Chained (But Not Literally Anymore) . In Today’S America,

Coates employs inclusive language in the form of “we” the blacks. The essential idea in this however, is the exclusion of whites. He says, “Our moment is too brief. Our bodies are too precious. And you are here now, and you must live-and there is so much out there to live for…” (147) Through this significant assertion, Coates is not endeavoring to be relatable to whites, he is attending to the unabridged African American community, and most importantly, his son. The immediate effect of Coates’ racially pointed inclusive language is not only to rally and encourage the African

Coates provides readers with a lesson in American history and explains to his son that race is not reality, but that “Americans believe in the reality of ‘race’ as a defined, indubitable feature of the natural world” (Coates 2015; 7) He brings the reader inside the America in which he lives. He argues that “America’s problem is not its betrayal of ‘government of the people,’ but the means by which ‘the people’ acquired their names,” meaning that America has only ever represented and supported white people, that America was founded on a system of racial bias (6). He draws attention to the struggles that peoples of color, especially black people, have faced. Those struggles generate fear, which is one of the main ideas in the

America is supposed to be the land of opportunities. A place where you are free to do anything and become whoever you want to be but this does not apply to everyone. One of the reasons for Coates disagreement is the permanent racial injustice in America. People might think that the war between black and white people is over but this is not true. Daily, we can see many cases about racial injustice like when a white man with power treats other black workers as if they were inferior to him. Not only white people treat black people this way but there are many other cases in which you can see black folks discriminate white folks and this can also be seen through public media. Coates thinks that the war between black people and white people will be a permanent one, and because of this, he is also afraid that his son needs to be more prepared for the

In his book, he notes “that white supremacy was so foundational to this country that it would not be defeated in my lifetime, my child’s lifetime, or perhaps ever” (Coates, We Were Eight Years in Power 159). Mr Coates argues that the United Staes is a country in which white supremacy is an unconquerable force that will continue to exists, and black Americans will have to perpetually deal with it. His account paints a very dark and bleak imagery of the U.S.; he describes an American in which minorities have limited access to the American dream because of the color of their skin. In a very famous line, he writes “I had thought that I must mirror the outside world, create a carbon copy of white claims to civilization. It was beginning to occur to me to question the logic of the claim itself ” (Coates, Between the World and Me 50). As young man, Coates believes he naively believed in the American dream, a product he as now come to view as “white claims to civilization” and only until he matured did he understand how the dream was unobtainable in full, by blacks.

This theme helps illuminate how black people came to be treated in America both when slavery existed and beyond into today’s society. The theme that black people are disposable bodies within American society. Because of the tradition of treating black people as objects or whose value strictly came from their ability to make profit, the idea of what it means to be black in America is imbedded in the danger of losing one’s body. Although slavery has ended, the racism remains as a violence inflicted on black people’s bodies. Coates is more than happy to emphasize that racism is an instinctive practice.

Racial disparities and inequality dates all the way back to slavery: when whites abused, raped, tortured and killed black people. “Slavery transformed America into an economic power; the exploitation of black people made the south the richest and most politically powerful region in the country” (ABS). Black people did not have any rights, instead they were forced

Coates remembers his son’s response to the Michael Brown verdict. He parallels his son’s numbness to the Michael Brown verdict as to him feeling the same way at his age. However, Coates does not know what it is like to grow up with a “black president… and black women everywhere in their natural hair” (Coates 21). He sees that even though it seems there has been progress in today’s society with race, there is no complete feeling of not having to worry about race. Even though it may seem Coates and his son may have lived in different worlds, somehow racism is not absent in their worlds. This shows how no matter how much society progresses, race will always be an issue for Black

