Running head: AFRICAN AMERICAN STUDIES 1

African American Studies

Student’s Name

Affiliated Institution
AFRICAN AMERICAN STUDIES 2

African American Studies

Question 1

The society perceives African American young girls as naturally more sexually mature

than their white peers which allows predators to exploit them. According to Grower, Ward &

Rowley (2020), young African American girls are observed through a hypersexual lens,

consequently, when they report sexual harassment and assault they are less likely to be believed.

Similar to numerous issues concerning race, the perception of young girls of color as naturally

more sexually mature than their white peers has its origin in racism. The history of African

American girls perceived as sexually mature has been a practice from the days of slavery in

America.

African American adolescents have recorded higher rates of adultification and

victimization more than other subgroups in modern American society. African American

adolescents are subjected to adultificaton or early adult roles (Casey, 2017). This is comprised of

African American teens assuming adult-like responsibilities. It takes place within a family, such

as rendering general caregiving to younger siblings or parents.  

Question 2

The media has played a key role in American race relationships from the slavery days.

Protest against inequality has been promoted by the black press which is a distributor of news

and information about people of color since its origin in 19th century. However, black youth

remained mostly invisible in mainstream media which only reported criminal events in the white

press (Nelson, 2016). It was until 1960s when media spotlight started focus on America’s black

youth, highlighting the discrimination they encountered to a national audience. Black youth
AFRICAN AMERICAN STUDIES 3

receive a significant amount of attention in the media. The frequent representation of black youth

as negative may maintain society’s present beliefs about black youth and may limit potentiality

of change in future.

Realistic change on black youth in the media can occur with focus on representation of

black youth in different regions of the country. It can help to have better understanding of the

general representation or how it may be different from one region to the other (Atske et al.,

2019). Also, the future study should examine the accuracy and impact these representation have

within black youth.

Question 3

At the peak of activism in the 1960s, the civil rights movement attracted young adults and

teenagers into maelstrom of marches, violence and even imprisonment in some instances.

Currently, the black activism field is more strong and powerful covering all aspects of society

(McCarthy & Gralki, 2017). It is steered by the consideration that the U.S. remains extremely

unjust place, but maintained, ultimately, with high hopes that change can be achieved. The Equal

Justice Initiative was founded by youthful Bryan Stevenson, an organization committed in fight

against injustice in the criminal justice system. The organization pursues to eradicate mass

imprisonment, racial inequality, and extreme punishment in deployment of justice in the United

States. Stevenson is also one of the nation’s key challengers of the capital punishment, which is

devastatingly applied to black prisoners (Sanchez, 2020). His organization has argued numerous

capital punishment cases.

Question 4
AFRICAN AMERICAN STUDIES 4

Black youth and women are facing both racism and sexism, a double bind that exposes

black youth and women to the risk of sexual violence. Nearly six in ten black women report

encountering forced sexual contact at age eighteen and facing sexual harassment at workplace

more than white women (Jocelyn, 2020). The impact of gendered racism and sexism among

black youth and women’s lives is a major concern. Research shows that managing strategies

among black youth and women in the United States normally fit within three classes; depending

on religion, social support, and living double lives as needed. External support structures in the

church, neighborhood, school, or community strengthen self-esteem and positive set of values

are offered to be followed (Lewis, 2017). The main sources of support for these victims are black

female mentors, spouses, female family members, and church members.  

Question 5

African American youth are more likely to reside in neighborhoods with lot of

disadvantages where ability to utilize informal social controls against disorder are destabilized.

They also live where views of police illegitimacy hamper the ability to connect formal resources

to curb crime. According to Jordan & Gau (2014), issues of poverty, family problems, and

community disorganization are main causes of African American youth involvement with

criminal justice system. At family level, some African American youth are involved with

criminal justice systems because of service needs. The criminal justice system then turns out to

be the vehicle for service provision (Liberman & Fontaine, 2015). I can advocate for prevalent

overrepresentation of African American youth in the criminal justice systems since almost all its

reform aspects could benefit them young men of color. Besides, a natural tactic is to promote

clear consideration of how changing policies or practices affect young African American.

Question 6
AFRICAN AMERICAN STUDIES 5

Homelessness of a black adolescent increases the chances of a person encountering

homelessness as an adult. Failing to have access to stable accommodation negatively impacts

how black youth transition to adulthood (Tierney, 2019). With the main goal being improving

long-term stability for homeless black adolescent, then improving learning opportunities and

access to higher education is certainly a relevant approach. Therefore, the most effective way to

guide a homeless black youth is to make sure they attend school and subject them to same

services as low-income learners. It will be crucial to enroll the homeless black adolescent and

offer transportation, since this starts to address the needs in their education.

