http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/topic/1/african-american-studies Inquiries Journal provides undergraduate and graduate students around the world a platform for the wide dissemination of academic work over a range of core disciplines. en-us Tue, 05 May 2026 05:00:10 -0400 Tue, 05 May 2026 05:00:10 -0400 http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1845/bonds-of-slavery-and-bonds-of-love-investigating-the-role-of-african-american-families-and-marital-unions-in-the-struggle-against-slavery By Xavier G. Reader - Resistance to oppression is often found in the most unlikely of places. This article investigates the significance that families and partnerships played in fostering the emotional support necessary to sustain enslaved peoples throughout the onslaught of slavery in the antebellum South. Despite the ever-present threat of separation and sale that sought to split families and spouses apart, the bonds of love that enslaved African-Americans held and shared were not easily severed. This examination of the lived experiences of enslaved folk demonstrates that the creation, mutability, and endurance of... Sat, 28 Nov 2020 10:03 EST http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1845/bonds-of-slavery-and-bonds-of-love-investigating-the-role-of-african-american-families-and-marital-unions-in-the-struggle-against-slavery http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1827/exploring-the-role-of-skin-tone-among-low-income-black-college-students By Chelsea G. Gardner - Light-skinned slaves, who were often the children of Black female slaves who were raped by their White masters, received slightly privileged treatment in comparison to their dark-skinned counterparts. For example, light-skinned slaves were allowed to work in the house of the master instead of working on the field. They also had more access to learning trade skills and received some schooling (Hunter 2007). During slavery, there was a small class of freed people who were early business and community leaders; these individuals were more likely to be light-skinned. After slavery, light-skinned Blacks... Tue, 27 Oct 2020 08:56 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1827/exploring-the-role-of-skin-tone-among-low-income-black-college-students http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1763/echoes-of-web-du-bois-double-consciousness-in-the-narrative-of-the-life-of-frederick-douglass By Mohammed Ritchane - A detailed analysis through a text-based study of Frederick Douglass’ Narrative of the Life Of Frederick Douglass, An American Slave, Written by Himself (1845) will allow the reader to see the characteristics of double-consciousness dramatized in exactly the same way they would be delineated by Du Bois in The Souls of Black Folk (1903). Hence, this study of the Narrative with the aim of revealing all the aspects pertaining to double-consciousness would concentrate on the text as a closed system, putting aside all extraneous material so that the text, by itself, be considered a repository... Sat, 20 Apr 2019 10:40 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1763/echoes-of-web-du-bois-double-consciousness-in-the-narrative-of-the-life-of-frederick-douglass http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1704/jazz-is-my-story-a-historical-analysis-of-jazz-and-20th-century-african-american-literature By Anjali J. Misra - The period of time from the Bebop era to the present—mid-1940s onwards—has been an era of great cultural evolution in the United States, and in few groups more so than the African American community. A factor particularly significant in this journey, and one with which jazz music has been closely tied over the past century, is African American literature. This genre, more colloquially called black literature, has only been a formal notion since the Harlem Renaissance (from roughly 1919 to 1939), during which prominent black leaders sought to elevate black culture and status by producing... Wed, 15 Nov 2017 10:26 EST http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1704/jazz-is-my-story-a-historical-analysis-of-jazz-and-20th-century-african-american-literature http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1445/creating-life-within-the-confines-of-slavery-comparing-northrups-memoir-twelve-years-a-slave-and-genoveses-the-world-the-slaves-made By Hayley E. Tartell - Solomon Northup’s Twelve Years a Slave (1853) provides a comprehensive first-hand account of slavery that both corroborates and challenges Eugene Genovese’s argument in his later analysis of the institution of slavery in The World the Slaves Made (1976). Genovese’s description of slaves’ recognition of their situation is reflected in Northup’s picture of slavery. By the same token, resilience and determination to live life as fully as possible – despite the narrow confines to which life was restrained by the slaveholding institution – is epitomized in... Tue, 13 Sep 2016 09:27 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1445/creating-life-within-the-confines-of-slavery-comparing-northrups-memoir-twelve-years-a-slave-and-genoveses-the-world-the-slaves-made http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1435/addressing-shortcomings-in-afro-pessimism By Michael A. Barlow Jr. - Afro-Pessimism forwards a crucially important foundation with which anyone concerned with forming Black resistance strategy should navigate. It accurately understands that Black life