Verduzco 1

Jorge Verduzco

Professor Rodrick

English 115

23 Oct 2019

African American Identity Shaped by Society

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 and family. Community and society as a whole also

take part in shaping a person. The way in which society shapes a person could be negative. 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. 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. African Americans have historically always faced injustices. The social

view of African Americans starts early. Young African American boys 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. 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. According to Dow,

“African American boys face harsher discipline in school and are labeled aggressive and violent
 Verduzco 2

more often than whites and African American girls” (162). These descriptions are the same as

that of 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. According to Dow, “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”(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. 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.

In a Youtube video uploaded in 2015 by Tedx Talks, the guest speaker Bayete Ross Smith

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

misunderstood and very often feared” (Youtube.com) 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 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 (Youtube.com) This description of Smith’s experience shows that

the true identity of African Americans is being portrayed as controversial for others who believe
 Verduzco 3

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

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 (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.

Not only do African American males need to be aware of how to act in public spaces but

also within their own property and personal space. 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. According to Gau and Brunson, “the weight of the evidence

suggests that, overall, Blacks and other minorities are more likely to be searched during stops”

(252). This symbolizes how even officials who serve under the law interact differently with
 Verduzco 4

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 group including blacks.

Gau and Bruson explain that consent searches “lies in the fact that these searches do not require

probable cause or even the lesser standard of reasonable suspicion” (253). As the name states,

this type of search requires the consent of the driver. According to Gaun and Bruson, officers

refuse to acknowledge the part that the driver is allowed to deny the search (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. A video uploaded in

2018 by the National Geographic shows us what goes on in the minds of African Americans

during a traffic stop also known as driving while black. The African American individuals in the

video explain that when they get pulled over they suddenly become nervous because in their

words “you are never going to know what is going to be the outcomes of a traffic stop if you are

a black man” (YouTube.com). They continue to discuss how they act in a situation like this and

explain that they must be respectful, make the officer feel safe because otherwise one wrong

comment can escalate into a bad outcome (Youtube.com). 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.

 Verduzco 5

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.
 Verduzco 6

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

​ . Melissa A. Goldthwaite et al. 14th ed. New York: Norton, 2016. 267-79.
Nonfiction. A

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.