Henry Louis Gates Two Nations Summary

In the Forbes article called, Two Nations…both black by Henry Louis Gates Jr. it talks about how African American people don’t see themselves as good enough to be successful like “white” Americans. In the article, it talks about how African Americans are living in a period of time where they are having the best of times and the worst of times. The article also talks about how African Americans are not assimilating to the American norms. Henry Louis Gates Jr. goes on to say that in order for an African American to be successful they need to have a good career. He says that being an athlete is not a serious occupation, but having an education is. He then mentions that segregation will be broken once they cross the line of integration and when they graduate from a university not by playing a sport, but by their work that they do.

Although, Henry Louis Gates Jr. mentions that education is key to stopping segregation and being successful; he also says that African Americans feel inferior to “white” Americans. This makes them not have the motivation of succeeding, having an education, aspiring, and dreaming because they believe that this is only for “white” Americans and not blacks. In today’s world, anyone can strive for a better future no matter what race they are. At one point in the article Henry Louis Gates mentions that not everyone in any

Race is not the reason of why a person should succeed or fail. Any person can succeed without being segregated or discriminated. If more black people succeed, it will motivate more people to be better and want to work and do something with their life and get out of poverty. Blacks believe that whites are superior to them, but this is not the case. Everyone should have the right to be what they want to be and be in the social class that they desire to be without thinking that they are inferior to other