Journal of African American

Journal of African American Family

Marcie Barber

ETH/125

August 8, 2010

Nancy Pluckett

Journal of African American

African American make up 15% of the population in the United States. This ethic group evolved from the African continent and were brought to the US as slaves on ships. African Americans were enslaved into the United States and gained emancipation or freedom as a people in 1863 by the proclaimation signed into law by President Abraham Lincoln.

Before, during, and after slavery, African American have faced prejudices and racism in many forms. When arriving into the United States African Americans were segregated and kept from cohabiting as other citizens of this country. They were sold, traded as slaves, and marked and personal property by slave masters and plantation owners.

Although discrimination laws are established to protect any minority group from prejudicial or racially motivated treatment African Americans are still affected. Inquality and unequal treatment is cited in the job market, housing, obtaining loans, etc. The employment market targeted for minority advancement and career development has always been packed with lower paying jobs with little or no room for advancement. African Americans often perform or expected to perform unskilled labor referenced as ‘Blue Collar’ jobs.

African American Between 1860 and 1890, a few hundred Lebanese and Syrians entered the United States each year. The first Syrian family was that of Professor Joseph Arbeely who, with his wife, six sons and a niece, arrived in 1878. Two of his sons later founded the first Arabic newspaper in the western world, another was Consul in Jerusalem under President Grover Cleveland, and yet another was in the Immigration Service.( Geneology Today)

Most of the immigrants came for economic reasons, but some of the Syrian Christians felt that they were at risk of persecution (because of their religion) from the Turkish based government of the time, which...