Racial Injustice in A Raisin in the Sun, by Lorraine Hansberry and Sonny’s Blues, by James Baldwin

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"I have a dream that one day little black boys and girls will be holding hands with little white boys and girls," said Martin Luther King Jr., the dream that is still unfulfilled. White supremacy, black inferiority, Jim Crow laws, segregation, racial terror, and racial inequality are the most common topics in American history. The quote by Martin Luther King Jr. asserts the truth that racial injustice was in the vein of the American dream. He hopes that someday injustice, the view that African Americans are inferior, will go away, and they will be treated equally as full human beings. The theme of racial injustice is prevalent in both "A Raisin in the Sun" by Lorraine Hansberry and "Sonny's Blues" by James Baldwin. Both stories show contrasting views on African American people living in fear of racial terrorism, physical harm, housing inequality, and dangerous life in segregated black neighborhoods. However, they share similar views on racism in the form of economic oppression and the experience of racial injustice in both authors' lives, which are expressed through their respective stories. In the 1950s, racism was at its peak, and racial conflict was a common occurrence throughout the USA. Black people were living in fear of racial terrorism and physical harm. The determination of white people to deny equal rights to black people frequently resulted in violent clashes, leading to racial terrorism and physical attacks on black people. Thus, black people used to live in fear of physical harm. In "A Raisin in the Sun," the evidence of racial terrorism was prevalent and was explained on two occasions. Jacqueline Foertsch wrote in her "Against the 'Starless Midnight of Racism and War': A..." (citation left unchanged). Corey's article "'To Keep from Shaking to Pieces': Addiction and Bearing Reality in 'Sonny's Blues'" (citation left unchanged) discusses the theme of addiction in the story. Robin Bernstein's article "Inventing a Fishbowl: White Supremacy and the Critical Reception of Lorraine Hansberry's A Raisin in the Sun" (citation left unchanged) discusses the critical reception of the play. James Baldwin's biography (citation left unchanged) provides insight into his life and work.

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