Introduction
The pedagogy of the oppressed by Paulo Freire is mainly focused on the oppressed and how the oppression circle continues despite the dream of change. Freire's pedagogy displays how individuals calculate their growth through learning from daily experiences. The pedagogy also depicts different kinds of ways in which the oppressed perceive and react to change. Oppression is an issue that cuts across gender, societal status, race, and ethnicity. Frier's pedagogy applies to several types of oppression in society. Although the pedagogy touches on different kinds of oppression cases, the paper will dwell more on the oppression of the Black Americans in relation to Frier's pedagogy of the oppressed.
Oppression of the Black Community in America
Over the years, oppression of the black community in America has been a subject to debate. Black oppression is an issue that started in the 1700s when blacks were transported to America to serve as slaves. Since the 1700s, the black population in America has continued to experience steady growth ( Freire, Bergman and Ramos, 2005) . Although America is considered the home opportunity and democracy, discrimination remains their biggest undoing. American resources mainly rest with the whites, and the blacks are not given the same job opportunities as the whites. For instance, in the current world, the salaries of skilled blacks and non-skilled white American native tend to differ by a significant percentage. In most cases, the salaries of the non-skilled whites in America are higher than the skilled black Americans.
Delegate your assignment to our experts and they will do the rest.
Based on Freire's pedagogy, most of the blacks in America have come to terms with their condition of being an inferior race. The whites have dominated the American welfare, leaving little space for the black race to thrive. For instance, in the American political system, the chances of Americans voting for blacks are slim compared to the white candidates. At some point in the history of America, the blacks were barred from voting considering that they were slaves without choice. The only opportunities that the black community in America enjoyed were to work in the white American farms. The struggle between the whites and the blacks has existed for years without any concrete solution. Since all efforts to deal with oppression failed, the blacks accepted their fate among the whites ( Freire, Bergman and Ramos, 2005). Currently, the blacks are stereotyped and discriminated by all arms of the government. For instance, cases of robbery and other criminal related activities are always linked to black Americans.
The stereotype and discrimination of blacks in America led to an increase in the rate of criminal activities. Most of the black Americans decided to engage in criminal activities to make a living considering that job opportunities were preserved for the whites. Freire, in his pedagogy, depicts a case where the oppressed, give into the oppressors' humiliation due to the absence of alternatives ( Freire, Bergman and Ramos, 2005) . The acceptance of black American's criminal explains Freire's concept in the pedagogy. According to Freire, the oppressors always have a way of making the oppressed to feel inferior. Many oppressors succeed through instilling fear on their oppressors. In the modern world, blacks tend to be more cautious, especially when dealing with whites. The oppression continues, and they have lost hope for freedom since the whites dominate the society.
According to Frier, the oppressed are always afraid of new styles of oppression, hence, prefer sticking to the terms of the current oppressor. For instance, black Americans may prefer voting for the whites than a fellow black man ( Freire, Bergman and Ramos, 2005) . The blacks presume that blacks in power can still be manipulated by the whites to oppress them, hence, the cycle continues. The wealthy whites are always considered to be the drivers of American society. They control several investments that boost the economic status of the American community. Since the wealthy whites control huge investments, they form part of the government decision-makers. The poor blacks are never given a chance to participate in the America decision-making process because they have nothing to offer.
In most cases, blacks are seen as criminals and servants; hence, no one gives them a listening ear. The whites see blacks as people who are involved in fights, alcohol drinking, and out of wedlock babies. Good qualities such as hard work and ambition are terms used to refer to wealthy whites.
The blacks have different thoughts, language, and worldviews. The two classes of people have completely different schools of thought about the day to day human activities. Based on Freire's pedagogy, the difference in beliefs and language is what glues the blacks in poverty ( Freire, Bergman and Ramos, 2005). They do not have focus due to oppression, hence, cannot engage in the same business with the whites. Blacks have allowed the culture of poverty to grow in them because they consider themselves aliens in American society. The whites are the owners of the society, and they decide on the laws and policies that run the American society. Blacks in America can achieve greater things if they erase the thoughts of oppression. The lack of confidence is considered to be the black people's devils.
The concept of oppression in America has eaten deep into black people’s thoughts to the extent that they fail to appreciate the little efforts that they make in life. Some whites classify themselves as the poor, yet they can afford the basics of life such as food, shelter, and clothing. According to Freire, sometimes the oppressors also feel oppressed by the same systems that they have employed on the oppressed (Freire, Bergman and Ramos, 2005) . The whites fail to realize that poverty is defined by the inability to cater for food, clothes, and shelter. Almost every black in the American society dreams of having extra money after sorting out the basics as a sign of success.