exists outside of the traditional humanist metric, and Blackness is rather an ontological condition that is relegated to the level of the non-human. While Afro-Pessimism is a vital starting point, there are needed revisions to some theoretical applications within the field. Pessimists go too far in their understanding of how internal Black liberation interacts with its own ontology. This paper provides insight to... Thu, 01 Sep 2016 08:05 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1435/addressing-shortcomings-in-afro-pessimism http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1573/the-american-dream-discourses-of-equality-and-achievability-for-black-americans By Emily Dalgo - What is the meaning of the American Dream for educated black Americans? How do perceptions of the equality and the achievability of the American Dream among educated black Americans correlate with the dominant discourse on the subject? This research project determines the dominant discourses of perceived equality and opportunity on the American Dream for educated black Americans, taking into account the current context and historical context of black Americans. Throughout history, the American Dream has been central to the American value system and has helped to define the essence of American... Tue, 31 May 2016 12:00 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1573/the-american-dream-discourses-of-equality-and-achievability-for-black-americans http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1409/the-uprisings-of-nat-turner-and-john-brown-response-and-treatment-from-the-abolitionist-movement-and-the-press By Franco A. Paz - This paper examines two influential slave uprisings and the treatment these received by both the abolitionist movement and the press. The first section explores the country’s reaction to John Brown’s raid on Harper’s Ferry, as well as his subsequent trial, conviction, and execution. The second section discusses the media coverage of and reaction to the Southampton Insurrection, the largest slave rebellion in the history of the United States. The third section explores the contrasting reactions to Nat Turner’s and John Brown’s respective revolts, and analyzes some... Mon, 23 May 2016 05:55 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1409/the-uprisings-of-nat-turner-and-john-brown-response-and-treatment-from-the-abolitionist-movement-and-the-press http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1361/do-african-american-female-stereotypes-still-exist-in-television-a-descriptive-character-analysis-of-olivia-pope By Kendall King. - Pope was chosen for this study because she is leading the "progressive shift in the representation of Black female characters in mainstream television" (Mask, 2015, p. 8). Unlike most African-American women seen today on television, the character played by Washington is both dark-skinned and beautiful, while also romantically and sexually desirable (Everett, 2015, p. 37). Pope differs from other strong African-American television characters, such as Claire Huxtable on The Cosby Show, who portrayed another prominent African-American television character, and was a lawyer, a mother, and was equated... Wed, 18 Nov 2015 12:00 EST http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1361/do-african-american-female-stereotypes-still-exist-in-television-a-descriptive-character-analysis-of-olivia-pope http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1250/how-ralph-ellisons-invisible-man-retold-the-story-of-the-black-american-experience-for-the-cultural-mainstream By Luke D. Mahoney - People love a good story. A good story can be intriguingly informative, a good story can well up deep emotions and a good story can carry culture, history and tradition. It was through storytelling that many ancient cultures preserved and passed down their understanding of the world, their rites and their rituals. It was, and still is, through stories that children become familiar with cultural and societal norms and mores. Stories are important to people, are one of the most important forms of verbal and written communication. People learn about each other through storytelling, solve problems... Mon, 26 Oct 2015 08:24 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1250/how-ralph-ellisons-invisible-man-retold-the-story-of-the-black-american-experience-for-the-cultural-mainstream http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1087/sociolinguistic-bias-in-ap-style-how-news-media-deny-african-american-vernacular-english-realities By Andrew B. Keefe - In Media Representations and the Global Imagination, Orgad (2012) addresses the division between content and interpretative analyses of media representations in critical theory research (36). This paper attempts a marriage of structural and cultural methods, both highlighting the bias embedded within Associated Press (AP) style and employing critical discourse analysis of journalistic productions. I argue that U.S. news media that follow AP style prioritize the realities of Standard American English (SAE) speakers; this sociolinguistic bias complements symbiotic relationships between news media... Tue, 01 Sep 2015 09:48 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1087/sociolinguistic-bias-in-ap-style-how-news-media-deny-african-american-vernacular-english-realities http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1001/the-double-victory-campaign-and-the-black-press-a-conservative-approach-to-victory-at-home-and-abroad