The Afro-American and the Issue of Identity

Abstract

Identity plays an important role in identifying an individual or a group who belongs to common community in this world. The African American identity is the most significant task that attracts scholars’ attention. Over centuries the issue of identity was and still their standing point in which the later makes them digging on its concepts and dimensions. The black identity or the African American identity is the transformation of blacks from the status of an object to a subject. After living in very difficult conditions of life under the mercy of the oppressed man as slaves or rather as animals, even they did not have a proper name to identify with; neither Africans nor Americans, the white race deprived them from their authentic heritage. With this inferior life Negros -like the white used to call them, regarding to their color of skin- wanted to leave it. Thus, their freedom’s conscious was rise they rebelled against the despotic Americans. By the time, in the path to freedom that characterized by the harshness and sufferance; in 1863 the declaration of abolishing slavery came and was declared by the president Abraham Lincoln Blacks’ hopes to liberty were heightened and the racial conscious and proud was rise too. They challenged to regain their freedom and wanted to break the stereotype of black race is inferior, and being as American citizens equal to the white. The African descents tried to assimilate within the American society. The African American leaders inspired Black Americans for requesting for more freedom to prove their political, cultural, and social identity as they demonstrate.