In Ta-Nehisi Coates’ essay, “Letter to My Son,” published by The Atlantic, he argues that in America it is customary to be oblivious to the suffering of black people due to people that believe they are white wanting a white America. He supports this claim by first describing how throughout history, people believing in white privilege regard themselves superior than those of color. An example that Coates used to show his son would be when a white woman pushed him and Coates recalled that, “There was the reaction of any parent when a stranger puts a hand on the body of their child. And there was my own insecurity in my ability to protect your black body. And more: There was my sense that this woman was pulling rank.” Another point Coates makes

Coates makes the attempt to explain his idea of racism in America and the prejudice he has faced as a young, black male. He formats his book as a letter for his son who will face many of these same struggles in the future. I agree with Coates, to an extent, on the problems minority communities often face (most often the black community). A huge critique, though, is that Coates describes his struggles as “pure racism” and often judges that all “Dreamers” as the proprietors of the problems he sees. This is insulting and takes away from his main argument. “Pure racism” has not existed in this country in decades. No one can be denied access to any public entity, job, park, water

Throughout history in this country, race has been the determining factor in who can possess those liberties and who can participate in human society and their voice is heard. Ultimately, race has been used to determine ones value. From the 16th to 19th centuries, one could look at black person and quickly come to the conclusion that they’re a slave, uneducated, and poor. And from the 20th century to today in the 21st century those stigmas are still being placed on African Americans, with the exception of the word “slave”, which has been replaced by

To start off, it might seem that African Americans feel that they are inferior to whites. Some might claim that our country has not overcome the Jim Crow Era, proving this by bringing up an example of an African American actress who did not get a part “because she doesn’t quite look the part” (Schwab). But the one actress that did not get a part does not compare to the countless amount of successful African Americans. “Obama, the first black president, Oprah, Samuel Jackson” and so many more are just examples of blacks that are successful in today’s eyes. This uncountable list of blacks in jobs equal to whites just proves that they are not inferior, but that they are in fact, equal. If that reasoning is not enough, take the fact that we have

Although these racial inequalities are said to be forgotten and against the law, the misconceptions have not been erased from American people’s minds. There were many attempts to fix this problem, to finally realize and notice the similarities between all people. An additional factor into why this problem is still relevant today is because slavery poisoned the mind of white American people especially the ones born in slavery who grew up knowing white people superior to Black men and then passing this on and on to generations after them. However, the attempts of turning this ideology around are numerous from Fredrick Douglass to Brent Staples and to many others who realized that earning this equality will benefit both sides. Brent Staple use

Black people, you are going to be a lower class citizen to White people forever; you might as well accept that (Bell, pg. 12). When you accept that fact you might be able to live better lives and you might be able to attain a progress (12). But remember you will always be the subordinate race and you will never rise above White people (12). Do not get beside yourselves, Black people, because if you should rise above a White person, it’s only temporary; you will fall back into your rightful and permanent place as the subordinate to White people sooner, rather than later (12). Do yourself well; be submissive; get used to your permanent status because when you do you will live happier lives (12).

In “From #BlackLivesMatter to Black Liberation” by Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor, the discourse is a discussion of the issues with the struggle and fight for black liberation. While Blacks may be making superficial strides and gains, such as an African-American President, the continued struggle to end discrimination in fields of housing, education, employment, and policing is still at the forefront of Black everyday life. One theme Taylor discusses is the issue posed by “allies” who in actuality, are working against the struggle. She describes racism as being broken down into three molds: biologically, color blindness, and the culture of poverty. Racists use biology to say that certain races are “naturally” superior to others. There is a misguided

Racism is an ongoing force that negatively impacts the lives of Americans every day. The racist mindset in America stems from the times of slavery, where blacks were thought to be inferior to whites. Throughout history, the ideology of race and racism has evolved and developed several different meanings. Today, we can still see the devastating effects of racism on people of color, as well as whites. “Racism, like other forms of oppression, is not only a personal ideology based on racial prejudice, but a system involving cultural messages and institutional policies and practices as well as beliefs and actions of individual” (Tatum, pg. 9). As a result of this system, it leaves the