For as long as I can remember, racial injustice has been the topic of discussion amongst the American nation. A nation commercializing itself as being free and having equality for all, however, one questions how this is true when every other day on the news we hear about the injustices and discriminations of one race over another. Eula Biss published an essay called “White Debt” which unveils her thoughts on discrimination and what she believes white Americans owe, the debt they owe, to a dark past that essentially provided what is out there today. Ta-Nehisi Coates published “Between the World and Me,” offering his perspective about “the Dream” that Americans want, the fear that he faced being black growing up and that black bodies are what …show more content…
She witnessed, “a black man being handcuffed by his car on an empty stretch of road next to a cemetery in Chicago” (6). While this and the Sandra Bland example are two of many more, Biss is trying to prove that white criminals are treated with privilege, rather than experiencing the same kind of treatment someone of color gets, they are given advantages that someone of color would not have, advantages they do not deserve. Biss uses this example in order to prove that the actions of the police are done not out of necessity, but as something that has always happened throughout history, a tradition of some sort, which Coates connects with as …show more content…
She states “whiteness is not a kinship or a culture,” and that “whiteness is not who you are.” (5). She states that whiteness “is not an identity but a moral problem” (6) and that changing your skin tone from white is not the answer to the problems of whiteness. Biss accomplishes her point of what whiteness is not and now uses this to give us now a sense of what whiteness is and it being an illusion that is harming to those around us. Biss also describes that she has found “refusing to collude in injustice is easier said than done” (6), which means that saying you are not going to participate in the act of injustice acts is easier than actually putting that movement forward. You never really have to think about being white because the things nonwhites go through does not apply to them. She believes whiteness is costing her, her moral life, her community and has driven a wedge between her neighbors and herself. Biss explains of the uncomfortable uncertainty she had with life and it being good. She was “pestered by the possibility that all” of everything she knew “was built on a bedrock of evil and that evil was running through our groundwater” (7). Biss was pestered by the idea of what the lives of whites and the American dream were mainly built on, the oppression of
She alludes to the idea that as people we must look deeper into our lives and see were we may have been given unearned privilege whether is be from race, gender, or sexuality.
Dr. Peggy McIntosh looks at white privilege, by “Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack.” She describes white privilege as almost a special check or coin that she gets to cash in on. Dr. McIntosh tells that white privilege has been a taboo and repressed subject – and that many white people are taught not to see or recognize it. However, she is granted privileges (McIntosh 30). Dr. McIntosh goes on to describe twenty-six ways in which her skin-color grants her certain privileges. In example twenty, she describes how she can buy “…posters, postcards, picture books…” and other items that “…feature people of my race” (32). Additionally, in her first example, she talks about being able to be in the “company of people of my race most of the time” (McIntosh 31). Instances in which a privilege person would not even recognize unless they were looking, show evidence for white privilege. People take these advantages for granted because they simply expect them. Due to the lack of melatonin in her skin, she was granted privileges and her skin served as an asset to her. Dr. McIntosh conveys how her privilege is not only a “favored state,” but also a power over other
Racism has been and always will be a form of segregation concurrently and in the history of humanity. From Ancient times to current, the status of segregation by some means of oppression privied by power, wealth, and prestige has been as second nature as drinking water. While Coates has his own perspective of reality and its structure, it’s interesting that a so called genius had taken almost 30 years to finally see the true nature of “the beast” he frequented. That Beast known as Racist America and all if its capitalist racial qualities. While some have their own experiences and perspectives, “Between The World and Me”, past historical events on racism in America including the Civil Rights Movement, correlative measures of other countries on racism and the slave trade, and the many obstacles that are implemented to secure such advantages will continue to be the key topics of discussion.
She shows how these fictions are woven into the fabric of everyday life in Jackson, from the laws to ordinary conversations, and how these beliefs get passed from generation to generation. It shows a deep mistrust of whites on the part of the black community, who have been betrayed by them again and again. It also shows how powerful and how dangerous it can be to challenge the stereotypes and dissolve the lines that are meant to separate people from each other on the basis of skin
On Being Young-A Woman-and Colored an essay by Marita Bonner addresses what it means to be black women in a world of white privilege. Bonner reflects about a time when she was younger, how simple her life was, but as she grows older she is forced to work hard to live a life better than those around her. Ultimately, she is a woman living with the roles that women of all colors have been constrained to. Critics, within the last 20 years, believe that Marita Bonners’ essay primarily focuses on the double consciousness ; while others believe that she is focusing on gender , class , “economic hardships, and discrimination” . I argue that Bonner is writing her essay about the historical context of oppression forcing women into intersectional oppression by explaining the naturality of racial discrimination between black and white, how time and money equate to the American Dream, and lastly how gender discrimination silences women, specifically black women.
Racial inequality is a disparity in opportunity and treatment that occurs as a result of someone 's race. Racial inequality has been effecting our country since it was founded. Although our country has been racially injustice toward many different race this research paper, however will be limited to the racial injustice and inequality of African-Americans. Since the start of slavery African Americans have been racially unequal to the majority race. It was not in tile the Civil Rights Act of 1964 when African Americans received racial equality under the law of the United States. Many authors write about racial injustice before the civil rights act and after the civil rights act. In “Sonny’s Blues” James Baldwin tells a fictional
Racial Inequality is a topic in America that many people believe still exists, and many believe it’s simply an over-dramatized topic. Tim Wise, a notable person in the political world, gave a speech on his thoughts on racial inequality at Bloomsburg University (Wise, 2016). I strongly disagreed with the ideas he tried presenting to us students at Bloomsburg University. However, I kept an open mind despite feeling disturbed by his thoughts, and came out with new knowledge on the topic of racial inequality.
