Sandra Bland's Case Analysis

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Recommended: Racial Stereotypes and their Effects

Sandra Bland, and advocate for #BlackLivesMatter and contributing member to society, was found hanging in a jail cell on July 13th, 2015. Although this death occurred nearly three years ago, it is highly controversial case that rocks the nation. On July 10th, Sandra was initially pulled over for a traffic stop in the city of Prairie View, Texas. The Texas State Trooper, Brian Encinia, pulled Bland over for allegedly failing to turn on her blinkers. Trooper Encinia approached her car, returned to his vehicle to write a warning ticket, then returned back to Bland’s vehicle and that when things went downhill. According to the conversation seen on Encinia’s dash camera, Bland initiated the hostility leading to her arrest. It is unclear what occurred …show more content…

These two aspects about me are easily noticeable. Regardless of if I am wearing a suit or wearing a scarf of my head, when I walk into a room people are going to see a black female regardless. I think that race is an interesting topic because African Americans are often told that race is not a factor by people who have never been in a black person’s shoes before. I feel like I can relate to some things that Sandra Bland was saying in her dispute with Trooper Encinia. Bland was painted to be an “mad/angry black woman”. This narrative has been painted for decades and it can honestly become exhausted. Just because I am an African American woman, America views me a certain way which makes me conscious of it. From little things to having to suppress emotions so I won’t be perceived a certain way to debating of straightening my hair for an interview so that my hair won’t be viewed as unruly. As Malcolm X said, “the most disrespected person in America is still the black woman.” I don’t ponder on this quote everyday but Malcolm is accurate. Being black in America is exhausting, and adding female on top of it means being a part of two oppressed …show more content…

He describes what being black in America feels like. He explains that black parents feel that when their child is born, they must protect them but regardless of the amount of protection, there will be an element of fear that the child will grapple with throughout life. Despite status of the black person, they are viewed as a black man. He brings up the example of President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama and states that people still see them as black people in America even though they ran the United States. Coates also talks about even if a black person is wealthy and lives in a nice neighborhood, they still fear what could happen in their neighborhood. I can relate to this because I lived in a nice neighborhood in an Atlanta suburb, but I still had the “fear” of something happening simply because of the color of my skin. My, or any other black person’s, socioeconomic status still cannot protect us from police brutality. In the eyes of America, I am black. I am not a scholar or a leader, I am a black woman which is why in the Identity compass I wrote that as an aspect that I am conscious of every single

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