Brock,+Brett,+Erika's+Summary+of+the+Articles

Summary of the Articles

When looking at "How the Majority understands the Minority," it is important to look at the legacy of slavery and the consequences it has brought about for both Black and White. It is also important to look at the impediments in race relations. In order to do so it helps to look at the articles covered in class. The first is __A Torturous Journey: The Condition of Black America__.

In this article it mainly talks about the consequences that have aroused since slavery. In it, it becomes apparent that the main consequence is that black individuals are viewed on a "lower playing field" than whites are. Throughout the article it talks about the differences in freedoms for blacks and whites. As stated previously, it also covers the consequences of the legacy of slavery and what it does to both the majority and minority. It also covers what the Christian Response should and ought to be when it comes to the condition of black America.

The next article, well chapter from a book, that was looked at in class was __The Souls of Black Folk: Chapter 1__, in this chapter, the author talked about spiritual striving black people long for, and he also covers the economic striving of black people. When reading through the chapter, there is in our mind no other line that describes the entire text other than this, "This, then, is the end of his striving: to be a co-worker in the kingdom of culture, to escape both death and isolation, to husband and use his best powers and his latent genius." This line sums up what the entire text covers, it sums up the yearning of a black individual.

The final article looked at in the primary set, was __Is the Black Church Dead? Debate Flares Among African-Americans__, in this article the debate is whether or not there is still a place for the Black Church and also whether or not churches should be segregated. It also points out that the Church is a sanctuary for blacks, that it is the only place that they can truly express themselves without being judged by society. It also explains how the Black Church is "evolving," and we use that term loosely, into something that resembles a Fortune 500 company and the pastors are the CEO's of those companies. It shows that the Black Church is no longer a church but a business.

With that we were also given two secondary sets of articles to look at. The first of the two, we will look at is given the title of __Benton Harbor in the 2000s__. This set of articles covers, not only the area of Benton Harbor, but also like the book __The Other Side of the River__, it covers the relationship between Benton Harbor and St. Joseph's. In each article given, there is one common theme that echos throughout; everything boils down to race and everything that happens is caused by the tension caused between races. Yet it also gives a positive outlook on Benton Harbor, though an area of racial tension, there is yet hope for a "new beginning."

The final set of the secondary articles, __Surveying the Valley__, looks at the "landscape of race relations" and the impediments that holding back the coming together of Black and White, so that the world can be one race; the human race. Each article shows that the impediments are not limited to areas like Benton Harbor, that these impediments extend to professionals, to Congress, and even into Science. In one of the articles, President Obama says that, the US as been at "a racial stalemate..." and that it needs to end. In another article in this set, __No N-Word, But Still Subtle Racial Prejudice__, the author puts it best by writing, "The black...body has this resonance, almost a challenge....It becomes a vehicle for fear. It scares people and makes them think about the violence and all the stereotypes that trace back to slavery." It is important to notice, that when looking at these articles, there is a sense that no matter what people will only see color, that people will never see the character or talent God created in a person.

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