Life of African Americans

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The Dehumanization of African Americans
Dehumanization, defined as the psychological process through which others are
perceived as being non-human. Dehumanization can occur discursively such as an idiomatic
language that likens certain human beings to non-human animals. It also can occur verbally,
symbolically, and physically. The United States has a long, mired history of dehumanization of
African-Americans before and after slavery. During slavery, African American people were
dehumanized physically and symbolically as apes. After the end of the civil war, a methodology
of black criminalization raised. Many of the rhetorics contained and displayed ideas of black
dehumanization. Figures and pictures that indicated black males as evil and a threat of violence
to white women had been spread to dehumanized African Americans. To demonstrate, Birth of
the Nation is a good example. Every image of a black person in the movie was exhibited as
cannibals and animals. In a specific scene, a white woman was thrown herself off a cliff rather
than being raped by a black man which symbolized black men as a rapist and a threat to white
women. In addition, This movie was responsible for the rebirth of the Ku Klux Klan which is an
American white supremacist hate group whose primary targets are African Americans, as well as
Jews, immigrants, leftists, homosexuals. Many African Americans were killed by the Ku Klux
Klan and some were migrated to different states because of fear.
Following this, another dehumanization comes from Jim Craw laws. Jim crow laws
mandated the segregation of public schools, public places, and public transportation, and the
segregation of restrooms, restaurants, and drinking fountains between white and Black people. In
addition, it relegated African Americans to the position of second class citizens. As the drug war
started, the dehumanization of African Americans came in the form of media. President Ronald
Reagan’s tough on dug policy put many African Americans behind bars. African Americans
were displayed as criminals in different media such as televisions and newspapers. They had
even given names such as super predators to described the young generation of African
Americans.
Them2
African Americans Portrayed as Criminals
Slavery played a crucial role in the development of the modern world economy. Slaves
are generally associated with the harvest of cotton, however, slaves worked in many industries.
Almost every railroad in the South was built by slave labor. After the 13th amendment that
abolished slavery and involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for a crime, African
Americans were criminalized and arrested massively. The demised of slavery left the southern
economy collapsed. The solution for this was arresting as many African Americans as possible to
rebuild the economy. since the 13th amendment does not apply for criminals, loads of African
Americans were arrested and used as labor to boost the economy.
Criminalization also continued in the civil right moment. Civil rights activists and
politicians portrayed as criminals in different media and had been massively arrested for
violating Jim craw laws. During the civil right moment, crime rates were high. People and civil
rights workers were beaten and killed. Churches and homes were bombed and burned. This was
criminalized by white politicians, and the civil rights moments were accused of rising crime
rates. The moment became proof to say “if African Americans gain freedom, the nation would be
repaid with a crime”.
Later on, war on drugs became a major event to portrayed African Americans as
criminals. President Nexon coiled the word war on drugs, however, the prison population truly
exploded during President Ronald Reagan’s administration. Tough on drugs policy resulted in
the mass incarceration of African American communities, and they were disproportionately
incarcerated. In addition, the war on drugs became a popular culture on media. Black men were
overrepresented in the news as criminals. Most of the time, these accusations were not accurate.
Part Three
Topic one: Historical and Contemporay Perspectives
Chapter Five: Two Different Approaches Bush VS Obama
In chapter five, two different approaches were stated that were mention in the
documentary. George Bush’s National Drug Control Strategy of 1989 and president Barack
Obama’s National Drug Control Strategy of 2012. President Geoge H.W Bush’s had tough on
drug policy which was aimed to reduce drug supply, trafficking, and demand as well as the harm
caused by drugs. His policy was mainly to create fear of drugs and drug-related crime at an
all-time high. This was implemented by having zero tolerance and the strict enforcement of drug
laws on local, state, and federal level. Prescient Bush said in the video, “America’s fight against
illegal drug use, President Bush said, “cannot be won on any single front alone; it must be waged
everywhere at every level of government Federal, State, and local and by every citizen in every
community across the country. We will take back our streets neighborhood by neighborhood,
block by block, child by child.” This policy made millions of arrests and hundreds of thousands
of prisoners who are overwhelmingly black or Latino.
President Barack Obama’s National Drug Contol Strategy of 2012 was transparent and
reduce incarceration rate in the United States. The president’s plan to reform drug policy was
prevent drug use through education, expand access of treatment, reform the criminal system, and
support Americans in recovery possess. President Barack Obama began pardoning and otherwise
shortening the prison sentences of hundreds of federal inmates. He also addressed drug addiction
as public health than a crime. Obama also said he would like to treat marijuana “as a
public-health issue, the same way we do with cigarettes or alcohol.” This would reduce the
incarceration rate because the majority of arrests are simple possession of marijuana.
Topic two: Sentencing Offenders
Chapter Eight; Mandatory Minimum Sentencing and Discrimination
Mandatory minimum sentencing laws force a judge to hand down a minimum prison
sentence based on the charges a prosecutor brings against a defendant. The Anti-Drug Abuse Act
of 1986 required a minimum sentence of 5 years for drug offenses that involved 5 grams of
crack, 500 grams of cocaine, 1 kilogram of heroin, 40 grams of a substance with a detectable
amount of fentanyl, 5 grams of methamphetamine, 100 kilograms or 100 plants of marijuana,
and other drugs (21 U.S.C. 841(b)(1)(B), P.L. 99-570). That law also required a minimum
sentence of 10 years for drug offenses that involved 50 grams of crack, 5 kilograms of cocaine, 1
kilogram of heroin, 400 grams of a substance with a detectable amount of fentanyl. The original
goal of these mandatory minimums was supposed to enhance public safety, however, they
became reasons for mass incarceration in the United States. In the documentary, Nicholas Turner
who is a president of Vera Institute of Justice said “ mandatory minimums are difficult for the
judges because judges are trying to dispense justice on a daily basis and are unable to do so”.
Judges cannot lower these sentences
Incarcerration rate of African American are higher than any race in the United States.
Mandatory minimums and three-strikes ae directly impacted the poor and people of color
communities. In the documentary, kalife Browder was arrested for a crime he did not commit.
He was told he can post bail of ten thousand dollars, however, his family could not make the
money. So, he went to persion for three years. These laws are designed to favor whites and riches
indicating discrimination. African Americans are incarcerated in state prisons across the country
at more than five times the rate of whites. Even with these numbers and statical information,
America has done a little to help people of color