The Middle-Class Black's Burden Summary

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In the story “The Middle-Class Black’s Burden” Leanita McClain is discriminated by white people and lower-class African Americans. White people had “Jim Crow” laws to prevent African American mixing with whites in public. Most African Americans during that time are poor but McClain’s family has made it to Middle-class and is discriminated against by lower class African Americas because of her success. The discrimination from lower-class African Americans toward McClain is the most painful of all, which later causes her to commit suicide later on in her life. When a person who have the same culture background and experience, but he or she are discriminated by he or she own people it can destroy an individual pride. In the quote “I am burdened daily with showing whites that blacks are people” McClain always tries to show white people that black people are no different than whites. Yet, lower-class African Americans discriminated against McClain family because they are …show more content…

When an individual is being discriminate by their own race he or she will have a sense of lost on where they belong because their own race does not see you as one of their own yet you have the same character or experience as them. McClain is one of the victim “whites won’t believe I remain culturally different; black won’t believe I remain culturally the same.” She does not and cannot pick white or black side because they both hated her. In the quotes “I have fulfilled the entry requirements of the American middle-class, yet I am left, at times, feeling unwelcome and stereotyped” McClain explain how lower-class African American hated her for her success and it broke her heart that her own race not accepting her for whom she is and other race discriminated her for being black. Being that much hated by her own race will eventually overwhelm her and she committed suicide because of

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