Nature Of Society In Kevin Boyle's Arc Of Justice

1121 Words3 Pages

Discrimination Kevin Boyle unravels the detrimental nature of society in his book Arc of Justice. During this era, majority of the white race believed that they were superior over African Americans. This caused a wide gap between the two races, in the areas of educational programs, health care, neighborhoods. Arc of Justice reveals the true realities of hostile discrimination towards African Americans. Education was a symbol of entitlement and superiority among all races, but it was especially important to the Sweet family. The Sweets believed that furthering their knowledge was an essential tool for succeeding. However, discriminatory laws made it nearly impossible for any African American to flourish. According to the book, “In the early
The most minor diseases to a white society was a major killer for the black race. Additionally, he writes, “A truly desperate person might drag himself to one of Detroit’s white hospitals far outside Black Bottom. But chances were, he’d get no more than a quick once-over in the outpatient clinic, since most white institutions wouldn’t admit Negros no matter how sick they were…”6 Discrimination caused serious detrimental health damages and deaths, and the blacks knew they weren’t going to receive the necessary help. The book says, “So in 1919, only 3 percent of Detroit’s ill Negros went to hospitals for treatment, while the rest tried their best to get by. They bought up the patents medicines that drugstores kept on their shelves.” Even with the opening of the black hospital, Dunbar Memorial, that was ran by Ossian and his colleagues still suffered the true hardships of discrimination. According to the text, “Dunbar survived on donations from white charities and the continual efforts of founders. It wasn’t enough: the hospital was so small it could admit only twenty-seven patients at a time and so underfunded it could maintain only a single ill-equipped operating room.” The ultimate health of a black American was unimportant in the eyes of the white society. Countless blacks suffered great health decline because they had the inability and access to health facilities due to discrimination. Throughout the book Boyle makes it evident that intermixed neighborhoods was socially and morally unacceptable. In Arc of Justice it says, “Neighborhood violence, though, cut closest to the bone. Five times that summer, crowds of white attacked blacks who had bought homes in all-white areas.” Even the Sweet family met first-hand the racial violence that occurred with living in a white neighborhood. The book explains, “Then suddenly the window above [Ossian] shattered. A rock thudded

More about Nature Of Society In Kevin Boyle's Arc Of Justice

Open Document