Growing Up In Baltimore Essay

The recently awarded 2015 National Book Award for Nonfiction author, Ta-Nehisi Coates, has stirred quite some debate over the author himself and the issue on race in America. He is harsh and direct when it comes to commenting on the political policies in America or even the president. Much of Ta-Nehisi Coates’s works are affected by his life living in America as a black person. The violent and “fearsome” life he has lived became the only form of life he is acquainted to. As a result, he strongly believes that white supremacy dominates, a condition which will never cease to be. Hope – being a central element to the black moment – is absent in his projections; this hopelessness in Coates’s works is a center of discussion to the critics. There exist strong supporters of Coates who applauds him for his truthfulness and there are some who view him as a pessimist and a cynic. All the while, Coates defends himself by saying that he is simply a realist who refuses to hide behind the blind naivete like the rest.

Ta-Nehisi Coates shows his concern for his son while supporting his stance on social

Ta-Nehisi Coates is a journalist, blogger, and memoirist incorporates historical comprehension to exhibit America’s most disputed issues, especially racism. His work has been published in local and national papers, including: Village Voice, Washington City Paper, Washington Post, New York Times Magazine, Time Magazine, The New Yorker, and The Atlantic, where he is currently a national correspondent. The Atlantic is a literary, cultural, and political editorial magazine. It targets a national audience as well as

One lesson that Coates teaches his son is that the Black body is extremely fragile. When Coates used to live in Baltimore murder was, sadly, a common thing. He recalls that in 1986, when he was

Coates describes his early forms of education in grades k-12 and the ways in which it shaped his views of the black body. This period of education was a time in which Coates viewed the black body as powerless based on the difficult situation he was living. This early educational experience in Coats’s life was extremely conflicting due to the fact that the

Coates’ literacy journey was a result of his own individual exploration of the world in general and black history in particular. His literacy experience was almost accidental in a way. He did not embark on his journey with the intention of seeking out the true definition of literacy, but rather trying to learn more about black history and gain knowledge about the viewpoints of key black figures. The sometimes directly contradictory ideas of these leaders forced him to begin a deeper exploration that led Coates to gain an appreciation of the differences while still respecting and considering the varied viewpoints. Coates’ journey ultimately led him away from the educational system and then straight back to it.

Baltimore city had a strong economy, and it was among the top prosperous cities in the United States (U.S)leadingin wages, jobs, and industries up until the 1950s. Since the 1960s, however, the city has seen a decline in its economy as a result of systematic governance failures. Recently, Baltimore has been experiencing an increase in homicide unlike prior years, and in fact, by the end of 2015, various law enforcement organizations predict the city will break its homicide record. As a citizen, Baltimore’s murder rate is a crucial issue to tackle than police brutality because it is symptom indicative of larger issues that need to be addressed and solved in the black community. Three major issues often talked about in Baltimore

Coates explains this with stories growing up and learning what African-American people had gone through in the past all

However, Wacquant brings the term “inner city” to light, breaking down its meaning: “black and poor.” Living in Chicago gives one an exemplary example of the term “inner city” meaning “poor, black ghettos.” The references to “inner city” schools being synonymous with “poor quality” and “mostly African American” are damaging to urban terminology and creating a predetermined perspective of those who call the “inner city” home. The “hypersegregation” of the city of Chicago is a topic within itself, but the institution of segregation is, without question, existent here. In addition, “inner city” is becoming a label which implies unavoidable incarceration.

Social and economic disparities are plaguing the city of Baltimore. There are numerous issues that the city of Baltimore is facing, many of which did not come to light until the case of Freddie Gray. On April 2015, a 25-year-old black man by the name of Freddie Gray fell victim to police brutality. After the discovery of his death and the unreasonable way he was treated, Baltimoreans began to protest. The anger and frustration began to escalate due to other social and economic problems the city faces regularly.

Coates spent his childhood years in a poor Baltimore public school, a system that “mostly meant always packing an extra number 2 pencil and working quietly” (Coates 25). He grew up believing that “The world had no time for the childhoods of black boys and girls” (Coates 25). School was not to him a place of education but rather an institution whose purpose was to train the students to obey and conform. “Algebra, Biology, and english were not subjects so much as opportunities to better discipline the body” (Coates 25).

Coates reveals that he understands the reality of black men in America. “Ethos is a rhetorical device through the author reveals his or her creditability to discuss the topic at hand.” (Kemp13). Coates shows throughout part one that he truly understand what it is like to live as a black man in America today. “ To be black in Baltimore of my youth was to be naked before the elements of the world, before all the guns, fists, knives, crack, rape, and disease.” (Coates 17). Coates displays that growing up black in Baltimore was a true challenge due to the racism, even before all the violence was added. Coates builds his credibility by giving the

Brittanie Waddell David Kohl College Writing I January 25, 2017 Power and Education in Coates’ Between the World and Me In the excerpt of Ta-Nehisi Coates’s Between the World and Me provided in Ways of Reading, Coates tells readers what he believes when it comes to the idea of him, a black man in Baltimore, to figuratively and literally lose his body. He also talks about living in America, where people believe themselves to be white and where fear is wrought down on many blacks, including himself throughout his childhood, shaping who he has become as an adult. Coates learned a valuable lesson when he was younger about power and how easy it can be to lose your body.

Reading this book challenged me to compare parts of Coates’ life to mine to see how much of a disadvantage he is at, versus the way I go about life. For example, Coate’s mentions early in the book that one third of his brain was designated to thinking about all aspects of what he was doing while walking in the streets, ranging from who he was walking with all the way to how many times he smiled. This was something that was hard for me to grasp because I have never been in an area so unsafe that I had to fear for my life while I was walking around. Because I am a female, I do not feel as comfortable walking alone at night, however I do not have nearly as much to worry about. Anytime Coates left his house he had to worry about avoiding dangers such as gangs and being shot.

In the video by Marvin Gaye ”Inner City Blues” this clip demonstrates Systemic and Institutional racism because it shows us how in today's society that the government gives to African American race only to take black’s success by impeding them from moving up to an equal position society of success. The video shows us that the world is accustomed to blacks being defined as minorities living in poverty and young black boys and girls growing up in tough neighborhoods. In the video, the audience views violence within blacks being treated with brutality by white police officers and this also gives us the understanding of institutional racism toward the black male figure . In Marvin Gaye’s video “Inner City Blues” reflects how by putting blacks in