What is Black? The adjective of the term mentions: of the very darkest color owning to the absence of or complete absorption of light; the opposite of white. Thoroughly sinister or evil, wicked, indicative of condemnation or discredit Example; got dark mark for being late; absent of light, connected with or invoking the supernatural and especially the devil, black magic, the black arts; To any human group having dark-colored skin, especially of African or Australian Aboriginal ancestry. The verb describes to make black, especially by the application of black polish. While the noun most often is that of the adjectives description, black equals color or pigment, along with being a member of a dark skinned people, especially on of African or Australian Aboriginal ancestry.

When referring to black people, being black is often defined by skin color and societies attitudes and perception to norms passed on. These norms are delivered by elders, teachers to the media which all help form a black person social class. However, being a black person even transcends these definitions into the class systems. This is because very often, if the black person is not first known for their accomplishments, they are secondly known by the unconscious bias someone has created from the prominent black culture that society and in-groups relate to most. As a result, socioeconomic status is difficult to ascertain or recognize, as a person?s understanding and implicit attitudes are formed by their unconscious bias and cognitive dissonance instead of the black person?s merit prevailing.

Now, this term ?unconscious bias? describes a bias thought a person has towards something or someone they are unaware they have. And the term Implicit Attitudes are evaluations and or actions that arise from the mind?s unconscious bias towards a subject. An example would be to breath and blink your eyes uncontrollably due to pollen. These bodily functions occur without you telling yourself to breath or to blink, yet your body performs these actions based on ones unconscious mind which is ones unconscious at work. Now, when you grab an off brand tissue from the dollar store instead of a Kleenex your brain remembers the commercial of the Kleenex all the way to the Ahhhhhh sound of assumed softness from the Kleenex commercial. Now the thought of using the dollar store tissue brand becomes repulsive as you look at it more and more and visualize the soft Kleenex and the commercial. This creates your implicit attitude that was caused by your unconscious bias. In today?s society, from the mass media to pop culture, theses same mental programs are in place for black people. These tools were created to justify slavery and further perpetuate, generate and justify the mass incarceration of black people after the abolition of slavery in 1865. In simpler terms, the adjustment to the 13th Amendment in 1865 freed the slaves and also, created systems and methods to take the rights of newly freed black people convicted of a crime for the purpose of hard labor. As a result, the conscious process of locking black people up for little to no reason began in 1865 and is approved by society?s unconscious bias which continues still today.

As a result, in today?s society, social class systems for black people are commonly delivered in 3 main cultural norms. The first form is the prestige group, which includes Athletes and Entertainers. The second form I call the unicorn black which are made up of hard working people that have jobs and are contributing to society, however for whatever reason, are rarely acknowledged in the media and or in pop culture. The third and final class, often receiving the most notoriety, is made up of what pop culture and society often refer to as thugs, criminals, lazy or simply blacks. This segment of the black population seems to be highlighted and glorified most in pop culture and the media. The ability to create scenarios highlighting the third segment of black subculture in this terrible light eliminates societies? call to action for reform and continues to justify this mass incarceration treatment of blacks through means of unconscious bias.

The first black cultural group mentioned as the prestige group, is made up of mostly Black Athletes from all major sports and Entertainers such as Actors and Singers. Aside from Daymond John, the black guy from Shark tank, pop culture would never know there are many industrial blacks that are millionaires and reach the status of billionaires. However, for this, we will stick to the context example of these socially accepted blacks that are visually accepted by society as a whole. This subculture of black actors and entertainers often become role models for younger blacks and unconscious bias ingredients for society to describe blacks that have made it or achieved a type of prestige status or socially accepted status in the class systems. The reality is, blacks often have a better chance of being struck by lighting then making it big as a pro athlete and or an entertainer. As explained in this article by NCAA, with more than 480,000 competing as NCAA athletes, and just a select few within each sport moving onto professional and Olympic levels. And as for actors entertainers, there are roughly 300,000 people in the United States that work in the arts and from that 300,000, only 39,717 make it as actors here in the United States.? One should then ponder, with only 13% of the population in the United States being black, how many make it as Athletes and how many make it as entertainers so why again pursue these lottery ticket careers and not become Business Owners, Doctors, Lawyers, Real Estate Investors,etc? Because the unconscious is a powerful thing and it is all by design.

