Blackness

Race functions similarly to gender as a social construct.
Historically, in racist societies like the United States, race dictated social group membership and privileges.
For the last 40 years, legal reform has aimed to abolish race as a determinant for legal rights and privileges.

Prior to legal reforms, race influenced:
- Education: Determined the schools one could attend.
- Legal Rights: Governed the laws applicable to behaviors.
- Marriage: Dictated acceptable marital choices.
- Property: Restricted where one could buy property.
Despite reforms, racism continues in crucial societal institutions, namely:
- Criminal justice system
- Law enforcement
- Financial services
- Real estate services
- Education
- Politics

Racism in the U.S. is more than simple prejudice; it involves:
- Definitions of who is included or excluded in society.
- Concepts of entitlement and ownership.
Change in societal perspectives on race takes time and cannot be eliminated by legal reforms alone.

For over 150 years, racial stereotypes have been prevalent in American entertainment.
Blackface Minstrelsy: The first American popular entertainment genre, revolved around white performers imitating blackness.
The concept of blackness has been crucial in various American musical genres:
- from coon songs in the 19th century,
- to ragtime and jazz,
- to rock and roll (notably through covers by Elvis Presley),
- leading to rap music.
Both black and white artists have contributed to these genres, yet they all engage with and perform aspects of blackness.

Blackness is characterized as:
- A collection of behaviors, cultural artifacts, language, and ideas associated with the black race.
The understanding of blackness may vary but is central to the dialogue about race in America.