Demographics
The African American community consists of one of the largest minority groups in America, with a population of 42 million. This consists of 13.6% of the entire American population. More than 50% of African Americans live in the urban, city center areas. The population concentration of African Americans in urban areas can be attributed to work, inability to afford housing in the suburbs, and preference of a sense of community. However, other regional characteristics highly depend on where they are from because there are blacks who are a mix of other races, for example, black and white. It will affect their customs, language, and actions.

Religion
African Americans are notably more religious that the general US population. In 2007, 87% of African Americans compared to 83% of Americans ascribed to a religion according to the Pew Research Center Forum. For most African Americans, religion is very important. The breakdown of religious affiliation among African Americans is; 78% protestant, 40% Baptist, 15% Evangelical, 12% Unaffiliated, and 5% Catholic.

African American Family
A typical African American family has the man as the head of the home, where he believes that his role is to provide and make decisions. The role of the man in the home is influenced by the integration of West African cultural history into family life and structural adaptation to slavery. But, many African American households lack a male in the family, mainly due to abandonment, contemporary social conditions such as poverty, early death, and incarceration. As a result, the women in the family take the place of the absent men as the providers, caregivers, and decision makers in the home. Children of deceased or absent parents are usually taken care of by their grandmothers and aunts.

Children/Adolescents
African American children and adolescents tend to exhibit behavioral problems because of the many social and economic challenges that the African American community has to deal with. A lack of economic opportunities means that most of these children do not get proper housing, education, and food. Poor housing is located in neighborhoods where morals are below the mainstream values. The wide prevalence of absent fathers leads to issues of identity, security, and diminished prospects for a good future.

Single parenthood
More than 50% of African American households are headed by a single-parent mother. In most instances, the single is stereotyped as being uneducated, working low-paying jobs to support her children without any support from other family members. She most likely is on government support.

Language and communication
The language and communication style of the African American community is unique compared to other races. It is known as Ebonics. It is highly misunderstood by the mainstream community and is considered to be a mark of a lack of education. Among the African-American community, those who speak proper English are criticized for trying to be white. Communication is accompanied by a lot of animation, and it is loud and aggressive, which is mistaken for violent behavior.

Perception of African Americans by other races
Other races think of Africa Americans as entitled because of their history of forced immigration and slavery. They think that all black people in America are criminals, aggressive, angry and that they abuse government assistance. However, this stereotype is highly propagated by the media and does not represent the entire African-American community.

History with the Law
The African American community has faced continuous discrimination since their forced immigration and slavery in the 18th century to date. Since they had no proper representation, the only way that their voices could be heard was through riots and public demonstrations. These demonstrations have been poorly portrayed by the media in a manner that the media favors. Retaliations by the black community against police violence are shown as black people violence and overt aggressiveness.

Law enforcement and ways to change
The law enforcement and society can change these negatives by implementing policies that would facilitate law enforcement interaction with the community when there is no crime taking place. It can be a form of educating law enforcement on how to handle the African American community in an objective manner as opposed to stereotypical bases. The media should adopt professionalism and non-partisan reporting when reporting on matters to do with the black community. The African American communities could take a more proactive role in family and community participation by protecting their children and ultimately their neighborhoods. This involves a positive interaction with law enforcement. The community can be provided with programs that promote social and economic empowerment which is a sure way to significantly minimize societal ills and negative prejudice from other communities.