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African- American Socialism

            African-American Socialism is a political current that has been emerging since the nineteenth century. However, it became influential many years before coming to the forefront nationally. This is an economic and political theory of social organization that means the production, distribution, and exchange should be owned or regulated by the community. The need for Black liberation is an import aspect when discussing the socialism for the Black community. Liberation refers to an individual being freed from imprisonment, slavery, or oppression. In many cased African-Americans have not receive total liberation as American citizens. The comparison of socialism among African-American individuals have had changes, but is in need of much more since the time of the Civil War and Great Depression eras. Today, the media and education of Black people are shaping the need for a more just and humane society when referring to equal socialism for African-Americans.

Outline for African- American Socialism

Annotated Bibliography

            The book, Black Liberation and Socialism by Ahmed Shawki is relevant when discussing African- American Socialism because it is an analysis of important movements regarding the struggles of injustices in this nation. This source covers the contributions and influences made by Marcus Garvey, Malcolm X, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and the Black Panther Party. In this book, Shawki discusses the social movements and how they will impact the future of racism in this country. I found this book in Xavier’s Library. Ahmed Shawki is a valid author for this discussion because among other social awareness pieces he has written, he is also the editor of the International Socialist Review. As a member of the National Writers Union, he also contributed to The Struggle for Palestine.

   The article, The Struggle of African American Students by Dr. Pascal Mubenga is another relevant source in terms of analyzing African- American Socialism. This article specifically discusses how slavery has impacted the academic achievements of African- American students in this generation. Mubenga completes this analyzation by getting an understanding of the history of public schools, behaviors during and after segregated schools were opened, and reviewing the achievement gap among the dominant and minority students. The roles of parents, educators and administration are imperative to the success of all students; however, this article exposes how these roles act in the favor of Black students. I found this source by searching “African-American Socialism” in the of USA.gov. Not only is this an academic journal, but this is also a reliable source because Dr. Pascal Mubenga is the superintendent for the Franklin County Schools. Therefore, he is an expert on specializing the educational needs for all students.

            Another piece I found interesting was Blacks and Socialism from the Civil War to the Great Depression by Philip Foner. This article poses interesting discussions of the relationship between blacks and socialism of nearly the entire twentieth century. Forer differentiates how Black people of this nation were treated before, during and after the Civil War.  He specifies the significance of Marxism, the New Communist Party, and Black Revolutionaries throughout the history of Black America. This article came up as a result for searching African- American Socialism in the Race Relations Abstracts database. This is a reliable source because it is a peer reviewed article. Philip Foner is a valid author for this topic because he is a historian. His works has also influenced generations of scholars to think along his thoughts. One of his best works include the History of the Labor and Movement in the United States, which is a ten-volume piece.

           The Question of Fascism in the United States by Steve Martiont is an article about the fascism view in the United States. According to the author, these views on authoritarianism in this society are no surprise based on the history of this country. Unlike most beliefs, this author believes that identifying as a white individual is not a privilege, but a self- generating cycle. He also exploits the white- crisis of fascism after the Jim Crow Laws were set into play. This source was found as a result from searching African- American Socialism into the Race Relations Abstracts database. Martiont is an expert on analyzing the underlying cultural structures of racialization in regards of white supremacy and white entitlement in the United States.

            The documentary, I Am Not Your Negro, allows viewers to better depict the social injustices African Americans had to face before, during and after the Civil Rights Movement. The views from Civil Rights activist, James Baldwin were brought to light in this film. His contributions of racial and social issues were often times overlooked in comparison to other activists of the time like Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Medgar Evers and Malcolm X because he was a non-prototypical member of the subordinate group. Due to him being homosexual, a non-traditional activist, and not as physical appealing as the other men from is era, he was not mentioned, especially in the mini black history lessons given in grade school. This film traces the minimal existence to none of the socialism of African- American from the Civil Rights movement to the present of #BlackLivesMatter. Baldwin and the filmmaker, Raoul Peck, were able to challenge what America stands for by confronting the deeper connections between the lives and assassinations of King, Evers and Malcolm X.

            Joseph W. Scott wrote a significant piece in regards to the political class of Black America, Capitalism, Socialism, and Libertarianism: Race, Class, and Power in the Black American Experience. This paper provides evidence and analyzes the political class power that determines the poverty among black communities. Scott is a reliable author for this topic because he was a professor of Sociology and Anthropology at the University of Notre Dame. He was also the Director of Black Studies, has done much research, and has many publications which makes him an expert when it comes to Black socialism and liberation. This article was found when searching for articles on African- American socialism on the Race Relations Abstracts database.

            This article on the struggle that African- Americans have for socialism brings a more vivid and graphic approach to the table. Abayomi Azikiwe’s article entitled National Oppression and Class Exploitation Are at Root of Racist State Violence, reminds readers of the police brutality and violence murders of Black men and Women in this country since 2014. Although this struggle is nothing new to this society, people have been able to access these tragedies easier and more rapidly because of the growing technology. When incidents like this happen, a bystander can easily pull out their phone, record what is happening, and share it on their social media accounts. Azikiwe also explains how the police officers responsible for the unjust murders of these minority individuals do not receive fair punishment. The piece goes on to talk about the different issues related to this topic among various states, and how the situation is handled.  I found this website on Xavier’s list of databases for Political Science research. This is a viable article because it analyzes statistical information based on actual events that has occurred over years of police brutality.

            Another one of Azikiwe’s articles, African Americans & the Struggle for Socialism, 1901- 1925, discusses more social injustices just from a different era. It analyses the Socialist Party of America as far as the ideas and political stand points for citizens during that time. There wasn’t much leeway for freedom for African Americans during this time, which is what sparked the social movement. This article was found by Google searching social issues of African Americans.