The second black subcultural mentioned is the elusive unicorn black. By all accounts this subculture of black urban family widely populates various areas across America thru functionalism means. However, when you look at the data, the one of the most pernicious problems today is the widening gap for those that have, versus those that have not. Race plays a factor in most every instance when data is collected, even though middle class blacks live fairly similar lives to middle class whites. Middle class blacks and whites work together. Their children have play dates and go to the same prep schools and colleges as their values are the same. What you are far less likely to see is a lower income child of any race mixing with a middle or upper income child. However, societies notoriety for the black middle class subculture is not plentiful and is rarely played out fairly and consistently. For example, with every one program on television that highlights this idealistic of the black working middle class, the reflection hypothesis shows another ten programs that destroy value of this positive subculture. In general there is a tendency to not talk about blacks as workers. ?This hurts the whole dialogue,” said William Spriggs, chief economist for the AFL-CIO and an economics professor at Howard University. Instead, black and brown workers are considered “underclass” as opposed to the working class and “lazy” instead of hardworking, said Spriggs.

The third black subculture mentioned is made up of what a large portion of society, as a result the Mass Media and Pop culture attack on the subconscious, often refers to as thugs, criminals, lazy or simply black and are often characterized as the collective whole or the large majority of all blacks. This segment of the black population is propped up as the representation for the entire black race as most all stereotypes are perpetuated as negative which lead to and create unconscious bias and implicit attitudes. From having prison records for offenses as a kid, teen or young adult to having dreadlocks, corn rolls, saggy pants to tattoos, unemployment, drug dealing, prostitution to dead beat fathers, dead beat mothers, bullies, burglars, drug addicts, and to many other cultures is shared behaviors. These are supposed to be accurate representations of blacks. However in todays society of multiculturalism many nationalities illicit these pop culture traits, yet are not looked down on like blacks are. These stereotypes in the eyes of many in society become the dominant culture for blacks instead of black Real Estate Professionals, Doctors, Attorneys, Business Owners, Inventors, etc. On the other hand, the social class of this third black subcultural group is promoted as the reflection for all blacks which create the unconscious bias and implicit attitudes that are perpetuated by the mass media and pop culture. A rational thinking person once presented evidence from the United States history will see these biases created are not by accident. ?Another example of the law being used to target and punish blacks was those laws concerning vagrancy. In North Carolina, there was a problem concerning labor as, after the Civil War, blacks and whites were working on their own fields, yet: Many others less energetic, white and black, were flooding the towns and refusing work of any sort, for in the days of bondage, master and slave had been taught that to labor with the hands was undignified: consequently, freedom to many Negroes meant a deliverance from hard labor. These workers proved a problem to North Carolinian industrialists and agriculturalists as few could afford to pay workers a wage until the crop had been grown, not to mention that neither employee nor employer were familiar with a wage system. A solution was found in the creation of vagrancy laws. Regarding the workers who refused to do any labor, vagrancy laws ensured that “a person who had no means of survival or refused to work would be regarded a vagrant and sent to court;” however, a payment could be offered which would be conditional upon the “good behavior of the vagrant for one year.” Yet, if the person was unable to make such a payment, they would be deemed a vagrant, duly convicted, and consequently fined, imprisoned, or both. When concerning newly-freed slaves, the laws were much harsher as many of them, once convicted, were “apprenticed to their former owners under a contract” or were “leased” to a corporation.?

A black person could view this form of treatment as their sociological imagination to a form of oppression stemming from racism. Such denigration was started in the slave years and continued after the abolition of slavery with lynchings, beatings, medical experiments like Tuskegee Syphilis Study and the Jim Crow laws. These actual Crow laws, which were upheld in court, prohibited blacks from using the same water fountains, restrooms, waiting areas, interracial marrying, restaurants, movie theaters, stores, schools, churches, sections of the bus and train were different, neighborhoods, housing locations as whites. Deemed all against the law for blacks. These treatments were accepted as laws and blacks were, with legal validity, villainized publicly as a form of justifying prison time, lynching and all other forms of adverse treatment received then and still continues today in different forms. When blacks speak about these and other overt issues of racism, conscious and or unconscious bias we are often described as whiners and complainers. It is like telling a rape victim to stop complaining or a husband beaten by his wife, enough already, so what now one cares. However, when someone takes these facts into account and really look at past and present systems of laws still in place, blacks have never been able to adjust to the culture lag of slavery. Similar to today with the implicit attitudes towards blacks thru unconscious bias, it is difficult to almost impossible for the black culture as a whole to adjust fully and live equally.