By Haley D. O'Shaughnessy - During World War II, the black press and several prominent black leaders called for a “Double V” victory against fascism abroad and against Jim Crow at home. With such a slogan, many historians regarded this campaign as the groundwork for the black revolts that characterized the civil rights movement. While there is ample evidence that the readers of the black press were receptive to a more militant approach, black newspapers themselves undertook a conservative effort to channel black militancy into nationalistic ends. By seeking government concessions rather than supporting militant... Wed, 18 Feb 2015 11:29 EST http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1001/the-double-victory-campaign-and-the-black-press-a-conservative-approach-to-victory-at-home-and-abroad http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/988/the-myth-of-obamas-post-racial-presidency-why-barack-obamas-election-didnt-end-racial-inequality-in-america By Breanna M. Bacon - The presidential campaign of Barack Obama was met with enthusiasm and controversy. If you were alive and cognizant at the time, you understood the importance and historic value of the 2008 election no matter your position. Barack Obama, the Hawaii-born Senator representing the state of Illinois, was the first black[1] candidate nominated by one of the two major political parties. Never before had there been a black candidate as viable to win the presidential election. The uniqueness of the Obama campaign led apolitical groups to actually get out and participate in the political process. The fervor... Sat, 07 Feb 2015 12:05 EST http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/988/the-myth-of-obamas-post-racial-presidency-why-barack-obamas-election-didnt-end-racial-inequality-in-america http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/904/naming-and-identity-in-toni-morrisons-beloved-and-song-of-solomon By Sean M. Kirby - As an African American author, Toni Morrison is acutely aware of the pain that is intertwined with the history of her history. She articulates the debilitating physical and psychological strain that slavery, prejudices, and discrimination placed upon countless African Americans with incredible detail. One of her most powerful statements, however, comes in just one sentence near the end of Beloved. It is a truth that all African Americans know, one that was born out of slavery, one that still burns people today: the truth that “anybody white could take your whole self for anything that came... Sun, 22 Jun 2014 10:39 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/904/naming-and-identity-in-toni-morrisons-beloved-and-song-of-solomon http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/884/the-roving-ambassador-bayard-rustins-quaker-cosmopolitanism-and-the-civil-rights-movement By Sebastian C. Galbo - Just eight months after Gandhi's assassination, Rustin arrived in India to give a series of lectures to pacifist organizations. Between 1947 and 1952, Rustin made several important trips to Africa and India where he met and exchanged ideas with other prominent social reformers, which left an indelible imprint on his strategies of organizing African-American protest. While these highly successful lectures gained valuable political traction for the African-American cause, A. J. Muste feared Rustin was overly invested in global pacifist movements. As director of the Fellowship of Reconciliation (... Sun, 06 Apr 2014 09:40 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/884/the-roving-ambassador-bayard-rustins-quaker-cosmopolitanism-and-the-civil-rights-movement http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/726/race-in-elite-american-universities-diversity-as-distraction By Katherine J. Wolfenden - From elite universities’ admissions publications and demographic data, an otherwise uninformed observer might conclude that race is now a problem of the past.[1] And because these institutions are considered to be ‘gatekeepers’ of economic mobility and cultural capital, their multicolored compositions are often viewed as evidence of the equality of opportunity supposedly available in the United States. Unfortunately, if we dig a little deeper, we find that racism has not disappeared, but has simply taken on a new form. An analysis of higher education reveals a larger truth about... Tue, 12 Feb 2013 10:05 EST http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/726/race-in-elite-american-universities-diversity-as-distraction http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/675/john-temple-graves-and-the-lost-tribe-an-analysis-of-the-big-world-at-last-reaches-gees-bend By Mary A. Caple - An exhibition entitled “The Quilts of Gee’s Bend” opened at the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York in November, 2002 (McGee), bringing worldwide attention to a secluded hamlet in a curve of the Alabama River. Unbeknownst to many of the admirers of these brightly patterned blankets was that the national spotlight had once before been shone on the town. That time was sixty five years previous, in a feature article in The New York Times by prominent journalist John Temple Graves II. The contextual complexities of the article, “The Big World At Last Reaches Gee&rsquo... Wed, 08 Aug 2012 08:05 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/675/john-temple-graves-and-the-lost-tribe-an-analysis-of-the-big-world-at-last-reaches-gees-bend