Index IntroductionSocial construction through colonizationChallenges through colonizationImplications through colonizationSocial construction through apartheidChallenges of apartheidPost-apartheid implicationsPost-apartheid solutionsIntroductionWhiteness has undermined the value of black communities, in this blacks are not more accurately represented by their own beliefs and culture. This essay will focus on why these negative perceptions occurred, seek a way to resolve them and restore the true identity of Black African communities. “Whiteness” has been defined as a set of traits or characteristics associated with the white race. Mindset is described by Merriam-Webster (2019) as a perspective or way of thinking. These two concepts are important to understand in order to understand what is meant by “white mentality”. In this context the “white mentality” can be understood as the perception that whites have of black communities due to the characteristics associated with whites, together with the possible advantages or different lifestyle experienced by whites, especially in South Africa. Whiteness influences how people see the world and move within it (Berlak, 2008). Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essaySocial construction through colonizationAfrican communities have been socially constructed based on the opinions of those around them and potentially lead to opinions among themselves, of themselves. Colonization is where social construction begins, as the way African communities were affected began there. White colonies from Europe arrived in Africa and colonized numerous black communities. Violence, weapons and machinery were used to take over land and people for the benefit of the white population. Whites were now rich in resources and power and blacks were the exact antithesis of that. This power enabled the perception of blacks and extended to the point where white children viewed blacks negatively. If black children went to school in white Africa, they would be undermined and treated as if they were ignorant of the world they live in, making them feel inferior. Black Africa was perceived by the colonizers as slow, inhuman, cruel, and with a number of other well-known traits (Fanon, 1963). These observations were made potentially because of their acts of polygamy, the way they lived their lives, their beliefs, and their culture. The children of the white colonizers called the blacks “niggers”, this shows how much reckless power the whites had. The colonists succeeded in dehumanizing these “brutal,” “illogical,” and “barbaric” people, instilling in the natives a psychology that if the colonizers left, the Africans would return to their uncivilized ways. Africans would then believe that their colonized life is the “right” way to live. describe the identity of black Africans. One of the major challenges faced by Native people during colonialism was potentially the loss of identity through the loss of culture. With the power of the colonizers, customs, values, beliefs, traditions and essentially culture were influenced by the beliefs of Western culture. Black people went to Western Christian churches and listened to Western cultural myths and spiritual beliefs, these were potentially the only beliefs and cultures that Black people were able to practice and therefore they lost touch with their own beliefs and culture. Intellectual natives would try to defend the existence of their culture and yesthey would realize that this requires them to fight physically and that fighting would restore their past value. Fanon (1963) states that the extent to which natives defend the existence of their culture is surprising and that the unrestricted affirmation of African culture is great, as evidence of this an African Cultural Society was created. However fighting for culture is a challenge in itself, fighting for one's culture during colonialism meant risking one's life and therefore still risking losing one's culture. In light of this, many natives withdrew from Western customs and turned towards any culture avoiding the Western one and this led to a loss of identity. Fanon (1963) responds by stating that the maintenance of tradition, or lack thereof, is not solely due to colonization, but also due to the fact that the national middle class has what he suggests is "intellectual laziness" and the spiritual poverty in which the mind of the natives is fixed. Fanon (1963) also recognizes a certain extent of this "laziness" in the post-colonial world. . The economy is poor and the natives set out to create a capitalist society, focusing on secondary and tertiary activities. Activities such as trade, agriculture and the liberal professions rather than industrialists, manufacturing and work express the ignorance they have of their country's economy (Fanon, 1963). The challenges are therefore multiple, the ability to function in a society where your life has been turned upside down. In a place governed by people who aim to govern your mind and your possessions Fanon (1963), to govern your beliefs and your identity. Somewhere where it is difficult to stay alive, where your existence is to serve someone else, these are challenges that can pose a threat to someone's psychology and can lead to a vulnerable and extremely sensitive existence. This shows how social constructionism and the challenges faced by African communities through the mindset of white people, can create implications that are not only physically but emotionally and mentally sensitive. Implications through colonization Psychological effects would occur in colonized cities if rubbish bins were not emptied and there was no electricity Fanon (1963), this makes basic livelihoods difficult. The distribution of wealth is not equal between levels of society and this leads a large part of the native population to starve Fanon (1963). Fanon (1963) explains that mental development is uneven, old traditions are unfamiliar, perceptions are contaminated, and young Africans are unstable and at risk of Western aggression, all because of colonization. Natives, in postcolonial times, are exposed to a country with little economic power and are therefore unable to meet immediate needs. This may also be long-term as meeting basic needs may prove difficult in a slowly developing economy. Acquiring a spiritual and cultural identity similar to what black communities once had will be a long process, especially since those mentally affected by colonization would have to return to concepts that are no longer familiar to them. Social Construction Through Apartheid Race is an integral part of today's world, especially in South Africa. Race facilitates every aspect of a person's life, from work and the opportunities available to you, to politics and the law. By race we mean a social phenomenon understood as an association between physical characteristics and the assumption of personal characteristics, this is a way of explaining, understanding and acting in the world. Race has been socially constructed and in doing so they areassociated personal characteristics, your flat nose, woolly hair, and darker complexion determined your place in slavery. However this worked both ways, whites are also influenced by the social construction of race (Haney Lopez, 1994) not all whites believed in these tests to determine one's nature and not all whites believed slavery was okay, so it is clear that personal characteristics do not align with one's race. This also follows apartheid in South Africa, not all white people condoned this era and fought against it. It is clear how the social construction has derived from the days of slavery into a new era and is still used for negative associations towards women. African communities. In apartheid South Africa, race determined one's place in society and for black Africans that was a status of great inferiority, intellectually and otherwise (Dubow, 1992). Each separation in every part of South Africa and the uneven distribution of resources allowed the negative perception that people had of black South Africans to develop. Apartheid segregation allowed the state to maintain land in its use, possession and occupation of land, the Group Areas Act reinforced this claim. Land segregation also limited blacks' access to educational services. The Challenges of Apartheid During apartheid, black communities suffered human rights abuses. The National Party and the Truth and Reconciliation Commission allowed healthcare workers to become complicit in the variety of human rights abuses that occurred in healthcare institutions on a daily basis. These health professionals sometimes used their knowledge to aid the state in the fight against opponents of apartheid by manipulating access to health care. Health care of masses of people was ignored or violated through moral and ethical codes during apartheid and colonialism. There has also been an extreme lack of support for organizations and individuals who oppose apartheid and are often victims of it. The entire healthcare sector was corrupt due to apartheid which affected all aspects of the sector and explicitly targeted opponents of apartheid, largely black African communities. Another major challenge experienced by blacks during apartheid was that racial groups were segregated and educated separately, by separate departments of education. The resources you received and the quality of your education were determined by the racial group you belonged to. “Whites” received resources from the First World while other racial groups received resources from the Third World. The resources most received were facilities filled with too many people, therefore overcrowded and with uncomfortable learning conditions, teachers were underqualified or inadequately trained, and the content learned was to reinforce the racial segregation and classification experienced in the current apartheid society (Nates, 2010). During Apartheid and colonialism the African language was defined as a 'language' instead of being recognized as a 'language' in which the term itself had value, rights and esteem while the associations with the term 'language' they did not give such high comments, in fact the opposite. African languages ​​did not have the same status as Afrikaans and English. Despite the efforts of South Africa's new constitutions and policies, there has been no significant improvement in the use and status of African languages ​​in education. It is recognized that the only way for positive change to occur in African language use and status would be to change the social construction, change linguistic attitudes,..