Today, the denigration is a bit different as it is not as obvious as the Jim Crow laws however, it is still in existence, governed by variations of the same laws. Examples of denigration today can be characterized in the following fashion; in black neighborhoods there are food deserts as there are no grocery stores were healthy food could be purchased. In most black neighborhoods, as in many other American Neighborhoods, blacks are not the owners of the large food stores and are subject to buy food from to the stores that open in the area. Often these stores main commodity sold to the public is liquor, quick unhealthy foods and lottery tickets. Another would be laws such as the stop and frisk law, to the war on drugs where laws were passed that were designed to imprison blacks over whites when they?re caught with the same drugs. For example, those that were caught with the cheaper ?cooked cocaine? commonly known as crack cocaine, as blacks were known for using and selling crack cocaine which is simply cooked cocaine and whites used raw cocaine. However, both are the drug cocaine, yet the punishment for raw cocaine was nothing in comparison its cooked cousin. When a person went to jail for possessing 7 grams of crack cocaine offenders would receive multiple years however when people were caught with raw cocaine they?d receive 6 months or less. Another is, in various areas in the United States 42 States to be exact, that once in jail, the prisoner would be required to pay to stay and bills for residing in prison were passed to the inmate upon being released upon completing all time served. If these bills were not paid, the person would be sent back to prison. Yet, often when a person is released from prison in most areas there are no chances for attending college, finding work or finding a place to live. And with all resources eliminated, the person develops a?personality for survival under these conditions and finds themselves back in jail. Society says good, should not have committed the crime, without looking at the how?s and why?s carefully. Unconscious bias becomes the driving forces for keeping the cycle going as greater than 50% of the prison population is black, even though blacks make up only 13% of the United States population.

This form denigration of blacks has historically functioned to legitimize extreme oppression and inequality. As Kovel suggested, the existence of race and racism presupposes the existence of oppression. That is, the notion that the oppressed are of a different race than the majority of the population has long been used to desensitize society to the suffering of the oppressed and to make oppression appear natural and legitimate. It is as though racism provides an acceptable legitimation of the reality of large-scale collective inequalities. These large scale inequalities and unconscious bias which cause implicit attitudes that has been implemented has never stopped since their enactment during and after slavery. However biases really became mainstream and accepted with the Jim Crow Laws and the adjustments were created for The Thirteenth Amendment. Like today, this process keeps the jails filled with former slaves then known as negro convicts, today known as thugs or drug dealing and blacks. Which back in the 1800?s, and even today, prisons continued the trend or hard labor, which is now originated by State ran or privatized prisons which would still rent convicts out for free labor. To attain a full understanding of the convict lease system, there must first be a re-examination of the 13th Amendment. It has been stated in history books and in classrooms across America that this amendment ended slavery, yet this is quite false. The 13th Amendment states “neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction.” Thus, slavery is completely and totally legal if it is part (or the whole) of a punishment for someone who was and is convicted of a crime. With so much to lose in the form of good cheap labor, it is easier to keep the same methods of unconscious bias mental control in place that were created greater than 150 years ago.

Legal systems in 2018 still have the same adjustment to the 13th Amendment and the prisons are still overpopulated as today prisons are big businesses, especially the private prisons. Across the United States you can still find states in the south, including Texas that still operate private prisons. There are approximately 2 million inmates in state, federal and private prisons throughout the country. According to California Prison Focus, ?no other society in human history has imprisoned so many of its own citizens.? The figures show that the United States has locked up more people than any other country: a half million more than China, which has a population five times greater than the U.S. Statistics reveal that the United States holds 25% of the world?s prison population, but only 5% of the world?s people. From less than 300,000 inmates in 1972, the jail population grew to 2 million by the year 2000. In 1990 it was one million. Ten years ago there were only five private prisons in the country, with a population of 2,000 inmates; now, there are 100, with 62,000 inmates. It is expected that by the coming decade, the number will hit 360,000, according to reports.

