Universal freedom in the United States involves every individual being entitled to all the freedoms and rights set forth by the American government. With universal freedom, all citizens are protected by the Bill of Rights, treaties, state constitutions, and customary international law. The American Constitution recognizes unalienable human rights, which include freedom of assembly, freedom of speech, freedom from cruel and unusual punishment, and the right to bear and keep arms, among others. Additionally, the United States has enacted legislation that prohibits discrimination of people based on national origin and race. However, despite these laws that campaign for the participation of both races, Blacks, and White, there is still a gap between the two races. Blacks are still being discriminated against based on their color. In recent years, there have been instances of discrimination against blacks in several sectors, including businesses, housing, healthcare, politics, and media. Blacks still have a long way to go to where the Whites are. This essay aims to analyze blacks’ participation in politics and media and display instances of racial discrimination.
Racism goes beyond attitudes and beliefs since it is more of the procedures, actions, programs, and policies an organization develops and implements towards a certain group, particularly the inferior group.in other terms, racism is an idea for the powerful since they have the power and mandate over the inferior group. From a younger age, African Americans were taught to stay in fear of the whites, and the first word they learned was “master” rather than mother (Rosen, 2009). The Blacks had no power and thus had no political class. These past events are still felt today as most Whites in the United States make laws and policies. Undoubtedly, these policies and laws are made for the Blacks. Different political institutions advocate for racism through the laws and policies passed to the people (Williams, 2009). There are no strong Anti-Racial groups and campaigns; institutions such as the military take part in advocating for violence, mistreatment, and hate toward Blacks. A recent example is the murder of George Floyd. This means that the Blacks are yet to enjoy universal freedom in the United States, for there are still instances of racism.
Although black Americans have increased participation in American politics, there still is a gap. From history, America’s revolution did little to improve the political participation of African Americans. Firstly, Black Americans were denied the right to vote as they were viewed as inferior to white Americans. Eventually, in the late 1820s, the first African-American newspaper emerged, which gave the blacks a forum for a spokesperson who fought for their colored fellow citizens. These newspapers and individuals heralded a sense of solidarity and spearheaded protests demanding Black involvement in politics. “Let your Motto be Resistance” was the cry of Blacks as these spokespeople believed that to acquire liberty, oppressed individuals must resist (Garnet, 1843,62). Recently, Barack Obama made history by being the first black American to be sworn in as the president. After Joe Biden was elected president, a black woman was sworn in as vice president.
Additionally, Harris’s election portrayed another slow but steady African-American inclusion in United States politics. Additionally, black Americans have made greater progress in political representation, especially in the cabinets and House of Representatives, but have lagged in governorships and the Senate. Data from several past decades show no black governors and senators. There were only five black members in the House of Representatives. However, despite the increased number of Blacks in the United States House, there is no notable political involvement. To have a healthy and democratic representation, citizens need to be fully involved politically. Members of marginalized groups need to be [part and parcel of setting rules in the government.
The United States entertainment industry has become a platform for demining and belittling women across the globe into sexual objects. Black women, in particular, have become victims of this. Black women have been used over and over again; in the past, Blacks did not care how poor a White woman was; to them, it felt that she was more than them (Hamer, 1963, 397). For these reasons, black women have endured the pain of being manipulated and dehumanized through social media. In sexual visual media scenes, black women have always played the role of a “stripper.” In other instances, black women have been regarded as baby mamas, thus making them look like the “man-eater. ” This makes a large number of people look at women, especially black women, negatively. However, it is sad that there has been no opposition regarding the harm this representation has on black women. White women and men dehumanizing black women over their sexuality has become a normal thing. This is because the media has tried to make it normal, yet it is not. It is normal for white women to show off their bodies in the streets without being criticized because they are white. Though this may seem normal, it has negative effects on blacks, especially black women. The media produces films that create room for criticism of black women because they are characters in scenes that are erotic. The world, too, has made it seem that black women are just inferior because there are no programs created to ban the production of such films. In research that was carried out, 52 out of 278 magazine covers displayed a black woman. 90% of the 52 magazines were seen to have hypersexual images of black women. Additionally, the percentage of black women with ethnic traits that were influenced by whites was also 90% (Cahill, 2011).
