The Function Of The Black Press In The Development Of African American's Ethnic Identity

It has been suggested that there is a crisis of national identity in the Unite States, which is challenged by the forces of globalization, multi-culturalism and migration. The conflicts among races are fierce, especially between the white and the black.The contradictions between the white and the black have been long since slavery period. In order to break down the racial segregation and discrimination, to strive for equality and civil rights, African Americans underwent an enduring and tough fight. From Civil War to the Civil Rights Movement, the history of black protest movement is also a process of development of African American's ethnic identity and black consciousness, during which the black press played an important role.A great many changes have occurred in the black setting, black protest movement, and the black press during these periods. This article is a study of the changes in these three phenomena and their interrelationships with particular attention to the responses of black press to the black protest movement and the function of the black press in the establishment of African American's ethnic identity, referring to the policies of editorials, focuses, slogans, sentiment, racial labels and so on.The stress on the black press is based on the assumption that the changes of the black press are just a reflection of the process, during which African American's ethnic identity is established.Along with the end of Civil Rights Movement and the improvement of African Americans' conditions, it seems that the black press is less important and even outdated.Entering 21^st century, as long as racial discrimination still exists in the United States, the black press continue pleading causes and serving the black community by exposing and fighting social illness, resisting separatism within black community,.