Introduction
African Americans, also known as Black Americans, typically refer to people born in the United States but are descended from enslaved people from Africa. African Americans form one of the major ethnic groups in the USA. (Davis, 2005). These minority groups have been long denied a fair share of the economic, social, and political advancement of the United States, and their rights were severely curtailed. However, African Americans have left fundamental and enduring marks on American history and culture. Due to the segregation of African American marginalized groups, there has been an increased need and concern for alleviating the problems this community encounters. Today, African Americans comprise a significant pollution group with unique features and a substantial impact on society and the state.
Key Facts
The first black people were brought to the USA from Africa. Enslaved Black people were employed to clean and cultivate the New World’s agricultural soil. For more than 400 years, Black people’s lives have been significantly impacted, limited, and defined by American law and jurisprudence (Davis, 2005). Today, there are attempts to create equal conditions for all population groups. However, discrimination, exclusion, and inequality exist in American organizations today (Yeboah, 2018). It is vital to ensure African Americans are included in organizations’ teams as they bring diversity, culture, skills, and ability to cooperate with others. Thus, this paper focuses on critical elements, including history, legislation, population, stereotypes, and workplace diversity related to African Americans.
History of African Americans
Africans emerged in America during the period of colonial expansion. In 1619, 20 Africans were brought to the English colony of Virginia (Davis, 2005). Africans were transported in significant numbers to the English colonies by the 1660s. Black Americans made up roughly 760,000 people in 1790, or almost one-fifth of the country’s population (Davis, 2005). The result of efforts to retain Black servants for longer than the typical indenture term was the legalization of Black chattel slavery in Virginia in 1661 and across the English colonies by 1750 (Taylor et al., 2019). Black people could be easily identified from the rest of the population by their skin color, making them prominent targets for enslavement (Green, n.d.). Additionally, it was acceptable for whites to enslave black people because of the inferiority of this group.
Enslaved Black people were employed to clean and cultivate the New World’s agricultural soil. According to Yeboah (2018), about 430,000 of the estimated 10 million Africans who were transported to the Americas through the trade of enslaved peoples arrived in what is now the United States. After the acquisition of independence, the African-American population suffered from unfair laws until the complete prohibition of slavery. However, it took almost two centuries to eliminate segregation and discrimination at the state level.
Legislation Relevant to African Americans
For a longer part of history, African Americans were impacted by unfair laws established by colonial states and the USA. The Emancipation Proclamation freed around seven million slaves in the rebel states; however, the problem remained topical (Etheridge, 2022). Thus, the remaining enslaved people were freed by the Thirteenth Amendment, which also made emancipation irreversible (Davis, 2005). In addition to providing for their safety and education, the Freedmen’s Bureau administered aid to needy freed people and refugees by creating a single class of American citizenship and, in doing so, nationalizing civil rights in the USA. (Davis, 2005). Congress first adopted this strategy as a wartime measure in the Freedmen’s Bureau Acts’ civil rights protections, then as a peacetime law in the Civil Rights Act of 1866, and lastly, the Fourteenth Amendment (Yeboah, 2018). Today, African Americans benefit from equal access to laws, meaning that the U.S. Constitution and federal and state laws apply to this category and can protect them.
The Population of African Americans
There are many African Americans in the U.S., with members coming from various backgrounds, including recent immigrants and springing from enslaved people. The African American population reflects marriages and global migration through varied ethnic and racial identities. As a result, there are significant differences in the demographic and economic traits of various African-American populations around the country, emphasizing their wide range of racial and ethnic backgrounds. The number of African Americans continues to grow, which shows the critical importance of this group for the state. In 2019, 46.8 million Americans claimed to be Black, alone or in combination with persons of other races or ethnicities (Yeboah, 2018). 14% of the country’s population claimed to be Black, an increase from 13% in 2000 (Davis, 2005). The numbers show that the group is one of the biggest in the state, meaning its problems are vital for the nation’s development.
Over the past 20 years, the proportion of people who self-identify as “Black or African American” and claim it to be their sole racial or ethnic identity has decreased. In 2019, 40.7 million people, or 87%, identified as Black, with their ethnicity being non-Hispanic; 3.7 million people, or 8%, said they were Black and another race, usually White, and not Hispanic (Yeboah, 2018). An additional 2.4 million people, or 5%, self-identified as Black Hispanic or Black and Hispanic, with the shares having changed since 2000 (Etheridge, 2022). Then, 93% of people said that they were only of Black ethnicity. The country’s Black population is also shifting in other ways (Bell & Leopold, 2022). The population is aging, but some sectors are noticeably younger. A growing percentage of people are foreign-born and college graduates.
