Exploring The African American Woman s Identity Through...

Exploring the African American Woman’s Identity through the Arts In the Africa American culture, there has been a longstanding discussion of the black woman’s physical appearance and how they identify themselves in society. Though there are many themes of the Black experience in the media that discuss the standard of beauty Black women should have. However, theatre has a creative and tactful way of exploring these topics that are considered taboo in the African American culture. During the Black Arts Movement, topics such as black empowerment and self-identity were the blue print for what the movement stood for. In reference to, A Brief Guide to the Black Arts Movement Writers, â€Å"African American artists within the movement sought to create politically engaged work that explored the African American cultural and historical experience† (A Brief Guide to the Black Arts Movement Writers.1). Prolific writers such as, Ntozake Shange s, Amari Baraka, and Nikki Giovanni, just to name a few, were revolutionary in a creative and political movement, which allowed for writers and poets to demonstrate the pains and qualms of what African Americans faced in Western society. Two African American playwrights, Lorraine Hansberry and Adrienne Kennedy, expounded on these topics in their plays A Raisin in the Sun and Funny House Negro. In the further exploration of stigmas of African American female hair and self-identification through theatre, these plays will be used as a platform toShow MoreRelatedAnalysis Of Chris Ofili s No Woman No Cry 1697 Words   |  7 Pages Painter Chris Ofili is well known in his highly decorative style to playfully explore the notion of black cultural identity. British born to Nigerian parents artist Chris Ofili often makes work highlighting political conversations. 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One can discern that this slavery system imposes a double burden on the Negro through severe social and economic inequalities and through the heavy psychological consequencesRead More Search for Identity in the Poetry of Langston Hughes Essay2704 Words   |  11 PagesSearch for Identity in the Poetry of Langston Hughes In exploring the problem of identity in Black literature we find no simple or definite explanation. Nevertheless, it is generally accepted that it is rooted in the reality of the discriminatory social system in America with its historic origins in the institution of slavery. One can discern that this slavery system imposes a double burden on the Negro through severe social and economic inequalities and through the heavy psychological consequencesRead MoreThe Historical Progression of African Americans4523 Words   |  19 PagesProgression of African Americans Jeff Brown HIS 204: American History Since 1865 Prof Carl Garrigus May 16, 2010 The Historical Progression of African Americans America in 1857 was a â€Å"Nation on the Brink.† Relationships between the Northern and Southern states had been strained for decades. During the 1850 s, the situation exploded. The Compromise of 1850 served as a clear warning that the slavery issue—relatively dormant since the Missouri Compromise of 1820—had returned. African Americans