that Africans came first to America, not as enslaved persons, but as explorers, traders, visitors and built with the Native Americans agreat
civilization that fortunately could not be erased by Europeans’ wholesale book burning and vandalism in Mexico. In doing this, he has made a
significant contribution to the rescue and reconstruction of Blacks history and humanity Karenga,1993: 114.
The discovery ofthe skullto be oneproofthatblackshavelivedbeforethe arrival of Columbus. Blacks had settled in America long before the enslavement.
The settlement of blacks in America was not really accepted. In the 1950s the African Americans was not treated as same as White. For example in
education the blacks did not get what the white got. Blacks aged seventeen got the same materials as thirteen years old white. It proves that although blacks can go to
school but their schools were not actually had a good standard Thernstrom and Thernstrom, 1997: 533
2. Black Economics
The economic condition of the life within black society can depicthow affluent their life was. Karenga mentions the black economics seen from the
employment status. The economic disadvantage of the African American community appears
also in employment data and labor market trends. Employment for Blacks fluctuates between 54.1 and 55.7 percent. There are several reasons
offered for black unemployment: low educational levels and lack of jobs skills, the recurring recession, unwillingness to take menial jobs;
displacement, the move of industry from the central city; shutdowns in industries where Blacks are in heavy numbers; lack of viable social
networks and above all, continuing discrimination 1993:361.
Karenga states some reasons of why Blacks were being discriminated in the job field. Education background has important role during the nineteenth century. The
educational level defining what class they belong to and what kind of society
where they life.The low education levels or even uneducated background seen as the strong reason for them hard to find a job and being jobless. Blacks were also
discriminated because they had no skills become a reason of their difficulties to find job. Know that some jobs require typical skills needed.
3. Class Repression
The writer uses this review to reveal what reason that exactly influences the class identification especially within the black community towards the
characters’ life. The book which was written by Stephan and Abigail Thernstrom entitled America in Black and White mention:
The emergence of a strong black middle class has not received the attention it deserves. “Black” still goes with “poor” in the minds of many.
According to this view, blacks live in ghettos, next door to, if not actually in, a high rise public housing project. The mean street of their
neighborhoods are filled with predatory muggers high on crack. The main source of income for males is a crime, and for females, the welfare check
1997: 183.
The neighborhood where the blacks live can define what class they belong to. The blacks who live in a well environment belong to higher middle class rather than
working class who live in cruel neighborhoods. The place where blacks live also defines how wealth they are. Their Job classified their position of social status that
the blacks with a good job are higher than them with a regular job as blacks or even jobless.
The job that they work on is defined by their educational background. The ending of World War II the education play the big role in shaping the American
class structure includes the African Americans who obtained more education rather than their parents had. It helps the blacks to get a better job. Know that the
middle class jobs required at least graduated from high school Thernstrom and Thernstrom, 1997: 189-190.
In the beginning of 1959, two-third of all black children under the age of eighteen lived in the poor neighborhood and their parent income was under
poverty line. Although they worked but the salary that they got was not enough to live the family. In the 1950s until 1960s, African American made the great deal by
narrowing the gap in occupations, educations, and income. In the other hand, although they made the great action but in social reality they still lagged
behindThernstrom and Thernstrom, 1997: 200-236. The class repression toward black men and black women was experienced
by African-American within the black society in the nineteenth century.The writer gives a picture on how black men thought about black women. The point
ofblackmen’s view that the black women are weak and they have to protect them as described in Home.The book entitled The Afro-American Woman: Struggles
and Images mentions: Basic to the struggles of the black woman was the way others viewed her
and the way she viewed herself. According to Rosalyn Terborg-penn’s “Black Male Perspectives on the Nineteenth-Century Woman,” some
black men in nineteenth century America felt that black women were no different from themselves in that both were struggling to improve that lot
in society Harley and Terborg-Penn, 1978: 10.
Harley and Terborg-Penn states that the gender status between black men and black women was not equal. There was the difference treatment that was
experienced by African-American with a different class. Throughout the American history black and white women gave the big
role in the work field. By the role of white, black had to compete with white in
order to get job. There was a gap between whites and blacks, also black women and black men, Afro American are less educated become the reason that their
income not as high as the white’s, and they were faced with limited job options. This condition influenced by the slavery, even though the enslavement era was
ended a long time ago Goldin, 1990: 27. In competing with the white women to get job the black women.Black
women did less effort as job seekers because the white women did not want to do the domestic job. In the 1950s many middle and upper class whites in the South
that regularly employed African American to do jobs such as cooks, maids, even taking care of the children. By hiring the blacks, whites domestic job problems
were solved Rose, 1997: 138. The ending of enslavement era did not really make contribution for the black get their freedom of slavery. Only a few of blacks been
freed on the same basis as indentured servants. Free blacks more often were skilled blacksmiths, carpenter, cobblers, farmers, or common laborers. The limited
skills that blacks had, made them could not work at the same place with the whites in the factory. The employers chose to hire the whites rather than blacks because
blacks were not suitable to the requirements that the factories needed. Blacks only had skills that they were taught as a slave Tindall, 1989: 360.
Black women earn money by working exclusively as the servants and agricultural workers. On the other hand, black menhad to compete with white
men in the same field of work because they would not do the domestic job as the black women did. Black men would not win because the low educational level
they belong to. The unemployment rate was higher than white men’s rate. The
high rate of unemployment and lower educational of black men directly proportional with the repression that they got. Some people argued that black men
are more repressed than black womenGoldin, 1990: 27.
D. Theoretical Framework