Stereotypes Relating to African Americans
Stereotypes run parallel to the system of slavery in the USA and are deeply ingrained in its culture. Stereotypes upheld by the existing quo encourage the expected behaviors of African Americans. Families and communities of minority groups have suffered because of stereotypes about them throughout U.S. history, especially male African Americans. Negative stereotypes about African Americans have aversively influenced financial position, career prospects, educational outcomes, and the breakdown of African-American families and communities (Taylor et al., 2019). Whites perceived African American people as inferior and individuals who were only suitable for working as slaves. Black people were segregated and denied essential services like education or access to schools and hospitals and were allowed to live in remote areas with limited resources (Taylor et al., 2019). Many educators, businesspeople, and members of law enforcement hold these prejudices to be true, which affects how they treat African-Americans. In the U.S., oppression is a crucial human rights issue that social workers face daily (Taylor et al., 2019). Stereotypes have contributed to inequalities in education, work, and the legal system, serving as historical examples of how stereotypes have aided in the denial of human rights (Taylor et al., 2019). Nowadays, many stereotypes of the past are not relevant; however, there are still biased attitudes in society that must be considered.
Strengths of the African-Americans
The discussed population group has several important strengths. First, African Americans search for opportunities and grab them using their ingenuity, resourcefulness, creativity, and imagination (Balkin et al., 2018). Moreover, they are resilient and can work under high pressure and stress. Years of suffering and inequality contributed to the emergence of specific coping mechanisms that helped black people to adapt (Taylor et al., 2019). Moreover, they have a unique culture that might help them to succeed in life and become a part of society because of tolerance and inclusion. Finally, the group is growing, meaning African Americans will play a more important role in the state’s evolution in the future.
Workplace Diversity
Although there is a focus on cultivating diversity, African Americans might experience some challenges in their workplaces. The group faces discrimination regarding job availability and workplace treatment, and they often experience higher unemployment and poorer incomes than other groups (Bell & Leopold, 2022). At the same time, the group is vital for organizations. First, African Americans diversify the workplace by bringing their unique culture and attitude to doing a job. It implies responsibility, attention to detail, and creativity. (Bell & Leopold, 2022). Moreover, being a part of the cohort that often experiences discrimination, black people can help to build a better environment by noticing the cases of unfair attitudes and reporting them. It is vital for building high-performance teams and attaining success. Finally, organizations that have African Americans are more effective in working with minorities (Bell & Leopold, 2022). In such a way, the group can bring numerous positive aspects to the workplace.
Black-white salary differences are wider now than they were decades ago, and if nothing changes, it will take generations to close the wealth disparity. The solidarity economy, a political and economic system that promotes governance that fosters fairness, shared prosperity, power, and ownership, may create jobs and wealth in African-American communities and other favorable outcomes. Economic organizations have been developed to promote economic democracy, community ownership, and sustainable community development (Etheridge, 2022). In regions such as Mississippi, a primarily black city is struggling with unemployment and poverty (Balkin et al., 2018). However, using a solidarity economy might benefit disadvantaged groups and advocate for more study of these non-conformist forms of governance.
Conclusion
African Americans refer to a minority group born in the U.S. but descended from enslaved people from Africa. Throughout African-American social history, achieving freedom has been the central goal because this minority group has experienced denial of a fair share of economic, social, and political advancement, and their rights are severely curtailed. The history of African Americans dates back to 1619 when 20 Africans were brought to the English colony of Virginia, creating an unbroken history of Black people in the country. Indentured servants were not enslaved but rather bound to whites for a specified period. Constitutional laws were developed, such as the Thirteenth Amendment, the civil rights act of 1866, and the fourteenth amendment, to assist in protecting the rights of African American minority groups. The passing of the Thirteenth Amendment bill resulted in enslaved people’s freeing and making emancipation irreversible. There has been an increasing population of African Americans in the U.S. However, despite developing new laws to protect the human rights of the minority group, stereotypes have run parallel to the system of slavery in the USA. They are deeply ingrained in its culture, harming the group.
References
Balkin, R. S., Reiner, S. M., Hendricks, L., Washington, A., McNeary, S., Juhnke, G. A., & Hunter, Q. (2018). Life balance and work addiction among African Americans. Career Development Quarterly, 66(1), 77-85. Web.
Bell, M. P., & Leopold, J. (2022). Diversity in organizations. (4th ed.) Cengage Learning.
Davis, P. (2005). The origins of African American culture and its significance in African American student academic success. Journal of Thought, 40(1), 43–59. Web.
Etheridge, B. (2022). The fight for fair training: fair employment, defense worker training, and the African American Civil Rights Movement in the South, 1940–1945. The Journal of Southern History, 88(3), 501–538. Web.
Green, D. (2022). Black nationalism. First Things, 325. Web.
Taylor, E., Guy-Walls, P., Wilkerson, P., & Addae, R. (2019). The historical perspectives of stereotypes on African-American males. Journal of Human Rights and Social Work, 4(3), 213–225. Web.
Yeboah, R. M. (2018). From the civil rights movement to Black Lives Matter: The African Union and the African-Americans in the United States. Journal of Pan African Studies, 12(1), 166-175. Web.