A homeless black teen’s educational, social and emotional well-being can highly be

affected by the unstable nature of homelessness. A homeless black adolescent can face

stigmatization. As student may not want peers to know that they are homeless and may not like

teachers to treat them differently from other learners.

Question 7

Currently, there has been increasing concern over the apparent lack of education of the

criminal justice legal system in schools and participation in the United States. Education of the

criminal justice legal system is a potential approach to address this civic gap especially among

black and minority youths. According to Miller (2020), students who are frequently involved

with criminal justice system and schools’ security system can be motivated to learn more about

their own rights. Education of the criminal justice legal system in schools play a crucial role in

enhancing civic knowledge, own legal rights and engagement among black and minority youths.

Equally important to the aim of education of the criminal justice legal system in schools can be

based on general guidelines of best interest of the child, non-discrimination, development and the
AFRICAN AMERICAN STUDIES 6

opinions of the youths. The youths can be educated on the issue at any age to be able to know

their rights when faced with incriminating situations.

Question 8

Adverse childhood experiences are identified risk factors in numerous economic, social,

and health-related consequences over the course of life. According to Chandler, Roberts &

Chiodo (2015), resilience is an identified protective factor. When African American young adults

face trauma, understanding the effects of adverse childhood experiences can result to more

trauma-informed measures are helpful to curb negative outcomes. This short-term enable

resilience measure among young African American, however, it provides a chance to reconsider

the adverse impacts of the trauma from the past and build on strong points to create a preferred

future.
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References

Atske, S., Barthel, M., Stocking, G., & Tamir, C. (2019). 7 facts about black Americans and the

news media. Pew Research Center. Retrieved 16 December 2020, from

https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2019/08/07/facts-about-black-americans-and-the-

news-media/.

Casey, A. (2017). New Study: The “Adultification” of Black Girls - The Annie E. Casey

Foundation. The Annie E. Casey Foundation. Retrieved 16 December 2020, from

https://www.aecf.org/blog/new-study-the-adultification-of-black-girls/.

Chandler, G., Roberts, S., & Chiodo, L. (2015). Resilience Intervention for Young Adults With

Adverse Childhood Experiences. Journal Of The American Psychiatric Nurses

Association, 21(6), 406-416. https://doi.org/10.1177/1078390315620609

Grower, P., Ward, L., & Rowley, S. (2020). Beyond Objectification: Understanding the

Correlates and Consequences of Sexualization for Black and White Adolescent

Girls. Journal Of Research On Adolescence. https://doi.org/10.1111/jora.12598

Jocelyn, A. (2020). Black Survivors and Sexual Trauma - TIME'S UP Foundation. TIME'S UP

Foundation. Retrieved 17 December 2020, from https://timesupfoundation.org/black-

survivors-and-sexual-trauma/.

Jordan, K., & Gau, J. (2014). Special Issue on Race and Juvenile Justice. Race And Justice, 5(1),

3-3. https://doi.org/10.1177/2153368714564646
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Lewis, D. (2017). A Response to Inequality: Black Women, Racism, and Sexism. Signs: Journal

Of Women In Culture And Society, 3(2), 339-361. https://doi.org/10.1086/493469

Liberman, A., & Fontaine, J. (2015). Reducing Harms to Boys and Young Men of Color from

Criminal Justice System Involvement. Issuelab.org. Retrieved 17 December 2020, from

https://www.issuelab.org/resources/22861/22861.pdf.

McCarthy, J., & Gralki, P. (2017). 9 Black Activists Who Are Fighting Injustice in the US.

Global Citizen. Retrieved 17 December 2020, from

https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/9-black-activists-who-are-fighting-injustice-

and-f/.

Miller, J. (2020). Book Review: Campaigning for children: Strategies for advancing children’s

rights. International Criminal Justice Review, 105756772091990.

https://doi.org/10.1177/1057567720919903

Nelson, M. (2016). The Portrayal of African American Y al of African American Youth in the

Media: A T outh in the Media: A Textual Analysis. Sophia.stkate.edu. Retrieved 16

December 2020, from https://sophia.stkate.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?

article=1641&context=msw_papers.

Sanchez, E. (2020). 7 Ways You Can Take Action for Racial Justice Right Now. Global Citizen.

Retrieved 17 December 2020, from https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/how-to-

support-racial-justice-black-americans/.
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Tierney, W. (2019). Vision of Personal Future as a Tool for Supporting Adolescents’ Transition

to Adulthood. Managing Global Transitions, 17(3). https://doi.org/10.26493/1854-

6935.17.239-258