Bobby Allen

UWRT
Mrs. Knudson
5/1/2016
Memo
For my peer review editing workshop, I worked with two people. At the time we were
supposed to have our papers for the review I did not have it. I talked to Mrs. Knudson on why I
did not have my paper for class. I already had my topic that I wanted to talk about for
assignment. I wanted to talked about cultural myths relating to African Americans. I wanted to
really elaborate on the topic because there are so many culture myths relating to this assignment.
Mrs. Knudson gave me good examples on how to start my paper. She also gave me good
examples on how to set up my paper, like giving a culture myth then elaborating on it and so
forth. I am glad that I talked to Mrs. Knudson because she clarified some things that I did not
understand. After I finished talking to Mrs. Knudson I went and started my workshop with my
group. My workshop already knew I did not have my paper. I told them my outline of my paper
that I would be writing. I let them know I would be writing my paper on African American myths
in todays society. I also had a really good outline on how I wanted to set up my paper for this
assignment. They told me that I had a good myth, they also understood how I wanted to elaborate
on it too. So that made things a lot easier. Not having my paper, I believe I made the workshop
difficult for my peers in my workshop, because they did not have a hard copy. I read my peers
paper and I really believe I gave good constructed criticism. Being in my UCOL 1010 class has
really helped me with writing essays. The criticism that I gave to them, watching out for run-ons,
fragments, also sometimes you might have to put (and, but etc.) to separate two sentence that go
hand and hand together.

Bobby Allen
UWRT
Mrs. Knudson
5/1/2016
Bobby Allen
Mrs.Knudson
1101 UWRT Cultural Literacy Essay
02/16/2016

African American Myth

To be honest I despise culture myths. People stereotype people every day. This can hurt
so many people. Cultural myths Influence the way we speak to others. These myths blind our
society, because they believe something that is not true. I will be discussing several negative
myths that African Americans endured before slavery and in todays society.
Many to choose from, but were should I start? Many people think just because someone
is African American they must like a certain food, object, or just talented at any sport. This myth
gets to me in so many ways. Certain things people say to African Americans they may offend
them; however, most continue with their day.
How would you feel if you were African American living in the society we live in today?
With everything going on in the world African Americans are misunderstood. Every African
American is not a thug. Other races classify African Americans by the way we speak, what we
wear, what type of cars we drive and most of all the music we listen to. Who knows the person
that you think is a thug just might have a college degree and is really doing something to better
themselves.

Bobby Allen
UWRT
Mrs. Knudson
5/1/2016
One of the main myths that I here almost every day, is that every African American loves
fried chicken. Why do different races think this about African Americans? What would give them
a reason to think such a thing? I think a lot of African Americans eat fried chicken because it is
easy to prepare and can feed large families; however, not all African American eat or loves fried
chicken. I am speaking from experience, because I do not eat fried chicken or fried food, because
it is not healthy for you. I like to work out, so especially fried food I do not consume. When
people say, all black people love fried chicken, it really irritates me.
There was one incident that happened when I was a junior in high school. There was an
individual that would go around saying certain myths. I would always try to dodge him, until he
saw me outside one day. I was waiting on someone when he came up to me and said Why do all
black people like fried chicken. I looked at him for a second, then I smacked him. I knew I was
in the wrong; however, I felt I was being disrespected. I learned my lesson from that incident.
For centuries African Americans have always been manipulated to benefit another country.
African Americans are looked at as someone who is about to commit a crime of some sort.
Why do different races think every African American are a suspect or a thief? Most
incidents are hate crimes to the highest degree. I believe it traces back from centuries of
slavery. Africans Americans had no determination during the colonization and slavery time
period. Just like the slavery time period, Anthropology were the first to study African Americans
so they could control them. Anthropology considered African Americans to be savages. Because
of anthropology assumption, a lot of Africans Americans are classified as being worthless and
misunderstood. Police brutality and harassment still happens in the 20th century.

Bobby Allen
UWRT
Mrs. Knudson
5/1/2016
Last year, November time period. Jeremy King (22) and Lourdes Glen (24) were going to
catch an Uber, because they were attending an event later that evening. As they jay walked
acrossed Sixth Street, two officers were in full pursuit. They were tackled to the ground with
force. King and Glen believed because the minor infraction, excessive force was not necessary.
While all of these events were planned out, someone was recording the entire altercation. On
footage the officers were seen punching and drilling their knees into the defendant (King). King
was of African American decent; however, Glen was Latino. Now it really looked like a hate
crime. As King and Glen did, I fill the officers should be accountable for their action.
This is a myth that every African American is a suspect. To be honest this is the image
that most African American portray. In most incidents if you see an African American that has on
clean clothes, professional, different races do not pay mind to it. With the same incident let it be
a dirty African American that looks like a thug. They would consider him to be looking for
trouble. That is why I think this myth is being passed down from generation to generation.
African Americans tend to settle with what is comfortable to them at the time. Instead of wanting
to go to college or become an entrepreneur, a majority of African Americans tend to fall short to
drugs and violence.
What people see on social media they believe most of these acquisitions. The Sandra
Bland case they portrayed her as being a violent person, when she really was not. In her mug
shot you could tell she was on the floor dead. The police still tried to get away with this crime. I
believe this is why African Americans navigate to drugs and violence, because African
Americans think police are against them in every aspect. This is a heritage bondage over African

Bobby Allen
UWRT
Mrs. Knudson
5/1/2016
Americans. Their families did drugs and violence, so they think selling drugs and violence is the
answer. Most African Americans see sports as a way to leave poverty.
Why do different races believe just because you look like you are in shape, you must be
an athlete? Basketball and (American) Football are African Americans dominate sports. 80 % of
African Americans play in the NFL, 68% in the NBA, and 10% in MLB. Billions of people every
day watch sports. Noticing African Americans Athletism, many tend to believe every African
American is athlete.
Jessi Owens, An African American Track and Field star and 4-time Olympic gold
medalist. At the 1936 Olympics in the Summer in Berlin. Owens won the 100 meters, 200
meters, long jump, and 4x100 relay. He was single handed ranked the best at track and field.
This was the Era of Hitler. Dealing with adversity, Owens still found ways to prevail.
African Americans are just good at sports, but not all. It goes back to what people see on
T.V. A lot of people see African Americans as playing sports really well. This is just a fact in the
society we live in today. You might can play one sport really good, but what about the other
sports? Prime example, I would consider myself an athlete. Even though I was in the military, I
cannot play baseball. My whole family plays baseball. That is one sport that I did not catch on to.
This is also a myth; every African American does not know how to play every sport.
In conclusion I believe myths are told stories passed down from generation to generation.
I talked about three myths that African Americans go through. African Americans are always
considering to be a suspect about to commit a crime, all like fried chicken and most African
Americans know how to play sports really well. Cultural myths put blind folds on individuals
that do not know nothing about the culture or person, just off what they hear. This put African

Bobby Allen
UWRT
Mrs. Knudson
5/1/2016
Americans in a difficult situation leading to police brutality and violence against police officer.
African American fell they need to protect themselves at all cost, because of certain myths that
have been given to African Americans.