Racial And Social Development In Fatheralong By John Edgar Wideman

America’s foundation was heavily influenced by race and the melding of various cultures. We began as a melting pot of many differing groups congregating into a single union, and yet certain beliefs and ideologies over time have hindered the progression of our modern society. Racial social structures have existed in American society and have undoubtedly influenced the enculturation and familial relationships among minority communities. In the memoir Fatheralong, John Edgar Wideman eloquently exemplifies the link between racist social structures and the development and growth of African American children through his personal experiences and relationships growing up. Memories of racial profiling and discrimination lathered in Wideman’s sentiment

The financial stability within a family contributes to the ease of living, however the lack of a physical relationship leaves a lasting affect on the growth of a child. Wideman relates the economic struggles within the African American community with the faulty relationship that often occurs between African American fathers and their children. He highlights the issues relating to a lack of economic opportunity and the dependability of a parent 's presence when he reminisces the physical relationship he experienced with his own father. He recalls, “I did not expect him to do much more than come and go like a ghost, at odd hours, to sleep, to eat...He was my father and worked long and hard for us. We slept in the same house, but at different hours” (Wideman 42). Although he and his father were not physically separated through divorce or other issues, he never considered them very close. The family struggled due to the economic restraints placed on African Americans in the U.S. job market. Wideman’s relationship to his father was immensely distant as a result of the parent’s inability to obtain a consistent wage, forcing him to work multiple jobs to sustain his family. Wideman argues this issue

He highlights the instability of the environment writing, “The poisonous anger at stunted possibilities, the frustration of dying on the vine seep like corrosive acid into living rooms, neighborhoods”(Wideman 23). The emotional damage resulting from social imparities the African American community is forced to endure is most visible within their own environment, translating to unhealthy lives for the children and families who attempt to flourish and develop their own identities. Wideman argues these environments are “corrosive”, so unhealthy that they leave lasting scars on those who are cast in its shadow. The US National Library of Medicine and Institute of Health report on a survey finding: “poor and low-income adolescents are more likely than their more affluent counterparts to be in fair or poor (versus good or excellent) health, have limitations in their activities, and have had behavioral or emotional problems” (par 1). This provides evidence that the environment in which children are raised contributes heavily on their emotional and mental growth as well as their economic and educational success. Wideman