Racism Through Eras, By James Baldwin And Brent Staples

Though unjust to believe, humanity has a strong history of sexism and racism. In a society where men dominated culture, the period of the 1960’s used sexism and racism, as wit, to attract American men. Advertising was used to entertain a society embarked in the ideas of sexism and racism, and in a period of revolutionary change in technology, the presentation of these ideas were very common. Two very important themes in humanity, man’s relationship to himself, and man’s relationship to his community, were not taken seriously in this period of time. Relative to sexist and racist advertising, John Berger asserts that women are painted/depicted as owner dependent for the male to gaze at, and that women view such art from the same perspective

The discriminating social stratification in 1950’s developed a set of servile behavior on the blacks. They were thought to be inferior to whites, and were treated accordingly. Moreover, different parts of the country had various ranges of sensitivities while dealing with the blacks. For example, in Mississippi things were particularly tense after the Parker lynch case. No black man would dare look into any white man’s eyes in fear of the repercussions. On the bus, a man warned Griffin to watch himself closely until he caught onto Mississippi’s ways. In an extreme case like this, it was vital to learn about their roles and behave accordingly.

King’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail” discusses the topic of segregation and just and unjust laws, whereas Baldwin in his “Notes of a Native Son” places an emphasis on relationships, particularly the relationship between his father and him. Additionally, Baldwin discusses the impact of racism on the lives of African Americans during that time. Although these essays are dated back over fifty years ago; the topics discussed in them are still very common today.

Personal stories and descriptions of major events are narrated throughout James Baldwin’s works as he analyzes the nature of the relationship between white and black America. The marriage of narration and analysis are especially evident in Baldwin’s essay, “Notes of a Native Son.” As Baldwin describes his father and their relationship until his father’s death, he simultaneously comments about the relationship between white and black America. Baldwin compares the events of his experience with concurrent American events to conclude about the nature of his personal relationships and the relationship between races; namely, that one must come to accept the

Baldwin and Staples’ writes about how the world is innately filled with discrimination. The diction and syntax is influential, yet exotic, considering Baldwin’s tone as straightforward since, Baldwin was a preacher before he became a writer, he proclaims moral statements which makes his words have a lot of sympathy that will lead to the audience’s attention. As for Staples tone, it is pensive, after all Staples was misjudged by a woman because of his different skin color, in fear the lady ran away because she thought he was a criminal. As a result, this made Staples’ tone is more lenient, by reasons of how he is an understanding person. Baldwin’s straightforward syntax highlights his lugubrious attitude

Toni Morrison’s Recitatif focuses on one major character, Twyla, who was raised in an orphanage, not because her parents were dead, but because of her mother’s need to “dance all night” and the lack of care for Twyla. The fact of Twyla’s mother lacking parental skills was a key reason Twyla was brought up to be the racist girl she was. Twyla, identify her racism at a young age, does her best to overstep this aspect of her life to improve for only herself. In this story Twyla and Roberta’s friendship is characterized by the central idea of racial differences to which interracial friendship is identified as unworthy.

James Baldwin and “The Accord on Racism: The Declaration; Regrets for Past Wrongs and Hopes for Peace” explore the struggles of learning from the past and moving on. In James Baldwin’s “Sonny Blues” tragedies of the past controls how they see the world. Sonny’s addiction and desire to live a better life controls how he lives his life. The narrator (Sonny’s brother) wants his brother to live a successful life and wants to be there for him since his father and mother no longer can. The narrator also observes the repetition of events from the past. Sonny’s father struggles with moving on after the death of his brother. Like Baldwin, “The Accord of Racism” examines the solution to the worldwide conflict of trust. He explains how the loss of trust comes from mistreatment of people and racism. He emphasizes the importance of keeping the past in the past and moving on by declaring peace between the states. He claims that enemies are made from racism and discrimination. Both of these passages are in search of moving on from the mistakes of the past. “Sonny Blues and “The Accord on Racism” emphasize the importance of the past and how it can help people move on or trap people in their fears.

