answering the question in any meaningful way, he decides to say "so are White People". I am pretty terrified at this response because this is coming from the President of the United States, who is supposed to be representing all Americans, but the way he dodges this question makes me believe that he truly does not care about African Americans whatsoever. He then goes on to say that White people get shot by police more, which just further directs the attention away from the original question. This is classic disregardance, which shows the President's apathy towards the issue, which is very unsettling.

Floyd Mayweather talks about being African American vs American

masonnowak21 — 2025-05-07 04:55:31 UTC

I really like what Mayweather says here about his time at the Olympics. The ideology that we are all under the blanket of "American" should mean that we are all together. It's clear that he doesn't want to be known as an African American, but as an American, which I think is a great thing. When referring to yourself as a Black American or an African American, you are distinguishing yourself from an American. While it is more specific and societally okay for that, it still does reinforce the idea that you are separate, and if we want to eliminate inequality, we should talk as if we are one.

African American Mental Health Line

masonnowak21 — 2025-05-07 04:56:29 UTC

This website is a dedicated source related to Black Americans' mental health and well-being, and anyone can call the National Suicide Hotline at 988. This is really important because we talk a lot about family dynamics and upbringing, and I think it's important to realize that many parts of African American history are still relevant today and carry generational trauma. People who suffer from mental health challenges often don't want to speak up, so having a website dedicated to African Americans to learn how others like them have overcome those struggles will help a lot.

The Center for Black Health & Equity

masonnowak21 — 2025-05-07 04:57:23 UTC

The Center for Black Health & Equity provides a lot of resources for Black Americans. They provide many different outlets, such as HIV and AIDS treatment, as well as advocating for equity-centered policies and education of those policies. These programs are really important because they help empower the African American community to be civically engaged and to create change within their communities, which, as we know, can lead to much broader changes across the board.

Dept of Commerce, AAEP

masonnowak21 — 2025-05-07 04:58:41 UTC

The Department of Commerce's AAEP (African American Employment Program) is a great use of government funding that assists Black Americans in getting good government-funded jobs, as well as increasing diversity in the workplace. The goal of this is to have the federal workforce be intentionally diverse, in order to keep adding new perspectives to solve today's problems. It also has the added effect of helping out local economies and communities by having the unemployment rate much lower and more people coming in to buy and sell goods.

Black Americans & Alzheimer's

masonnowak21 — 2025-05-07 05:02:54 UTC

The Alzheimer's Association has created a webpage specifically for talking about African American Alzheimer's. I found out through this website that Black Americans have twice the likelihood of getting Alzheimer's in their lives, which I did not know before. It also provides education for symptoms to look out for and for people to contact for further information, which I think is really important for those who may know somebody who is dealing with it, and they don't know who to contact or what to do.

Wealth Inequality

masonnowak21 — 2025-05-07 05:15:28 UTC

This website talks about how the Wealth Gap between White and Black Americans was formed. This information is key to knowing why things are the way they are and how we can avoid these problems from happening again. It's also just as important to have the knowledge ,so we aren't just letting all of this happen while most white people either don't know or don't acknowledge this as an issue.

African American Involvement in the Civil War

masonnowak21 — 2025-05-07 05:17:16 UTC

I found this website to be really intriguing because it talks about a bunch of the different facets where African Americans were involved in the Civil War. Not only were there just slave laborers in the South, but there were also Union soldiers fighting to take down Southern slave owners. While they weren't considered US Army, they did serve valiantly and were able to make an impact on the civil war which ultimately helped bring an end to slavery as a whole in the United States.

National Park Service preserving important places of Civil Rights

masonnowak21 — 2025-05-07 05:22:55 UTC

I thought this was a really important website to discuss because of what's happened over the last 10 or so years with people wanting to remove old Civil War statues and monuments. While it's important to protect people's well-being by not having statues of Confederate generals in city squares, buildings such as these are the birthplaces of the soul and are at the forefront of the civil rights movement. They can't just be destroyed to build apartment complexes because they should be preserved so it can live as a reminder of the progress we've made as a society.

