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Jorge Verduzco

Professor Rodrick

English 115

29 Nov 2019

African American Identity Shaped by Society Revision

A person’s identity is shaped by the space they are in and their surroundings. Different

spaces contribute to a person’s identity in some way. Space that contributes to one’s identity is

within the boundaries of one’s own home, their community, and society, these spaces can have a

negative effect on it shapes a person. Race is obviously a big factor in your identity and society

tends to clump up everyone from the same race as having the same characteristics, thoughts,

ideas, etc. These ideals make it unfair for certain groups of people to succeed in society when

these views are shoved in their face. Minority groups such as African Americans are at a

disadvantage when it deals with how society views them and how society expects them to act,

they have historically always faced injustices. The social view of African Americans starts early,

they are viewed and expected to grow up as thugs, African American adults have to act a certain

way in public in order to not portray themselves as violent, and African Americans must also

conform differently when dealing with law enforcement.

The way society views young African American boys tends to be negative which puts

them at a disadvantage as young kids. Kids start identifying and figuring out who they are early

on and society definitely takes a big part in this process. I believe it is easier for young kids to be

shaped by society today due to the advancement in the different forms of media and how easy it

is to access it. In an article titled ​The Deadly Challenges of Raising African American Boys…​ ​by
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Dawn Marie Dow explains how , “African American boys face harsher discipline in school and

are labeled aggressive and violent more often than whites and African American girls” (Dow

162). This connection is that of what describes a thug. I believe these social views of African

American children are bad because they soon start playing that part of being a “thug” because

that is all they have been labeled as since childhood. When a young black male starts

understanding how society views them, it affects them on the way they act in a social space.

Dow proceeds to explain how, “Scholars suggest that African American men enact the thug, a

version of subordinate masculinity associated with violence, criminality, and toughness because

they are not permitted to attain hegemonic masculinity”( Dow 165). Society’s view on what an

African American can and cannot attain shapes who they are and leads to them reaching out

towards becoming that description of an African American thug. The space that contributes to

the identity of African Americans will remain the same as long those around them continue to

enforce that stereotype of what an African American is.

As African Americans experience adulthood they carry an image of how society views

them keeping them below and at a disadvantage than any other race. This idea of how African

Americans act is portrayed in the different forms of media, movies, and shows, the way the

media sees African Americans is not shown in a positive light. This can be seen in a Youtube

video uploaded in 2015 by the Youtube channel Tedx Talks, the guest speaker Bayete Ross

Smith speaks about how “in the United States, black males are a demographic and are very

much misunderstood and very often feared” (“​Breaking down stereotypes using art and media,”

0:00:00 - 0:12:38​). Ross Smith explains that one of his African American friends had just bought

a new home in a wealthy neighborhood and they were celebrating and taking pictures outside of
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the home. Soon after residents in that neighborhood confronted them and asked what they were

doing in front of the home implying that Smith’s friend did not own the place (“​Breaking down

stereotypes using art and media,” 0:00:00 - 0:12:38​) This description of Smith’s experience

shows that the true identity of African Americans is being portrayed as controversial for others

who believe in the stereotypes of African Americans. This leads to people believing that the lives

of African Americans are revolved around violence which causes a sense of fear. Another

example is from the reading, ​Black Men and Public Space, ​that revolves around the author​ Brent

Staples who is an African American male and writes about his experience on how society views

him as a person of color. Staples explains his first experience of distrust that African American

males have in a public space. He details one evening when he just happened to take the same

street as a young white female walking a fair distance behind her. She continuously glances at

him with a sense of fear, and after a while, she suddenly starts running ( Staples 267). This

description shows that the woman thought that if she had not run away from the situation the

worst possible outcome could have happened to her. It is clear that African Americans must act

extra cautious when being in a public space because people automatically label them as either

criminals, muggers, robbers, and even rapists. Having to walk around with these labels starts

affecting the person. African Americans are one of the minority races who need to constantly

think about the situation they are in and need to perform a certain way in public. They need to

think about how their presence alone, even if they are not doing anything out of the ordinary is

affecting those around them.

