A stereotype refers to a mistaken belief that many people hold against a group of people based on how they look without, which may not be true. Stereotypes of African Americans that have been prevalent in the United States dates back to the slavery era and before independence. The country has also been on the spot for the many instances of discrimination and racism meted against the Blacks living in the United States. Stereotypes are not only perpetuated by the police in the country but also by the media. In other words, African American males are falsely accused by various media houses of engaging in violent activities, drug trafficking, and crime. They were also accused of being lazy, ignorant, superstitious, and buffoonish. This article will study the negative stereotypes among African American males to understand why the stereotypes continue to prevail and identify ways of correcting the challenges encountered between law enforcement officers and African Americans.

Being tall as a white American stands for being attractive, intelligent, and successful. Therefore, tall white men are more likely to be hired, make more money, and attract promotions. However, height among African American males opens the window for discrimination from police and the justice system’s threats. This is because the police negatively stereotype tall African Americans to use their height to intimidate others Hester, N., & Gray, K. (2018). A lot of cases have been reported where police use excessive force or discriminate against unarmed Black men. The behavior of police influences how other people living in the United States perceive height, especially among African Americans. Read more

According to Neil Hester and Kurt Gray (2017), Black and Hispanic Americans living in New York were more likely to be stopped and frisked by police, despite being an unconstitutional move. The police perceive male African Americans and especially the tall ones as a threat to young white men. The article also found that police investigated the crime and arrested more Blacks than White during random raids. This is because for White Americans, being taller meant competence and thus less threatening. However, being taller meant more threatening for Blacks and thus less competent (Hester & Gray, 2018). This shows how police stereotype African American males with the same height details as their White counterparts. negative stereotypes among African American

African American males have also been criminalized for things such as napping and sitting in public spaces. For instance, two gentlemen identified as Rashon Nelson and Donte Robinson entered a Philadelphia Starbucks to strike a business deal with a partner on April 12, 2018 (Lockhart, 2018). The partner took longer to arrive at the meeting venue than expected. Ten minutes later, Rashon Nelson and Donte Robinson found themselves surrounded by police and were accused of trespassing and causing disturbance (Lockhart, 2018). Their only crime was seating in the restroom before placing an order. This is not the only case of police stereotype of African American males, but many have been recorded.

Police stereotype of drug use among African American males also exists. Incarceration of Blacks due to substance use has been prevalent in the United States since time memorial. The arrest rate of Back people due to drugs skyrocketed in the 1970s and has since been a common phenomenon (Butler-Barnes et al., 2020). However, a study conducted in 2011 reported that although the rate of arrests is higher among them, African American males are less likely to use illegal drugs than all other racial groups (Butler-Barnes et al., 2020). The level of injustice meted out to the African American males is nothing unfair. It shows that the United States has done little to ensure that the minority groups are not discriminated against race and color.

Ways of correcting the challenges

One of the most effective ways to manage the strife between African American males and the police is to enforce equality regulations. This is provided for by the United States constitution, and the remaining thing is its enforcement. Secondly, serious penalties should be charged on all those found to stereotype African Americans males for no reason. This includes imprisonment for a period of not less than three months without a fine. Thirdly, police should be trained on how to handle every offender and desist from a stereotype. This is because police influence many other people to do things that they do. In other words, many people out there treat people from marginalized groups the same way they see the police treat them. Fourthly, the government should conduct anti- stereotype campaigns to stop further damage against African Americans males. Lastly, the police force should take strong actions against police officers who deliberately inflict pain or kill African American males. This would help bring back sanity and eliminate the negative stereotypes existing against the Black in the country. negative stereotypes among African American

In conclusion, a stereotype means a mistaken belief that many people hold against a group of people based on how they look from outside, which may not be true. Stereotypes of African American males have been prevalent in the United States since the pre-colonial era. The Black are discriminated against for being tall while their White counterparts are given jobs, paid higher salaries, and promoted for just being tall. Tall African American males are perceived as a threat to young Whites. They are also more likely to be stopped and frisked by police while driving, arrested for crime investigations, and accused of illegal drug use than their white counterparts. negative stereotypes among African American