In America, poverty is linked to blacks while wealth and success are believed to be a thing of the whites. Due to the oppression of the black community in America, most of the blacks have adopted the culture of poverty, hence, cannot make efforts to improve the quality of their lives. The opportunities go to the whites considering that they are the dominant race in the United States of America (Freire, Bergman and Ramos, 2005) . Perceptions and language are what has created the gap that exists between black Americans and the whites. Although some of the whites also fall within the poverty bracket, the number of poor blacks in the country surpasses that of the whites. The high level of poverty experienced by Black Americans is due to oppression.
Racial segregation is a big problem facing the black community in America, although it does not affect the communication between the two races. Blacks who experience racial segregation can still find a way of interacting with the whites, but find it difficult to rise out of the poverty bracket (Freire, Bergman and Ramos, 2005) . Poverty does not consider race, but blacks are the most affected due to oppression. The poor American blacks have adopted different kinds of languages and thoughts that make it difficult for them to rise above the poverty line.
The gap between black Americans and whites is based on thoughts and perception about life. The two classes of people have different perception about the world. The blacks believe that they cannot achieve certain things due to the oppression that they are subjected to, while the whites trust in trying their best to accomplish something considering that they have opportunities. Blacks are viewed as beggars and lazy people by the whites because they have developed the culture of poverty. The culture of poverty is a state where an individual reassigns his or her life to poverty without attempting to get out of it. Although the blacks are blamed for their condition, some of them try hard to get out of poverty but have never found the opportunity to do so.
Relating the Plight of the Black Community to the Pedagogy of the Oppressed by Frier
According to Freire, the oppressors apply the concept of divide and rule to stop any form of resistance from the oppressed. A revolution or resistance always begins with the unification of ideas, a move that many oppressors protect at all costs (Freire, Bergman and Ramos, 2005) . The numbers of the oppressed may be greater than that of the oppressed, but the divide and rule concept always keeps the minority oppressors in a position of control. Based on Freire’s concept of divide and rule, the whites employed divide and rule to govern the black community. For instance, in the States where blacks are the dominant race, the whites are still elected into the leadership positions.
The use of policies and rules are also depicted in the pedagogy as a strategy used by oppressors to maintain power. The rules may seem normal in the eyes of the oppressors, but with the intent of sealing the unity loopholes (Freire, Bergman and Ramos, 2005) . For instance, an oppressing government may declare a rule that bars people from engaging in any form of demonstration. In most cases, people of the same ideology always unite through demonstration and secret meetings. In America, blacks were not allowed to conduct any form of demonstration. Blacks who went contrary to the rules and policies were subjected to harsh forms of punishments to serve as an example to the rest of the blacks. Through punishment, fear was instilled among the black community, hence, making them submissive to the White American rule. All efforts of black unity have always proved abortive.
Currently, there is a lot of bureaucracy in the American system that prevents blacks from getting justice. For instance, cases of extra-judicial killings in the black American community have been high in the previous years. The law enforcement agencies show no mercy to blacks considering that most of the officers are whites. Apart from the extra-judicial killings, most of the America prisons are full of black men and women, an indication of discrimination in the legal process. The extra-judicial killings and discrimination in the criminal justice system are one of the methods depicted in the Freire's pedagogy as repressive methods.
Over the years, the blacks have groomed leaders with the aim of achieving freedom from the white oppressors only to realize the freedom they seek is a mirage. After the election into office, the few black leaders share in the oppression of fellow blacks. Black leaders are always blinded by personal interest, hence, deviating from the pursuit of black freedom. The elevated members of the black community use their positions to acquire wealth, after which they use the acquired resources to brainwash and corrupt fellow blacks to prolong their stay in power (Freire, Bergman and Ramos, 2005). The brainwash and corruption of blacks by fellow black leaders still fall under oppression. The pedagogy of the oppressed by Freire also highlights how the black American unity is corrupted and hindered by fellow black leaders. According to Freire, people who emerge as leaders among the oppressed also adopt the same system of oppression when they get into power.
The Pedagogy of the oppressed depicts that the oppressed have always been brainwashed by their colleagues who rise to power. They paint a picture of progress to achieve their selfish interests while their people continue being in total oppression. Based on the concept of oppression depicted by Freire in the pedagogy of the oppressed, restoration of freedom in the black American community does not rely on their fellow black men.
The Solution for the Black Community in the Future
The black community in America has been under oppression for a long time. For the black community to achieve freedom, they must be able to master the concepts of oppression. Most of the successful revolutions in the world start with the mastering of the concepts of oppression (Freire, Bergman and Ramos, 2005) . The concepts of oppression will help the oppressed in finding ideal ways to counter the oppressive rule. Based on the information gathered over the years, the black community in America is in a gradual process of achieving freedom from the white Americans. Today, many Americans can participate in almost all the activities that the white engage in. In the ancient world, blacks were exposed to extreme conditions compared to modern society. The oppression of the black community started during the slave trade era whereby most of the Africans were forced into hard labor with no pay.
