For many centuries in America, Black people have been considered nonhuman. It wasn’t until the Three-Fifths Compromise of 1787 that an African-American could be considered subhuman or three-fifths of a person. These politics have influenced the way society views African-Americans as a whole and Black men in particular.
Bessie House, director of the Africana studies program at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) says, “These stereotypes come from theories that argue some races are biologically and genetically superior to others, and if you believe that certain groups are superior to each other, then it also follows that some groups are also inferior.”
House gives specific examples of societal stereotypes that affect Black men. “There has been a lot of negative stereotypes of African-American men as people who are not taking care of their families, not taking care of their children, people who are prone to participate in violent activities. These are really powerful negative images of African-American men, and so, stereotypes also affect how people relate to each other.”
She continues, “If you meet someone in an elevator, if you have been taught your entire life that this particular type of person is going to rob you or mug you or murder you, then you’re going to react with that stereotype in mind… and most of the African-American men out there love their family, nurture their family; many of them are not involved in violence, but they don’t get the benefit of the doubt when they’re out in public encounters.”
Executive Director of OpportunINDY Michael Twyman says, on the other hand, the positive capabilities of Black men, such as resilience and overall talent, affect attitudes directed toward them due to lower expectations set historically.
“The things people often admire about us are the things that have been used against African-American males, and those are probably feared the most. Living at least in this country and being Black is a unique experience,” said Twyman.
Alexander Burks is a professional in the nonprofit sector pursuing his masters degree, but as a Black male, he has had horrific experiences of being stereotyped.
“When I was 20 or so, I was driving to Indianapolis from Evansville. I used to be big into racing cars at the track and the car I was driving was a vehicle I was fixing up, so I had removed the seats out of the vehicle to install some roll bars,” said Burks. “A cop pulls me over, looks inside the vehicle and despite me giving him my registration and license, which all matched, he took me out the vehicle and handcuffed me. He made me sit on the curb, because he was so sure the vehicle was stolen.”
Another local Black man, Samuel Porter, recounts experiences he had while on the job at an auto mechanic shop.
“I worked with the white guy there. We were working on a Ford F-150 one day, and he was like, ‘it’s for a really important client.’ We’re doing our work, and some of us had on gloves. I took them off and touched the truck, and he was about to say, ‘You N-word,’ but he just said, ‘Don’t touch the truck. You need to leave before I say something I will regret… and I did… and never returned…”
These are only a few of the accounts of Black men that have encountered instances of alleged racism locally. This epidemic has not only affected African-American men in Indianapolis, but is plaguing individuals across the nation as demonstrated in the Black Lives Matter movement and other civil rights groups.
House says the media has perpetuated many of the stereotypes into the world. “For example, when we had a caucasian man that entered the African-American church and killed the minister and a number of members of the congregation, the media was reluctant to describe that as an act of terrorism. However, when we have an African-American man that gunned down the policemen, the word terrorism was used repeatedly. Both of these individuals perpetrated equally heinous acts.”
She continues, “So, this is a narrative that the media cast. It is up to us, scholars, and other members of the community to give a counter narrative. We need to work across all lines for understanding. I support equal opportunities for all people across all racial, class, gender or sexual orientation [classifications]. I believe that everybody should have their fair share of the American dream.”
