Essays and Research Papers on Black Social Issues

This is an 8 page paper about the Harlem riot of 1935. Includes a ¾ page outline. The Harlem riot of 1935 was the result of years of racial discrimination, poor health care, bad housing, police violence, overcrowded schooling and unemployment which had plagued Harlem since the beginning of the Great Depression in 1929. Once ...

This 14 page paper discusses the Civil Rights Movement and how it actually affected the lives of African Americans. This paper stresses that this movement has touched the lives of all African Americans in some significant way. Bibliography lists 17 sources.

A 5 page paper which examines how August Wilson’s plays comment on the Black experience and the culture. The plays discussed are “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom,” “Fences,” “Joe Turner's Come and Gone,” and “The Piano Lesson.” No additional sources cited.

This is a 5 page reading note with some tutorial language (in square brackets) describing Anna Deavere Smith’s book and play “Twilight: Los Angeles, 1992”. Anna Deavere Smith’s “Twilight: Los Angeles, 1992” is a book based on over 200 interviews Smith conducted accounting the riots and Rodney King beating which took place in Los Angeles ...

A 5 page review of the role of women in terms of their societal class and race. The author asserts that while there are many peripheral female characters in “The Awakening” each is treated as though she is invisible both by Chopin and her protagonist “Edna Pontellier”. This paper attempts to provide an ...

A 7 page analysis of the symbolism utilized by the noted author Alice Walker in her short story “Everyday Use”. The author of this paper details the manner in which clothing and articles such as quilts, hand-carved benches, and a hand-carved butter churn are symbolic in regard to the cultural dilemma faced by the ...

A 5 page review of John Howard Griffin’s “Black Like Me.” George Orwell’s essay “Shooting an Elephant” is briefly used as a comparison piece. No additional sources cited.

This 5 page report discusses writer James Baldwin (1924-1987) Notes of a Native Son and the ways in which it blends the most fundamental issues of race with the heartache of one father and son’s relationship. Bibliography lists 5 sources.

A 5 page paper which examines the early childhood perspectives presented in “Coming of Age in Mississippi” by Anne Moody. No additional sources cited.

This 10 page paper discusses the history of black men in the United States penal system. This paper highlights the problem and the disproportionate number of black men in the system versus other racial groups. Half of this paper is a research paper while the other half is an annotated bibliography. Bibliography ...

A 5 page discussion of the importance of grammar in achieving success in our modern world. Uses the example of the contemporary use of ebonics among African Americans to illustrate the contention that our grammar and that of others with whom we interact can impact the way we do business and even determine our ...

A 5 page contention that “whiteness” is determined by much more than just skin color. This contention is supported by the observations that this construct has expanded in many cases to include those of other races. This expansion, however, is not without various problems in that group friction continues to occur. This ...

A 5 page paper which concentrates on Chapter 1 of the text to examine how the author conveys his message indirectly, and speculates on what the advantage might be to stating his case in such a way. No additional sources are used.

A 3 page paper which examines the influence that the Hip Hop generation has had on modern culture. Bibliography lists 1 source.

This is a 5 page paper discussing major psychological approaches in relation to the result of oppression and neglect on the African American community. Currently, the African American population within the United States has been found to have high levels of stress, anxiety, low self-esteem and high levels of self-destructive behavior. Psychologists and sociologists argue ...

A 10 page review of Cornel West as he is exposed through his most popular writings. This paper delves into West’s ideologies and how they relate to those of past and present black leaders. Numerous quotes are included. Bibliography lists 7 sources.

This 8 page paper explores success and achievement in America and why it is important. Social mobility is discussed . Information about the civil rights era is included. Bibliography lists 8 sources.

This 10 page paper discusses religious beliefs and cultural customs regarding death and dying among the African American population. First, it would be wrong to lump all African Americans together and assume they all share the same religious and cultural beliefs and use the same procedures when it comes to death and dying. That ...

This 3 page paper is chock full of points, suitable to use in a debate, on the topic of affirmative action. Many reasons why affirmative action is undesirable are duly noted. Bibliography lists 10 sources.

4 pages in length. One's heritage is an integral component to how one's entire life is approached; with tenets of the Irish, Chinese, American and every culture in between easily recognized by those outside of that particular population, one can readily surmise that heritage is the very embodiment of an individual. However, ...

8 pages in length. Despite his death, Tupac Shakur continues to fascinate the world and inspire people with his poetry and music, which remains at the top of the charts. The enigma that surrounds Shakur's death is just as mysterious as his ongoing popularity nearly seven years after his death. That some ...

A 10 page comparison of the philosophies of two of America’s most respected scholars. While Elshtain advocates working within the system to effect change, West advocates more aggressive measures which share many similarities with Marxism. Bibliography lists 5 sources.

A paper which looks at the New Orleans carnival, Mardi Gras, with particular reference to the influence of African culture and traditions on the festival, and the way in which both Creole and Black cultures contributed to the modern form of Mardi Gras. Bibliography lists 6 sources

A 10 page insight into the ideologies of these three noted writers. Presented in the form of a fictional debate, this paper reveals the sometimes radical differences in opinion between West, who proposes an overthrow of our existing political system, and Elshtain and Putnam who envision working within that system to affect much-needed change. ...

This is a 6 page paper discussing Robert Meacham and his influence during the Reconstruction era in Florida in the 19th century. Robert Meacham (1835-1902) was a Reverend and Senator during the Reconstruction Era in Florida in the 19th century. As a Reverend, Meacham organized the first African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church in Florida in ...