Race Related Stress

masonnowak21 — 2025-05-07 05:24:58 UTC

I thought this website was really important to talk about because many people don't acknowledge the stresses of being African American in our days' society. Not only are there the stresses of being targeted by the police or by other students, but the past has a profound effect on how somebody has been brought up, and the stresses of the past get passed down through generational trauma. This website is hoping to deal with that by giving resources and information talking about the stresses of being African American and encourages older folks to go see a healthcare professional to talk about those stresses.

Reparations - NAACP

masonnowak21 — 2025-05-07 05:27:14 UTC

Reparations are an interesting topic for me. I think a lot about people who say that African Americans are owed for lost wages and many other things, and this website gives a good perspective on it. It's a part of the NAACP parent website, and it agrees that each person should be given reparations equivalent to 40 acres and a mule.

Preserving African American lands

masonnowak21 — 2025-05-07 05:29:45 UTC

This case study on African American lands was really interesting to me because it gives a lot of information that was previously unknown to me. I think it's important to be exposed to harsh truths, such as the fact that African Americans have been robbed for centuries, and there should be a lot more land owned by them. This website talks about an organization called the Land Trust Alliance who helps preserve land for African Americans, as well as to help them reclaim what was stolen many years ago.

Net Wealth by race

masonnowak21 — 2025-05-07 05:30:25 UTC

I found this graph interesting because it highlights something we talked about in class and gives more in-depth ideas as to what's going on. One thing I found really interesting was that there were more people in the zero or negative category than in the next two categories combined, basically. It also has an inverse effect for White people, where the highest amount of them are stacked on the wealthier side. The generational wealth accumulated is fully on display here and shows partly why slavery has damaged people to this day.

Rates of Disconnected youth by race

masonnowak21 — 2025-05-07 05:33:11 UTC

Disconnected youth (those not going to school or work) are disproportionately higher in Black Americans than their white counterparts. This is very distressing because there are many problems associated with not going to school, especially. Lower literacy rates, as well as an increased risk for unwanted pregnancies and poverty, are all accompanied by not going to school. With this in mind, it is imperative to establish why these kids aren't going to school or work and figure out what society can do to assist in getting them back on track.

Bail or Jail

masonnowak21 — 2025-05-07 05:37:39 UTC

This graph showcases the vast differences in whether a defendant is getting bail or staying in jail. As you can see, there is a significant disparity in whether somebody will get released, depending on their race. It is not reliant on their race, obviously, but it seems to have some sort of influence on how they are perceived and whether or not they can be released on recognisance.

Poverty Rates

masonnowak21 — 2025-05-07 05:38:21 UTC

While American Indians have a higher amount of poverty, they are a much smaller sample size than African Americans, who follow closely behind. They are much more likely to face poverty than white people, likely because of generational wealth starting hundreds of years ago. This is a problem because, by this metric, about 1.7 million black Americans are living in poverty, due to the situation white people put them in.

Teachers and student statistics by race

masonnowak21 — 2025-05-07 05:40:43 UTC

This graph showcases the lack of perspective we have in our schooling system. If 80% of our teachers are white and teaching to a population of 51% not white, there is a disparity where we are not getting all sides of the picture. We need diversity in teaching in order to get multiple perspectives on topics, as well as to have many different types of role models for kids to look up to.

School District wealth desparity

masonnowak21 — 2025-05-07 05:42:04 UTC

This graphic shows that school districts get a lot less funding when serving more students of color. This is likely mostly due to the fact that areas with more students of color are more likely to be in areas with less wealth than mostly white areas. Something like this is important to keep track of because we don't want this to turn into another "separate but equal" type of education where schools start to want to have less diversity in order to get more funding.

Disparity in Pregnancy-Related Deaths

masonnowak21 — 2025-05-07 05:47:09 UTC

This graph really puzzled me at first. I think that the care given to black women is subpar leading up to the birth, as well as the fact that there isn't as much access to healthcare for black women in general, which may lead to there being underlying issues that go unnoticed until pregnancy. Nevertheless, the fact that black women die a significant amount more means that we need to be working on the healthcare system to make it more accessible to black women in general, but also ensure that their pregnancies won't face the same complications.