Blacks were used as trade commodities and sold to the most successful white bidder. The oppression was not hidden, and Africans were used like Animals or objects. Civilization entered society, leading to the introduction of religion. A section of the whites who embraced different kinds of religious beliefs joined the battle of slave trade abolition, and Africans achieved some freedom. Since the abolition of the slave trade, the white devised new methods of oppressing blacks (Freire, Bergman and Ramos, 2005) . Some of the ways are still visible in the modern American community. Indeed, the black community are not oppressed directly, but indirectly through different government and social platforms. The oppression is presented in the form of job opportunities, extra-judicial killings, and stereotyping.
Most of the cases among blacks and white Americans are always given a biased approach. For instance, several cases of extra-judicial killings in the black community always go unpunished. Since the blacks are graded as second citizens, any cases involving the white and blacks always favor the white American side. (Freire, Bergman and Ramos, 2005). The whites majorly run most of the criminal investigation agencies and other components of the criminal justice system. The chances of the black community winning against the white man in a court case are, therefore, slim. Apart from extra-judicial killing, the salaries of the non-skilled whites are always higher than the wages of a skilled black. It is sad that today America claims to be the father of democracy, yet injustices experienced by the black community stand unaddressed. Even though the black community is subject to several injustices, a big step has been made since the era of slavery
Based on the historical narrative of the American society, the black community is heading towards the right direction. In the modern world, the two races can intermarry and establish businesses without the influence of the whites. The intermarriage between the whites and blacks has given rise to a different racial class known as the African-Americans. The generation of the pure blacks is gradually fading, and the African-American race is rising against the pure whites. Racial segregation and stereotyping are also fading with the introduction of the new American race.
Most of the African-American citizens are given opportunities to serve in the leadership position, a move that indicates prospects of a better future for the black community. For instance, Barack Obama, who is an African-American, was able to serve as a senator as well as president of the United States of America for ten years. According to the gathered statistics, many whites voted for President Obama than blacks. Since the election of the African-American president, the perception of the blacks towards their dream realization changed. President Obama, during his tenure as the African-American president, streamlined the American political and judicial system to represent all Americans, regardless of race, sexual orientation, social and economic background.
The black community will be able to achieve total liberation from the whites as long as they remain united. Freire in his pedagogy of the oppressed, states that unity is the only way to end oppression. Most of the oppressors use the divide and rule strategy. Hence, the black community should adopt the spirit of unity as a tool aiding in total liberation. Apart from the unity, the blacks should also learn to embrace confidence among themselves. President Barack Obama succeeded in becoming the 44 th American president because of courage and self-confidence.
The black community should use the case of Obama as a motivating factor towards the whites’ oppression. Since the 44 th president of the United States of America came from the black community, the chances of other black members rising to powerful positions are high.
In the history of America, blacks were mainly employed in the white people’s industries. Throughout their employment, America was able to achieve success in the industrialization (Freire, Bergman and Ramos, 2005). Since the blacks were major operators of the industrial machines, they gained enough experience passed from generation to generation. The black community can use the industrial skills to build and operate their industries, hence, becoming independent from the whites. As long as the blacks work in the white American's industries and companies, oppression will continue. The black race must be independent economically, socially and politically to enhance full liberation from the white race.
When the black community embrace unity and peaceful coexistence among themselves, the divide and rule strategy of the whites will no longer be effective. In the black community, 60% are literate and understand some basic concepts of oppression (Freire, Bergman and Ramos, 2005) . In the ancient period, the blacks were never given the opportunity of going to school. Hence, they did not understand some of the methods that the oppressors used in ruling them. The case of black oppression is an issue that has been discussed from one generation to the other, making it an open subject for both the literate and the illiterate in the society. Currently, there are several human rights agencies that deal with cases of racial segregation, bribery, and bias. With the introduction of human rights agencies, cases of racial segregation have reduced by a significant percentage. Apart from the black community, there are many ethnic groups in America that have also joined hands in the fight against racial segregation and other forms of oppressive rules. Some of the ethnic groups in the fight against oppression are the Indians, Mexicans, and Japanese.
America is a country that contains people from different walks of life, and the cultural mix up is also one of the factors propelling the dismissal of the oppressive rule. Apart from the fight against the oppressive rule, the black community in America are well-placed to resist any form of oppression. The future holds no room for the oppressive rule. America will be a country where all races are appreciated and people given the same opportunities. Based on the present state of affairs, America will be free from bureaucracies and stringent policies. It is, therefore, ideal to conclude that the future of the black community in America will be good and free from oppression.
Reference
Freire, P., & Bergman, R. M. (2005). Pedagogy of the Oppressed: 30th Anniversary Edition .
