Indigenous peoples in dominant societies have been marginalized as a result of centuries of colonization and discrimination. Although they are cut off from essential social services and the primary source of income due to their exclusion from most societies’ power structures, it would be incorrect to see indigenous peoples as helpless victims (Zinn, 31). The majority of society is used to this, and modern Americans of the dominant culture in the US may not even notice the numerous ways that indigenous peoples continue to face stigma and discrimination because of their shared characteristics. I am a 29-year-old female from an African American community. I grew up in the greater Bay Area of California and was raised from low-income to middle-class.
The history of pre-colonial exclusion and marginalization provides many examples of the patterns of oppression in my community, which can be analyzed from different perspectives. African American communities have frequently been victims of numerous oppressive regimes and institutions. The history of many nations includes the establishment of a white supremacist regime, extensive usage of slavery, and land theft (Burnette et al., 946). The population of the town drastically decreased with the arrival of the first European explorers, which is a blatant sign of government persecution. From a minority perspective, my community was frequently denied fundamental rights and mostly used as labor in several governments. This took the form of racial privilege ideology, land dispossession systems, and slavery institutions, as put forth by class and race analysis (Assari, 246). The Europeans were successful in developing several types of oppression that directly impacted the native population during the course of their growth. The analysis’s economic importance highlights how Euro-American colonial powers infiltrated the African American society by creating trade economic dependence, which they subsequently used to capture and control people either directly or as protectorates.
There was a lot of discussion in American newspapers and magazines about African American status rights and their land ownership. African American perspectives were. However, infrequently represented, racist language and images were frequently used to portray African Americans, even those who advocated for their rights (Zinn, 58). Overcoming these conditions took various forms. Despite the number of armed rebellions and civil strikes, which I condemn, there were more creative and purposeful resistance manifestations. From the point of view of ethnic and race analysis, it can be highlighted that such uprisings were primarily sparked by a natural aversion to the oppressive system and its institutions.
At the same time, due to their resistance to colonial oppression, the community has been able to preserve its traditions and history. These forms helped to keep the memory of the sufferings from the pre-colonial era to modern times, enabling the possibility of the 21st-century generation to learn about the oppression faced. In this regard, songs in different languages were used to communicate the issues of civil rights (Dunbar-Ortiz, 46). The community representatives were convinced that non-violence is more powerful since it supports a just and moral cause.
In conclusion, it may be claimed that the narrative of the oppression of the African American community in pre-colonial times has influenced how I reflect on historical repercussions. Because of institutional oppression during pre-colonial times, people from my community were constrained in their rights and freedoms. The analysis showed different perspectives on these oppression systems and the ways the community was able to overcome them. Despite alleged advancements in liberty, such as the promotion of equality and freedom of expression, the African American community still faces difficulties today.
References
Assari, S., Miller, R. J., Taylor, R. J., Mouzon, D., Keith, V., & Chatters, L. M. (2018). Discrimination fully mediates the effects of incarceration history on depressive symptoms and psychological distress among African American men. Journal of Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities, 5(2), 243-252. Web.
Burnette, C. E., Renner, L. M., & Figley, C. R. (2019). The framework of historical oppression, resilience, and transcendence to understand disparities in depression amongst Indigenous peoples. The British Journal of Social Work, 49(4), 943-962. Web.
Dunbar-Ortiz, R. (2014). An indigenous peoples’ history of the United States. Beacon Press.
Zinn, H. (2015). A people’s history of the United States. Routledge.