Although it was socially acceptable for the Blues musicians to write, compose and produce their music, it was frowned upon, until the late 1950's, that the teenage generation be exposed to black Blues musicians. However, white Blues musicians were another story. The distribution of Blues music ...

When one hears the word spiritual, religion and faith come to mind. When one hears the word blues, naturally one thinks of depression and sadness. As words, spiritual and blues are almost entirely opposite from one another. However, when looked at in a musical standpoint the true definitions, going ...

Mississippi Mud: A report on Your Blues Ain't Like Mine By Bebe Moore Campbell I never thought that reading a book would open up my mind like this one did. This book exposed me to all the horrors of the south during the civil rights movement and beyond. It all starts one summer in the fifti...

Walter Mosley is mostly known for his series of mystery writing about "Easy Rawlins". The Easy Rawlins series were the best selling crime thrillers he ever wrote. But Walter Mosley also wrote "RL's Dream" in which he wrote about a man named Soupspoon Wise whose life has be...

The Harlem Renaissance brought about many great changes. It was a time for expressing the African-American culture. Many famous people began their writing or gained their recognition during this time. The Harlem Renaissance took place during the 1920's and 1930's. Many things came...

The late twentieth century was a time of great turmoil in racial relations within the United States. Riots broke out in Los Angeles after the beating of Rodney King, and racial profiling was at an all time high with the LAPD's implementation of the CRASH force in a feeble attempt to rid Los An...

Songs play a crucial role in setting the mood of In the Heat of the Night, a film directed by Norman Jewison, starring Rod Steiger as Sheriff Gillespe and Sidney Potter as Virgil Tibbs. Through out the movie, common themes such as racism and power surface continually and are the focus of the film. ...

A Report on The Bluest Eye In The Bluest Eye (New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1970), Toni Morrison tells the story of a young girl who wants the bluest eyes. Toni Morrison, a teacher, editor, and writer has written four books. The Bluest Eye talks about Pecola Breedlove life through domes...

In the U.S. racism has been a well known issue from racial profiling to other issues such as affirmative action, police brutality against minorities and the history of slavery and the rising resentment against immigrants. Sometimes the term is used to describe the belief that race is the primary de...

4 Little Girls A Documentary by Spike Lee When you first asked what the title meant today I had no idea. I was thinking about how emotional this documentary made me feel. And it hit me. 4 Little Girls, automatically makes me think of young children under the age of seven. Knowing that the ...

Theme for a Life Langston Hughes was one of the greatest black poets, not just poet but black poet, ever to live. Langston Hughes was proud of his heritage, and he was proud of his color. He did not want the title of poet, but that of black poet. Hughes, in an essay titled "The Negro Arti...

The novel I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings is the life story of Maya Angelou as she struggles through life in the South. Published in 1969, the novel has received critical acclaim since 1970 and spent three years as a number one bestseller on the New York Times Best Seller List. (Caged Bird Essay) Al...

The world is too complex to be viewed from any single perspective. Only when the factors which influence an individual are taken into account can a philosophy be developed which defines point of view. African-American novelist Alice Walker has attempted through her body of work, to create a new and...

The theme of the story " As I Grew Older" by Langston Hughes is, no matter what stands in your way fight for your dream. Hughes showcases the fact that racism and discrimination can hold African Americans back from accomplishing their dreams but, through the struggles they can triumph ove...