Marginalized Population Presentation Name: Xxxx Xxxx Date: xx/xx/xxx

Introduction Marginalized group: African American Date of Interview:

Historical Events African Americans experienced slavery in the United States. Slavery was the driver of the American economy with estimated 6 to 7 million African slaves being brought to America during the 18th century alone. The production of tobacco and cotton especially in the South continued to depend on African slaves even though the North abolished slavery towards the end of the 18th century. The only effective slave rebellion was led by Nat Turner in August 1831. In 1857, the Supreme Court of the United States ruled against Dred Scott; he was a slave and had no right to property The 15th Amendment of 1870 that was meant to guarantee right to vote regardless of race led to emergence of Ku Klux Klan (KKK) that used violence to intimidate blacks (Painter, 2006)

Cont’ During the Second World War, approximately 3 million blacks registered for service to fight for “Four Freedoms” advocated by president Franklin D. Roosevelt. They were freedom of speech, worship, freedom from fear, and freedom from want. They were dedicated to protect their country even though they lacked the same freedoms at home. The Supreme Court ruling in 1954 in Brown v. Board of Education outlawed racial segregation in schools. Civil Rights Act of 1964 was a result of nonviolent resistance that were led by Martin Luther King Jr. Voting rights act of 1965 ensured protection of the voting rights of the blacks (Guinier, 1991)

Current Events Barack Obama is the first African American president of the United States The rise of shootings of African American by police. In 2015, the number of blacks killed were twice that of whites, Hispanics, and native Americans (The Guardian, 2015). 25 % of those killed did not have firearms compared to 17% of the whites (The Guardian, 2015). The rise of blacklifematter campaigns to protest the killings

Challenges and Strengths There has been tremendous improvement in civil rights leading to a diverse American society that works together Elements of discrimination still exist in the American society Increasing polarization of the American society along racial lines in social and political life especially in the run-up to the election Tension rising from increased gun violence and the perceived notion that the police are unfairly targeting African American people Persistence of the crisis that has perpetuated negative images of African Americans

Lessons Learnt People should not be defined by the color of their skin or where they come from. It is easy to build a negative perception on a particular group without taking time to understand the background of the group All Americans want a great country where every person can experience peace, freedom, and love

Personal implications All Americans need to view each other as Americans and not as people of color. The interview has strengthened that perception me It is essential to fully understand issues affecting the American society from a wider perspective. For instance, if the historical injustices such as slavery and segregation were well addressed. Such an impression will make me have productive contribution to the American society.

Future Work Implication I hope to instill knowledge to my future work colleges on factors that make America great. America is stronger when diversity is celebrated and not seen as a way of dividing the society into different groups. I believe working on challenging situations such as discrimination with an open mind is the best way to approach it. Other people will learn from the individual experience and spread it to other Americans.

References The Guardian. (2015, December 31). Young black men killed by US police at highest rate in year of 1,134 deaths | US news | The Guardian. Retrieved from https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2015/dec/31/the-counted- police-killings-2015-young-black-men Painter, N. I. (2006). Creating black Americans: African-American history and its meanings, 1619 to the present. Oxford University Press, USA. Guinier, L. (1991). The triumph of tokenism: the Voting Rights Act and the theory of black electoral success. Michigan Law Review, 89(5), 1077-1154.