African Americans face injustices and disadvantages outside the safety of their own

homes. African American males need to be aware of how to act in public spaces because of the
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negative connotations that racist people see them out to be. Many black men and women are

racially profiled by law enforcement even when they are in the safety of their own car. The social

views that are embedded in their image allow for law enforcement to suddenly become

suspicious of the African American driver. In an article titled ​One Question Before You Get

Gone​ …, the authors Gau and Brunson, explain that “the weight of the evidence suggests that,

overall, Blacks and other minorities are more likely to be searched during stops” (Gau and

Brunson 252). The evidence which Hau and Brunson speak upon symbolizes how even officials

who serve under the law interact differently with African American males compared to other

races. It shows that the criminal depiction of African Americans affects even those who carry

some sort of power, overall worsening their status in society. Police officers use consent search

procedures to target minority groups including blacks. The authors Gau and Brunson continued

to explain that consent searches “lies in the fact that these searches do not require probable cause

or even the lesser standard of reasonable suspicion” ( Gau and Brunson 253). As the name states,

this type of search requires the consent of the driver. According to Gau and Brunson, officers

refuse to acknowledge the part that the driver is allowed to deny the search (Gau and Burson

253). It becomes obvious that certain officers abuse the power of consent searches in order to

strike at certain groups. Typically an African American complies with the officer’s wishes

because of their own safety knowing that if they do refuse things will worsen so they must

comply. Allowing the officer to take control of the situation without a rebuttal from the victim.

Another example of how African Amercians are attacked in their own space can be seen in a

video uploaded in 2018 by the National Geographic, which shows us what goes on in the minds

of African Americans during a traffic stop also known as “driving while black”. The African
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American individuals in the video explain that when they get pulled over they suddenly become

nervous because as they state, “ you are never going to know what is going to be the outcomes of

a traffic stop if you are a black man” (​“The Constant Fear of Driving While Black,” 0:00:00 -

0:03:36​). The individuals in the video proceeded to discuss the tactics they must take during a

situation where a cop pulls them over. They explain that “we must be respectful, make the officer

feel safe because otherwise one wrong comment can escalate into a bad outcome” (​“The

Constant Fear of Driving While Black,” 0:00:00 - 0:03:36​). Having to act a certain way when

dealing with law enforcement is something African Americans must deal with, once again due to

how society views them as criminals. Having to perform in an extra cautious manner to make

sure nothing happens to them is a way in which society has shaped African Americans to be in

situations like these.

The identity of certain races and groups are greater influenced by the space around them

more than others. Early on in childhood African Americans are labeled with negative

connotations, these labels continue to follow them in adulthood which affects their social

interactions and the way others view them, and overall having to act completely different during

situations such as traffic stops. I believe this is the way society is and the way African Americans

are thought to be because of the way they have been portrayed throughout the years in the media.

The negative labels feed into the stereotypes that people have on African Americans. This

ultimately affects how African Americans are in society because they start playing that role of

the stereotypical African American because that is all they have been seen as by society.
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Works Cited

“Breaking down stereotypes using art and media.” ​YouTube​, uploaded by TEDx Talks, 19

February 2015, ​https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9zyqcuQVafk​. 23 Oct. 2019.

Dow, Dawn Marie. “The Deadly Challenges of Raising African American Boys: Navigating the

Controlling Image of the ‘Thug.’” ​Gender & Society,​ vol. 30, no. 2, 2016, pp. 161–188.

SAGE Premier 2014.​ DOI 10.1177/0891243216629928. 23 Oct. 2019.

Gau, Jacinta M, and Rod K Brunson. “‘One Question Before You Get Gone. . .’: Consent Search

Requests as a Threat to Perceived Stop Legitimacy.” ​Race and Justics,​ vol. 2, no. 4,

2012, pp. 250–273. ​SAGE premier 2014. ​DOI 10.1177/2153368712459273. 23 Oct.

2019.

Staples, Brent. “Black Men and Public Space.” 1986. ​The Norton Reader: An Anthology of

Nonfiction. ​A. Melissa A. Goldthwaite et al. 14th ed. New York: Norton, 2016. 267-279.

Print.

“The Constant Fear of Driving While Black.” ​Youtube.​ Uploaded by National Geographic, 25

March 2018, ​https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QtOzNkr60gk​. 23 Oct 2019.