However, black feminist groups have emerged, which create a better platform for all genders to feel accepted and respected in the community. These groups advocate for equal treatment of all genders, regardless of being black or white. As Delany (1859, 79) puts it, young women need to be informed; their minds ought to be filled with useful information rather than superficial accomplishments. Eventually, these groups will promote diversity in media because everyone feels secure in the media scenes. By this, the media will be democratically playing their role. This would create a room for black women to express themselves because they would not only be involved in sexual scenes but also in boardrooms to discuss important matters. In a population that advocates for feminism, the actors in the scenes will involve both black women and white women working together as a team. These actors can build one another in all aspects without discrimination for being black or white. At the same time, women play their roles of being baby mamas or strippers to ensure equality for all races. Black female actors will be placed at the forefront of advocating for knowledge and self-identity, bringing back their glory of being moral and not immoral. The acts in the films will be set up in a way that enables black women to air their opinions, ideas, and grievances. These acts will also be set in a way that the black women become protagonists and not just extras in the films. Additionally, the films will create room for black women to evolve and change throughout the film. These acts will also reject the hierarchy and superiority of cultures, especially those of whites. The culture will be neutral throughout the film to ensure that no culture is discriminated against. The film’s setting will involve a time and a place that advocates for the equality of all races (Saint, 2017, 236). The film will show incidences of the time when black women had no say and then try to persuade them that that time is no longer there and now all individuals have a common say.
Additionally, the setting should not only be in Africa or Asia or areas associated with black people. They will be set in European nations so that they advocate for better treatment of both races. The settings will also be in areas such as beaches because such places are not associated with any race. Shortly, discrimination by media because of one’s race will be reduced.
To sum up, there is a rise in African American participation in the universal freedom of the United States, but there still are instances of racial discrimination. There is a need to come up with comprehensive laws that will help reduce racial discrimination. Blacks need to be fully involved in politics, and the media needs to stop discriminating against Blacks in the films. Recently, there has been an increase in African-American participation in politics, and more feminist groups have emerged that help advocate for equality between Blacks and Whites in the media.
References
Cahil, A., (2011). Overcoming Objectivation: ACarnal Ethics. New York, Routledge. Retrieved November 28, 2023 from https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=Cahill,+A.,+2011+(2011).+Overcoming+objectification:+A+carnal+ethics.+NY:+Routledge.&hl=en&as_sdt=0&as_vis=1&oi=scholart
Delany, M, R. (1859). Black Nationalist Manifesto. “Let Nobody Turn Us Around- An African American Anthology” 2nd edition. Rowman & Littlefield Publishers. New York
Garnet, H, H. (1843). Let Your Motto Be Resistance. “Let Nobody Turn Us Around- An African American Anthology” 2nd edition. Rowman & Littlefield Publishers. New York.
Hamer, F, L. (1963). The Special Plight and Role of Black Women. “Let Nobody Turn Us Around- An African American Anthology” 2nd edition. Rowman & Littlefield Publishers. New York
Rosen, H. (2009). Terror in the heart of freedom: Citizenship, sexual violence, and the meaning of race in the post-emancipation South. Univ of North Carolina Press.
Saint-Fleur, J. (2017). Black women in the media: The portrayal of Black women in film. Black Lives Matter: Lifespan Perspectives, 236. Retrieved November 28, 2023, from https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Halford-Fairchild-2#page=272
Williams, H. A. (2009). Self-taught: African American education in slavery and freedom. Univ of North Carolina Press. https://books.google.co.ke/books?hl=en&lr=&id=TiWSrlpTTTIC&oi=fnd&pg=PP8&dq=African+American+involvement+in+Universal+freedonm+in+united+states&ots=HmZtYCIu01&sig=Z41xACmYYUqzyXx2dDA4b6ljzlU&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q&f=false
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