Drug Related Arrests per 100,000 people

masonnowak21 — 2025-05-07 05:52:39 UTC

I found this statistic really interesting because it highlights something that I think about a lot. There is a huge number of people who believe that any black person outside of a gas station is a drug dealer. While this is just one generic scenario, people I know and talk to daily are so stuck in the stereotypical way of thinking that they automatically assume that anyone who is doing something they consider shady (standing, walking, or basically doing anything they've seen on a cop TV show or movie) that they must be selling drugs or be a gang member. I have no doubt in my mind that many cops do the same thing. This, along with frequent adultification of young black men, leads to many arrests, which are not justified and have no probable cause.

Mortgage Loans

masonnowak21 — 2025-05-07 05:53:25 UTC

This statistic talks about how black applicants are almost twice as likely to be denied for mortgage loans. I think a lot of this is just straight implicit bias and not a reflection of the people themselves. This inequality inhibits African Americans to establish any generational wealth which can hurt their families for years to come.

Deaths found justifiable

masonnowak21 — 2025-05-07 05:58:31 UTC

This graph represents a very biased image of how we view violence directed at different groups in our society. We have a disproportionate number of people saying that white on black violence is justified, regardless of the situation, compared to people being against black on white or black on black violence. I think this is an interesting statistic because it speaks to the idea that we value keeping white people on the right side of the law without caring about giving other groups the same benefit.

Health Industry

masonnowak21 — 2025-05-07 05:58:53 UTC

This photo showcases African Americans in the health industry protesting for equity in their fields. This is important because even though we've made progress, and these people have gotten their PHds in this industry, they still have to fight for equality. It's important to note that people still face challenges, and even in our modern world there is a lot of inequality.

I can't Breathe

masonnowak21 — 2025-05-07 06:00:29 UTC

In the aftermath of the death of George Floyd, people gathered to protest in order to preserve justice against police brutality. Historically protesting has been met with resistance. Thankfully due to the prospect of mass media there's been a lot of media coverage, and glorification of protests. Following this an executive order was signed from former President Biden, which updated the use of force requirements, and "no knock" entry policies for all local state and federal agencies.

Montgomery Bus Boycott

masonnowak21 — 2025-05-07 06:01:27 UTC

This photo is an important piece of history which communicates how individual acts of civil disobedience can communicate a message to a broader audience. Between Rosa Parks, MLK Jr., Hariet Tubman, and others they use their own actions to inflict resistance against unjust practices. Because of their efforts, a broader group of people took a leap of faith and initiated their own acts of civil disobedience for a larger change to take place.

Segregation

masonnowak21 — 2025-05-07 06:02:05 UTC

Segregation is a very important part of American History, not only was it enforced socially, but also systematically. Making the plight of the African American situation much more difficult. This was reinforced by policies such as Brown v Board of Education, and Plessey v Ferguson, which made it completely legal to discriminate against Black Americans. These old practices are still a grim reminder of a time when society got it wrong.

Brown v Board of Education

masonnowak21 — 2025-05-07 06:05:01 UTC

The Brown v Board Education ruling declared that separate but equal policies are unconstitutional. This ignited another shift towards equality, epecially in the deep South. It laid the groundwork for integration in schools across the nation.

Black Panther Party

masonnowak21 — 2025-05-07 06:06:48 UTC

The Black Panther Party was one of the foremost organizations, which organized to help during the Civil rights movement. They were known for their passion and for their commitment to to the art of equality no matter the cost. This group was the most action driven organization, which led to many violent breakouts with the police.

Integration of Public Schools

masonnowak21 — 2025-05-07 06:08:06 UTC

After the Brown v Board of Education ruling, there was now a legal precedent that school could be integrated. But when they finally were, there was a lot of resistance from angry white southerners. Because of this, the government escorted their first student using the National Guard, in order to make people comply with the order.

Obama elected as first Black President

masonnowak21 — 2025-05-07 06:12:08 UTC

In 2008, the first African American president, Obama, was sworn into office. This was a very extraordinary event in our lifetime, because it is another step towards equality by having our nation's top leader as a member of the African American community. It's important to have president's who are not just from one background, because it allows us to have different policies, and more true equality.

Systemic Racism and The Legacy of Slavery

masonnowak21 — 2025-05-08 00:49:17 UTC