http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/646/zora-neale-hurstons-sweat-and-the-black-female-voice-the-perspective-of-the-african-american-woman By Marion C. Burke - Zora Neale Hurston is the author of the acclaimed short story Sweat. The story was published in 1926, an incredible accomplishment considering the obstacles faced by black female authors at the time. Viewing the piece through the lens of feminist literary criticism, the effect of Hurston’s black female identity on her writing is analyzed.Hurston’s gender and race have undoubtedly shaped the story, imbuing its content with a deep political statement on social inequality.However, this paper argues that the quality of Zora Neale Hurston's writing, which in this case takes the... Wed, 23 May 2012 08:05 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/646/zora-neale-hurstons-sweat-and-the-black-female-voice-the-perspective-of-the-african-american-woman http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/588/racial-uplift-acculturation-to-the-dominant-culture-in-contending-forces-by-pauline-e-hopkins By Aisha Rees - Domestic fiction reigned in women’s literature during the nineteenth-century. These narratives defined ”True Womanhood,” where the female exemplified four pillars: piety, purity, domesticity, and submissiveness. They are meant to reject the public sphere for more spiritual gains: true women were the moral compasses of society. Their influence in the home was supposed to project outward into society because of the true woman’s role as a wife, a mother, and a teacher. Amy Kaplan, in her work “Manifest Domesticity,” denotes that the “private feminized space... Thu, 27 Oct 2011 03:00 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/588/racial-uplift-acculturation-to-the-dominant-culture-in-contending-forces-by-pauline-e-hopkins http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/584/remembering-tuskegee-comparing-two-approaches-to-studying-the-tuskegee-syphilis-experiment By Sujay Kulshrestha - History selectively chooses which events in our past gain notoriety in the present. This selectivity has some basis in the events’ significance, but it is also related to our natural curiosity about the past. Unfortunately, for many, the Tuskegee Syphilis Experiments remain largely unknown among the general population. Rumors abound that the United States knowingly gave participants syphilis, that the study was an attempt at racial elimination, that the conductors of the study may have had illicit relations with the participants, and many other wildly imagined scenarios. In studying the... Thu, 13 Oct 2011 04:21 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/584/remembering-tuskegee-comparing-two-approaches-to-studying-the-tuskegee-syphilis-experiment http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/547/duke-ellingtons-jazz-narrative-of-the-african-american-black-brown-and-beige By Sawyer A. Theriault - Contrasting with the vague note-bending of the trumpet solo, the trombone plays a series of decisive notes, suggestive of a more strongly defined identity. The ostinato (repeated) solo-phrase of the trombone, for example, continually rises in pitch (between 5:16 and 5:25), creating a countermelody to the rest of the ensemble (Priestley and Cohen, 194). This antiphonal deviation between the trombone melody and the ensemble places the two sections in aural opposition. That opposition, or defiance, of the trombone’s voice contradicts the subdued voice of the trumpet, and provides an authoritative... Wed, 29 Jun 2011 08:05 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/547/duke-ellingtons-jazz-narrative-of-the-african-american-black-brown-and-beige http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/542/jazz-writing-identity-and-multiculturalism-in-jazz-literature By Sawyer A. Theriault - By analyzing the thematic characteristics in The Amen Corner, the audience begins to understand the importance of self-identity in the play. In order to fully appreciate the relevance of Baldwin’s drama, the reader must first approach the important biographical aspects of the author’s life, which reveal themselves in his fiction. Perhaps one of the most important of these aspects was the absence of a supportive father figure in Baldwin’s life. His father, David “showed his wife and children little affection,” and as a result “Baldwin was timid and shy, and fearful... Tue, 14 Jun 2011 12:09 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/542/jazz-writing-identity-and-multiculturalism-in-jazz-literature http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/530/vehicles-for-story-chinua-achebe-and-ngand#361;gand#297;-wa-thiongo-on-defining-african-literature-preserving-culture-and-self By Kristina S. Ten - For example, the average English-speaking American is unlikely to learn an ethnic language from a country thousands of miles away just so he or she can read a book from that country. Writers cannot rely on readers worldwide to cater to one country’s causes. If the writer’s objective is to garner awareness and readership on a large scale, it is his or her responsibility to make the story accessible to the masses. The world is growing evermore cluttered with information; getting attention is a matter of competition. Storytellers must continue to push through the clutter, using any means... Fri, 20 May 2011 08:05 