AP African American Studies

Flashcards on AP African American Studies Unit 4 Vocabulary

Nadir of Race Relations

The lowest point of Black people's status in American society following the end of federal protection of Reconstruction.

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

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

Colonize

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

Transnational Activism

Activism across nations.

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

A sense of unity and mutual support among people of African descent living outside of Africa.

Pan-Africanism

The goal of unifying Africans and eliminating colonialism and white supremacy from the continent.

Double Victory Campaign

The fight 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 enforced by law.

De Facto Segregation

Segregation that exists not by law but in practice through housing contracts and social 'norms'.

Direct Action

The use of strikes, demonstrations, or other public forms of protest rather than negotiation to achieve one's demands.

Nonviolent Resistance

The practice of achieving goals through symbolic protests, civil disobedience, economic or political noncooperation, or other methods, without using violence.

The Big Four

The main four organizations that united African Americans with different experiences and perspectives through a common desire to end racial discrimination and inequality (NAACP, SCLC, SNCC, CORE).

Black Power

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

The Ballot or the Bullet

A speech given by Malcolm X that uses 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.

We Shall Overcome

An anthem of the Civil Rights movement.

Hip Hop

A culture born out of collaboration and artistic creativity among young Black and Latino community members that has developed into a global phenomenon.

Black Arts Movement

A movement that galvanized the work of Black artists, writers, musicians, and dramatists who envisioned art as a political tool to achieve Black liberation.

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.

Combahee River Collective

A Boston-based, Black feminist and lesbian organization. Their Collective Statement (1977) argued that Black women’s liberation would free all members of society as it would require the destruction of all systems of oppression (e.g., racism, sexism, classism, homophobia).

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.

Interlocking Systems of Oppression

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

Increasing Caribbean Migration

The number of Black immigrants in the U.S. has nearly doubled since 2000, driven primarily by immigrants from Africa and the Caribbean.