Whether past or present, there is no denying the fact that we humans have created an existence in which it is not uncommon to subject other breathing human beings to conditions of separateness and extreme oppression. The societies we create aid in participation of these conditions in a way that some deem acceptable, even if threatening to the moral norm. “Going to Meet The Man,” a melancholy story written by James Baldwin, sheds light on the tragic problem of racism that has afflicted our world and how this racism came to be. By examining the past and present life of a racist sheriff in a southern town, this tragic story epitomizes the terrible truth of reality and exemplifies the tragedy and problem of moral knowledge, alienation from

Citizen by Claudia Rankine is a very powerful book that critiques racial issues in society today. The quote, “I feel most colored when I am thrown against a sharp white background” encapsulates the book as a whole. The many stories throughout provide every day examples where racism is demonstrated in subtle ways, proving the depths of the underlying racism in America. The poignant examples lead readers to question what can be done to change the attitude of all people, and eliminate the negative effects of racism.

Racism has been around for several decades, and it is still around today, unfortunately. According to Google, the definition of racism is “the belief that all members of each race possess characteristics or abilities specific to that race, especially so as to distinguish it as inferior or superior to another race or races. Prejudice, discrimination, or antagonism directed against someone of a different race based on the belief that one 's own race is superior.” When it comes to the book Straight Talk About…Racism and Prejudice by Marguerite Rodger and Jessie Rodger, the definition of racism is “the belief that people of different ethnic backgrounds are unequal.” Racism has a unique history in America that has impacted the lines of education and has evolved to continue the blurred lines of minority group conflicts all the while enabling a poor and weakened education.

Racism is a major evil in this world. The horrific acts that occurred on June 17, 2015 were a total and complete act of racism. Dylann Roof entered a historically black church, attended a bible study, and as the night ended he opened fire on everyone in attendance, the deaths totaling to nine. The image, taken by Stephen B. Morton signifies hope for humanity, no matter how hopeful it cannot cover up the morbidness of the acts that occurred just one day before. The image a representation of race issues in America today and shows how far we have come by supporting one another no matter the color at times of need. It also represents how racism among other things is still a prominent issue in modern day America. The photograph places the

Growing up, race was never an issue for me. I almost always knew what racism was, but I always thought it was a thing of the past, and completely ended when Jim Crow laws were abolished. I thought race did not affect my everyday life, but recently I have learned that even today, being White in America has greatly affected my life. Being White in America has affected how I identity racially, where I grew up, who I grew up with, where I went to College, where I went to high school, and provided me with advantages that many minorities are not lucky enough to have. I have realized this by looking at my life and reflecting through C. Wright Mills’ Sociological Imagination(Lambert Lecture). I connected this to my collage through

Racism is being unknowingly taught to the younger generation. Individuals are not born being racist they naturally adhere to what they perceive to be right. Discrimination can be cultivated based on a person’s surroundings. Children’s minds are poisoned with hatred towards someone that is of the opposite race. Children are blind to racism, they are blank canvases when they first start out in the world. It is not only until someone or something introduces the idea that the color of skin makes him or her different. It is shocking to see young children displaying racist characteristic and thinking that it is perfectly fine. A child’s surroundings can unintentionally teach them to be racist.

Claude McKay was a Jamaican that came to America to study agriculture, after winning prize money from a couple of books that he published in Jamaica. He left the United States just at the beginning of the Harlem Renaissance in New York City. After the First World War, He wrote many poems that were in many ways radical to politics, poetic standards, and subject matter. His belief in politics inspired him to believe that "racism cannot be separated from capitalism", which gave an unequal wealth to people living in the country (Loeffelholz 2144). he states that while he is angered by the racism that is faced in the country, this adversity helps him become a stronger man.

The study of prejudice dates back as far as 75 years ago, Gordon Allport, an American psychologist defines prejudice as “a feeling, favorable or unfavorable, toward a person or thing, prior to or not based on actual experience.” Allport has a five-phase model of “acting out our prejudices.” In order of least to most damaging to the group being prejudiced, the phases are antilocution, avoidance, discrimination, physical attack, and extermination. These forms of prejudice range from small groups of people agreeing on negative stereotypes to the “systematic and planned destruction of a group of people based on their group membership.” (Ponterotto)