With the total number of incarcerations, black people only represent 13.3 percent of the U.S. population while white people make up about 77 percent. However, as mentioned, there are more black men in state prisons across the nation than there are white men. The latest Federal Bureau of Prisons statistics showed the white population was 58.7 percent in August 2016, compared to the 37.8 percent of blacks being housed at federal institutions. At the state level, however, the department said that black male prisoners represent 38 percent of the population while whites males account for 35 percent and 21 percent are Hispanic males. Overall, blacks are 5.1 more times likely to be incarcerated than whites, and blacks represent more than half of the prison population in 11 states. Again rationally logical thinking, when viewing these numbers, blacks are still being imprisoned today at an alarming rate since the adjustment to the 13th Amendment and the abolishment of slavery in 1865.

Moreover, bias laws continue to pass perpetuating the cycle of mass incarceration of blacks as systematically, voter rights are stripped from a person as soon as they are incarcerated for a felony. This archaic and shrewd method of American Justice by design appears to create inmates by any means necessary. And with no rights as a free person blacks are essentially a slave to the system once again. Logically, and based on facts presented, nothing has changed from 1865 to 2017. Again, causing a rational thinking person to conclude, this design against black people is as purposeful today as it was when created over 150 years ago.

Objectively, I would like to think this could be stopped if awareness and or safeguards were put into place early on. Yes, being optimistic, I would like to think change is possible. However it would require blacks to first act on our own, strengthening our foundation so our voice has a collective volume. This is something that must be addressed first, the volume of our voice. This is easier said than done as the unconscious bias that creates implicit attitudes has a hold on our thought processes too, often pitting one black against the other in a sort of a violent hierarchy state of dominance. This includes the Mass Media push, glorifying the continued anger system such as Black Lives Matters (BLM) that marches when whites hurt blacks, yet does nothing when blacks assault, kill or hurt other blacks. There would be a media black out if BLM marched to end black on black violence. There would be no media coverage of that march as that march would represent an awakening of a sorts amongst black people. Yet the message portraying blacks as hard working contributors to society is over powered by emotional hate filled mass media propaganda coverage which always seems to tarnish any sustainable good that happens with the black culture. However, true gains are happening yet are hard to see and or chart especially if no one is charting and relaying this message back showing proof black people are better than the mass media and pop culture message that is being delivered.

More importantly, acknowledging that the black culture has different financial classes from poor, middle class to being well off is essential to creating a, yes I can attain greatness attitude. People of all nationalities especially blacks, need to be aware that there is a separation and difference the black culture has. Using me as an example, I?d like to show that there is a difference that is had and can be attained.

To say I have a large family is an understatement, with twenty two 1st uncles and aunts combined from both sets of grandparents. I have family members that are well off and not so well off, however, we were all born in Chicago to grand parents who lived and raised their kids in the Chicago projects. The Uncles and Aunts that are well off, I remember as a child watching them work their way thru college, staying focused as teens living in the then projects of Chicago. They were different in their mind set as they kept to themselves and were extremely studious. They all had the ?Yes I can attitude? that was often stifled by the noise of music, television and or activities taken up by their older and younger siblings. However, I watched them never losing site of their dream and determination for making something better of themselves. In fact, most family members that are well off or the working middle class share that same childhood struggle. And although, born in Chicago, once they married, chose not to keep their immediate family in Chicago. Of the family members that moved out of Chicago, all of their kids graduated high school and college and hold respectable careers. They were exposed to multi cultural nationalities as a child, into their teen years. Largely, the conversations were different than that of what was echoed in the Chicago projects and neighborhoods their parents raised them in. These middle class to well off family members wanted a better life and raised their kids omitting many of the traps and cycles they saw others including their own family fall into. In most cases, there were two parents in the home and a college education for all their kids was viewed as an essential, without an option for anything less for a substitute. Acknowledging this side of my family, I know the cycle created of education first will continue to duplicate itself for generations to come as it in unconsciously ingrained.

