AP African American Studies - Unit 4 Vocabulary

Flashcards covering key vocabulary terms from the AP African American Studies lecture notes Unit 4: Movements and Debates 1930 to Present

Nadir of Race Relations

Period following the end of federal protection of Reconstruction when the status of Black Americans in American society reached its lowest point.

Intergenerational Wealth

Wealth that is passed down within a family from generation to generation.

Négritude

A political, cultural, and literary movement of the 1930s through 1950s that started with French-speaking Caribbean and African writers protesting colonialism and the assimilation of Black people into European culture.

Negrismo

Movement embraced by Black and mixed-race Latin Americans that celebrated African contributions in Latin American music, folklore, literature, and art.

Colonization

To invade and take over a land, settling it and controlling its people, resources, and government.

Berlin Conference

A conference in 1884 where Europeans gathered in Germany to discuss how to divide Africa among themselves (Africans were not invited).

Transnational Activism

Activism across nations.

Black Freedom Movement

Period of transnational activism from the mid-1940s to the 1970s, when Black people across many different nations saw themselves as one distinct group of people committed to unity to fight anti-Black racism and colonization.

Black Consciousness

When a Black person fully realizes their Black identity and focuses on what that means in a world shaped by racism.

Diasporic Solidarity

Solidarity among people of the African diaspora.

Pan-Africanism

Goal: the unity of Africans and the elimination of colonialism and white supremacy from the continent.

Double V Campaign

A campaign for victory against fascism abroad and against Jim Crow segregation at home.

Redlining

The discriminatory practice of withholding mortgages to African Americans and other people of color within a defined geographical area under the pretense of “hazardous” financial risk posed by those communities.

De Jure Segregation

Segregation by law.

De Facto Segregation

Segregation not specifically by law but in practice through housing contracts and social “norms”.

Civil Rights Act of 1875

Legislation that outlawed racial discrimination in public places.

Southern Manifesto

Document signed by every Southern Senator (except a Texan known as LBJ (Lyndon Baines Johnson) that declared the Brown v. Board was an attack on American freedom.

Direct Action

A method of protest that involves nonviolent, often confrontational, tactics to challenge injustice directly.

Nonviolent Resistance

A strategy of achieving social change through peaceful means, such as protests, boycotts, and civil disobedience.

Black Power

A movement that promoted self-determination, defended violence as a viable strategy, and strove to transform Black consciousness by emphasizing cultural pride.

Nation of Islam

An organization founded in Detroit in 1930, blending core Islamic beliefs and practices with mythology and Black Nationalist ideology.

The Ballot or the Bullet

A speech given by Malcolm X that used themes directly from the American Revolution and the Declaration of Independence: let people vote, defend people’s natural rights, or they have the duty to take up arms to guarantee the right for themselves.

Lowndes County Freedom Organization (LCFO)

An organization formed to create a system where Black people could govern themselves, run their own schools, and control their own land and economy.

1964 Civil Rights Act

Prohibited discrimination based on race, sex, and national origin.

1964 Voting Rights Act

Ensured federal protection of the rights guaranteed by the Reconstruction Amendments and the Civil Rights Act of 1875 (which outlawed racial discrimination in public places)

Interlocking Systems of Oppression

Social categories (e.g., race, gender, class, sexuality, ability) are interconnected, and considers how their interaction with social systems creates unequal outcomes for individuals.

Womanist

Builds upon earlier forms of Black women’s activism through opposition to racism in the feminist community and sexism in Black communities

Intersectionality

A framework for understanding Black women’s distinct experiences through the interactions of their social, economic, and political identities with systems of inequality and privilege

Black is Beautiful

Movement celebrating Afrocentric aesthetics in natural hairstyles, fashion, African and Islamic naming practices, celebrations like Kwanzaa, and embrace of adinkra symbols.

Afrocentricity

An approach that highlights the experiences, perspectives, and aesthetics of Black people by placing Africa at the center of history and achievements of people of African descent.

hip-hop

A culture born out of collaboration and artistic creativity among young Black and Latino community members in the 1970s Rooted in New York City’s Bronx borough, hip-hop has developed into a global phenomenon

Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)

A civil rights law that prohibits discrimination against individuals with disabilities in all areas of public life, including jobs, schools, transportation, and all public and private places that are open to the general public.

Ten-Point Program

Called for freedom from oppression and imprisonment, access to housing, healthcare, education, and employment opportunities.