While racism is usually more easily recognizable by way of comments, social isolation and stereotyping, there is another divide that many don’t recognize and that is white privilege. White privilege, also referred to as white skin privilege, is when white people are granted certain rights, privileges, positions, courtesies, etc.…over those of a different race. This is often seen in political, educational and social environments. This impacts social inequality by adding to the existing differences in social experiences and/or statuses that results in people having unequal access to valued resources, services, and positions in society (Kerbo, 2012). Throughout history white privilege has suppressed the advancement of African Americans.
Brent Staples focuses on his own experiences, which center around his perspective of racism and inequality. This perspective uniquely encapsulates the life of a black man with an outer image that directly affects how others perceive him as a person. Many readers, including myself, have never experienced the fear that Staples encounters so frequently. The severity of his experiences was highlighted for me when he wrote, “It also made it clear that I was indistinguishable from the muggers who occasionally seeped into the area from the surrounding ghetto.” (135) Having to accept that fact as a reality is something that many people will never understand. It is monumentally important that Staples was able to share this perspective of the world so others could begin to comprehend society from a viewpoint different from their
I was late for school, and my father had to walk me in to class so that my teacher would know the reason for my tardiness. My dad opened the door to my classroom, and there was a hush of silence. Everyone's eyes were fixed on my father and me. He told the teacher why I was late, gave me a kiss goodbye and left for work. As I sat down at my seat, all of my so-called friends called me names and teased me. The students teased me not because I was late, but because my father was black. They were too young to understand. All of this time, they thought that I was white, because I had fare skin like them, therefore I had to be white. Growing up having a white mother and a black father was tough. To some people, being black and white is a contradiction in itself. People thought that I had to be one or the other, but not both. I thought that I was fine the way I was. But like myself, Shelby Steele was stuck in between two opposite forces of his double bind. He was black and middle class, both having significant roles in his life. "Race, he insisted, blurred class distinctions among blacks. If you were black, you were just black and that was that" (Steele 211).
Every generation faces new challenges and new problems to which we have progressed, conquered or simply just swept right under the rug. In today’s world we are increasingly facing numerous social problems, such as income disparity, unemployment, political instability amongst many others, but racism seems to have resurfaced in these past years. Although, the United States has come a long way in the issue of racism, it has never completely conquered it. Incidents such the shooting at Ferguson Missouri has raised an upheaval of protesters against the Country’s system that claims equal treatment and equal opportunity for all, regardless of race or gender. Incidents such as the one previously mentioned, clearly depicts that white-power continues
Throughout American history, racial inequalities were created to dehumanize those who were not white. Beginning with the brutal genocide of Native Americans in 1492, leading to forcing millions of Africans, Native Americans and Latinx into slavery, it is clear to see that racial inequalities are deeply rooted in American history. From past to present, America has displayed atrocities and inequalities among the oppressed races. The inequality of races in America has led to an unequal distribution of opportunity, especially cultural equality. However, because of these inequalities people have fought against institutionalized racism and have paved the way for a better future.
In a society where a racial divide is growing more and more prominent everyday, black lives are being put into the spotlight. White people have always had the upper hand in America, but exactly how much of an upper hand do they have? It has always been apparent, since the first developed human society, that with power comes opportunity. With the lack of power and opportunity in their own right, people of color miss out on options for betterment and equality. In a society where there are very few people of color in the top one percent of the economy, obviously the opportunities are going to be limited for the remaining ninety-nine percent. Lacking in opportunities, the remaining ninety-nine
When she first is confronted by the problem or race it hits her with a thump. Bob takes Alice to dinner where she states, “I don’t want feel like being refused” (55). Alice does what she can to avoid the face of racism. She lacks the integration within the different community, which gives her a one-path perspective. While going to the restaurant with Bob, he asks, “Scared because you haven’t got the white folks to cover you” (55)? She doesn’t have the protection of her friends or her parents to shy away from the truth of her being African American. She is hiding behind a mask because she’s passing as white. She’s accepting the assumption that she belongs to their culture. When she goes out, “with white folks the people think you’re white” (60). But, when she goes out with Bob there is nothing to hide behind. She’s confronted with the truth. Already feeling low about the restaurant, and getting pulled over by the cops, she uses her wealth to get out of the situation. She says, “I am a supervisor in the Los Angeles Welfare” (63). The power of her family shows that she be treated better by the cops and others in the
Although her story is about the corrupted system and cruelty towards African Americans, I first thought it was about a rape that occurred and the victim, Sandra Bland. After being pulled over for a routine traffic stop, the young woman Sandra Bland was treated unfairly through the series of events, ultimately leading to her death. The usage of hyperbole throughout the essay are both exaggerations and the truth The author now feels vulnerable during her daily driving routine because of her skin color. She feels white police officers see the wrong meaning in her skin. “In the color of my skin they see criminality, deviance, a lack of humanity.” Authorities can only see the bad and the stereotypes through her skin color without knowing who she actually is as a person. Her vulnerability is both visible and invisible to the average eye. Her personality is altered by the traumatic event. Ta-Nehisi Coates wrote, “In America, it is traditional to destroy the black body – it is heritage.”; Gay added to this statement by saying, “It is also tradition to try and destroy the black spirt,” America’s traditions do not include destroying black spirts or bodies, however, America does have a reputation for not respectively treating the black body, especially by authority figures. The destruction of her faith in humanity makes her feel as if she is not a living, breathing soul. “I do not feel alive. I