As for my not so well off family, many of them still live in Chicago in areas that are not affluent. The social groups in these areas have proven to be pernicious to the health and mental well being of this segment of my family. For them, school was not encouraged over finding a job. Often, finding a job took precedent over completing high school as immediate financial gratification was what unfortunately seemed to be most important. There are very few goals that are created for advancing out of their habitual situations as living check to check is the financial mentality. Many of these family members are in the system, meaning, they have been to jail or prison at least once over the course of their lives. Often, this life style is glorified and or emulated to a degree early on by their kids. I believe this subculture has a lot to do with the unconscious message delivered within Rap and Hip Hop music as a whole, as most all groups in this area seem to idolize rap artists who seemingly become role models. As a result, blearing Rap music including its non-uplifting, self deprecation lyrics to the well known profanity laced degradation of women, echos throughout homes and cars that have kids as young as two reciting this rhetoric.?In many cases, these rap songs and their inclusive message has replaced the standardized nursery rhymes for the younger generation. As a result, the conversation is different and often filled with violence, hate, blame and visions?of winning the lottery or finding a quick way out of all situations. Unable to create or even see the benefits to creating long term goals and plans where the end solution will provide stability and establish a stronger foundation. To think positive of or have this form of thought process is often not understood as being progressive by most diads, triads or in-groups and for lack of a better word, is considered rather weak. Yes, one that thinks of bettering themselves in these environments are considered weak or a sell-out or singled out for thinking they are better than the next. ?Ego runs rampant as being tough and fighting outweighs being smart and planning for tomorrow. ?There are moments that occur where long term solutions are sought, however consistency towards a solution is often forgone, because with anything in life worth obtaining, you must be prepared to sacrifice and work hard for its attainment. In this environment, there are very few bread crumbs leading away from these norms as this way of life is all that is known.

Even with this, people individually do want to change and there would be a long line if change could happen over night. However, change often takes time and sacrifice and for many of these family members, they have decided to use their disciplines in other area of their lives. I believe the reason my well off family members are different then those that are not so well off has to do with role models each had been exposed to. Although, both my mother and father?s family?were raised in Chicago projects, exposure individually to people as a child, teen and young adult shapes ones ability to hope and demand something greater than what they see. When my parents and I were younger, times were a lot different than they are today as information spreads faster than the speed of sound with the internet. This can have both a beneficial approach to change and or create a stronger foundation of being content, thinking there is no way out of ones situation. I believe that there are stereotypes associated with unconscious bias that are rampant in both sectors of my family for those that have, and those that have not.

For me, I was raised in Chicago?s Southside and was poor and homeless as a child, a few times. As a result, I have been exposed to a great deal of bias that was delivered via conscious and unconscious means by a number of people from all sides of the color spectrum. As a child, my mother did shield me from as much bias as she could, ensuring Church replaced the sporadic parental relationship I had with my father, ensuring I was surrounded by positive people as much as possible. And although, my mother had it rough as a parent trying to provide for her two kids, she still taught me and my sister that we could do or be anything we wanted, if we was willing to work for it. Everyday, although poor, often sleeping on various family members couches and wearing used clothes, my mother would instill positive values of yes you can as her message never changed and her volume was beautifully loud and positive.

Some people who see and trust as fact the stereotypes about black people believe we do not want to change if we are destitute, that we?d rather stay in those types of positions. Again, that thought process is a major form of unconscious bias which create the implicit attitudes, and I am here to say, nothing could be further from the truth. Understanding that most blacks that find themselves in adverse situations lack the direction, resources or optimism needed for change. This would be a more accurate assumption and thought process for helping to end this cycle negative thought bias if this was the message understood instead of simply, they don?t want to change. This additional level of understanding would afford someone who critiques, the ability to understand why some blacks are less fortunate than others. Without these queries, we will be left with the stereotypes associated with unconscious bias as the guide for creating and passing on the implicit attitudes used to describe and define black people as a whole. remain sharp as to make a difference for those that I encounter. To say I provide a different perspective to what the Mass media broadcast through their news, movies, television and songs is an understatement.

People look at me and often say, you appear to be doing well, how can you do it and others cannot? And I would like to say, I have unplugged from the matrix and see the stereotypes associated with the unconscious bias that create implicit attitudes. But instead, I explain that my level of sacrifice is endless as I spend 18 to 20 hours a day actively working on bettering myself thru school, work, inventions and by strengthening my immediate family. I have given up television and postponed relationships, essentially stopped communicating with some childhood friends, certain family members that are often toxic with their thought process. I have stopped listening to rap and hip hop and most music that contain words. I do not smoke and rarely ever drink anything harder than red wine. I hold myself accountable every chance I get as to humble myself so I remain sharp as to make a difference for those that I encounter. To say I provide a different perspective to what the Mass media broadcast through their news, movies, television and songs is an understatement.

However, today I remain humble thru the overt stereotypes associated with unconscious bias that create implicit attitudes so tomorrow I can make a difference with a loud voice. Others criticisms and or beliefs of me and or, black people, will and could never define me as a person.

By Glenn C.