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/530/vehicles-for-story-chinua-achebe-and-ngand#361;gand#297;-wa-thiongo-on-defining-african-literature-preserving-culture-and-self http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/372/slavery-and-religion-in-the-antebellum-south By Iulia O. Basu-Zharku - For many decades, scholars have debated the importance of religion in helping slaves cope with the horrible experience of slavery in the antebellum South. However, the way they treated the subject differs and the conclusions they reached are varied. From the early 1920s through the 1960s, the accent was put on the variety of religious traditions and rituals of the antebellum Southern slaves, but without them receiving the credit for these traditions, which were considered as being adaptations of European beliefs and rituals. Later on, in the 1970s and 1980s these traditions are considered as actually... Mon, 24 Jan 2011 09:26 EST http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/372/slavery-and-religion-in-the-antebellum-south http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/231/the-x-factor-how-malcolm-x-internationalized-the-civil-rights-movement By Jed S. Serrano - “You don’t do any singing, you’re too busy swinging”[i]. Thus spoke Malcolm X. He promulgated the new paradigm of anti-nonviolence[ii] he helped popularize during the 1960s. It had been around a decade since Brown v. Board of Education overturned the “separate but equal” laws; yet, the progress of desegregation had been stagnant. This was especially true for X who, goaded by impatience and indignation, became the symbolic antithesis of Martin Luther King and his nonviolent strategy. He called for “Black Power!” or Black Nationalism, not just as an... Thu, 15 Apr 2010 09:01 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/231/the-x-factor-how-malcolm-x-internationalized-the-civil-rights-movement http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/84/slavery-plays-jump-rope-with-racism-examining-the-poetry-of-phillis-wheatley By Ian Khadan - Children’s literature in the context of this research paper (and hopefully too in the eyes of the majority) is the ultimate escape; it is neither box nor leash nor constraint of any sort. It is the one genre of literature that does not hold itself to a predetermined standard upon which the postmodern (as in the theory, not as in the time) minds can muddle together an amalgamation of text to form something novel. It is a genre of literature in which we look upon ourselves and our own childhood imaginations for inspiration. As such it is capable of taking us to the most beautiful places we... Thu, 10 Dec 2009 10:21 EST http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/84/slavery-plays-jump-rope-with-racism-examining-the-poetry-of-phillis-wheatley http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/46/stamp-paid-and-the-power-of-self-actualization-in-beloved By Michael C. Mindemann - Stamp Paid is introduced in a rather glowing manner. He is the reliable ferryman over the Ohio River, who takes Sethe to 124, working off the kind of antiquated methods that resonate with a quaint nobility in the GPS era: the system he works out telling those on the other side of the river when a crossing is coming and whether or not a child will be on board. (108) He is also introduced as an eminently decent and just-minded person when he has his nephew give up his coat for Denver, the newborn. When the boy complains, Stamp tells the boy that he can have it if he can stomach taking it off the... Thu, 12 Nov 2009 05:23 EST http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/46/stamp-paid-and-the-power-of-self-actualization-in-beloved http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/32/in-search-of-manhood-the-black-males-struggle-for-identity-and-power By Aza Nedhari - Within the cultural framework of America, the systemic structure is characterized by White male patriarchy that allows for Black males to have the ability to negotiate the way in which they have been socialized and institutionalized to think, act, and behave because they are men. However, the reality of race and the lack of diversity in the purest sense,  impedes upon this effort and cripples the black male's ability to truly transition into manhood. He is left to constantly struggle and fight for an identity, for power, for respect, and for understanding of who he is versus what he is projected... Tue, 03 Nov 2009 05:20 EST http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/32/in-search-of-manhood-the-black-males-struggle-for-identity-and-power http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/11/sermons-in-sociolinguistic-skins-an-analysis-of-wharrys-study-on-discourse-markers-in-african-american-sermons By Scott Berghegger - In her article, “Amen and Hallelujah preaching: Discourse functions in African American sermons,” Cheryl Wharry examines the use of “sermonic expressions” by African American preachers to denote textual changes, to mark rhythm (a feature commonly associated with traditional African American culture-speak), and to maintain an atmosphere of spirituality. Wharry refutes the assumption that Black preachers’ spiritual expressions are markers for a call-and-response technique, noting that call-and-response “is displayed in the overall service and in congregational... Thu, 22 Oct 2009 08:31 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/11/sermons-in-sociolinguistic-skins-an-analysis-of-wharrys-study-on-discourse-markers-in-african-american-sermons