Brooks and the Combination of Racism and Southern Femininity

In “A Bronzeville Mother Loiters in Mississippi. Meanwhile, a Mississippi Mother Burns Bacon,” Gwendolyn Brooks bases her poem off the murder of Emmett Till. She touches on the ideas of Southern racism and Southern femininity to blame and deconstruct a dysfunctional system in society, which excuses the violence and hatred towards black people in the South.

In her poem, Brooks portrays the effects of Southern racism and racial segregation on society through the privilege that Carolyn Bryant and her husband were given after the murder of Emmett Till. Carolyn Bryant had the desire of fulfilling a fantasied dream that most women in the south had, which is why she accused an innocent black child of something he did not do. In her mind, she portrayed Emmet as a villain who “possessed undisputed breadth, undisputed height, and harsh kind of vice.” However, the more Carolyn thinks about what happened, the more responsible she felt for the death of an unwary child. She felt that there was “something about the matter of the Dark Villain.” He was “of fourteen, with eyes still too young to be dirty,” and she started to find it increasingly difficult to justify her actions with this fairytale story. Instead, all the qualities she thought the Dark Villain should possess were found in the Fine Prince. She had realized that “there may have been something ridiculous in the picture of the Fine Prince.” Carolyn feels “a red ooze […] seeping, spreading darkly, thickly, slowly, over her white shoulders,” signifying her guilt and role in the death of Emmett.

Gwendolyn Brooks portrays racial inequality and the effects of racial segregation in this poem when Carolyn Bryant was quick to assume that Emmett was the “Dark Villain” she needed to be saved from. This depicts the racial inequality between blacks and whites in the United States because even though Emmett was a little boy, he was still accused of something he did not understand just because of his skin color; he was still an innocent, young child who thought that “grown-ups were supposed to be wise.” Brooks argues that many African Americans were thought to be these monstrous villains that did not deserve to be treated like human beings just because of their race. They were given unfair punishments for petty crimes and targeted by society for things they had not done, but because they were black, they were never given the benefit of the doubt. The word of a white man who brutally murdered a fourteen-year-old boy was admissible in court over the word of a childless mother who grieved for her son. The racial segregation only enhanced the effects of the flawed mindset that people had in the mid 1950s.

In the poem, Gwendolyn Brooks argues that this mindset was adopted by women who were seeking to be saved by a man in a heavily patriarchal society. In the eyes of Bryant, she was this “milk-white maid” who was rescued from the “Dark Villain” by a “Fine Prince.” Brooks paints this picture of Southern femininity in the 1950s revolving around this fairytale idea of being “saved” by a man. Women badly wanted to be rescued by a “Fine Prince,” so they put themselves in situations of helplessness. Brooks argues that because Carolyn Bryant wanted to feel like a “damsel in distress” who was saved by strong, capable white man, she accused the first black person she saw- Emmett- of harassing her when he walked into the store. However, readers can see Brooks does not directly blame Bryant for the death of Emmett because she also creates a sense of sympathy towards her by writing in her perspective. Carolyn just wanted to achieve the thing that was considered to make a woman feminine, which was why she falsely accused Emmett. I think that Brooks does so, because she felt that the direct blame was to be put on a system that was used to justify racism and violence towards black people. Women in the south were expected to be weak and the men were expected to solve all their problems. Carolyn’s desire to be a southern belle who was helpless and vulnerable, needing a man to rescue her, portrayed the patriarchy in society and the desire for women to adopt this as an ideal of femininity in the 1950s. Because of the existing prejudice against black people in the south, black men were an easy “villain” to be saved from. Carolyn Bryant was just another woman, among the countless others, who did something wrong.

Gwendolyn Brooks uses the murder of Emmett Till to expose the real problem behind the persecution and killing of black Americans. In the poem, I think Brooks argues that a combination of 1950s Southern patriarchy and the racial inequality is the actual reason why Emmett Till and so many others like him were lynched. By writing in the perspective of Carolyn Bryant, she was able to show the effects of the two combined. Carolyn’s image of herself as weak woman who needed to look pretty for her husband and be saved from all her problems was the result of the patriarchal society in the South. The consequences of using Emmett Till as a villain in her narrative, depicted the hate and disrespect that was essentially fueled by racism, segregation and racial inequality in the South. Both of these issues went hand-in-hand to create a larger, underlying social issue, where the combination of southern patriarchy and racism proves to be lethal. "Gwendolyn Brooks uses the murder of Emmett Till to expose the real problem behind the persecution and killing of black Americans.

In the poem, I think Brooks argues that a combination of 1950s Southern patriarchy and the racial inequality is the actual reason why Emmett Till and so many others like him were lynched. By writing in the perspective of Carolyn Bryant, she was able to show the effects of the two combined. Carolyn’s image of herself as weak woman who needed to look pretty for her husband and be saved from all her problems was the result of the patriarchal society in the South. The consequences of using Emmett Till as a villain in her narrative, depicted the hate and disrespect that was essentially fueled by racism, segregation and racial inequality in the South. Both of these issues went hand-in-hand to create a larger, underlying social issue, where the combination of southern patriarchy and racism proves to be lethal.

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The Issue of Racism in America

Contents

America Still divided by Racism into two unequal societies; by Joseph E. Stiglitz
Racism in America; By Donald W. Shriver
Points of View

The issue of racism is a deep-rooted problem in the world, and over the years, it has morphed into severe discrimination and segregation, forming part of the world history. Racism involves judging and treating others unequally based on their skin color and ethnic origin. Since time immemorial, white people have been known to discriminate against black and other non-white people. Slavery increased the racial gap between whites and non-whites when black people were captured and enslaved in white people’s homes and plantations. Since then, white people have always felt superior and therefore discriminated against others such as the African Americans, Hispanics and so on. In the modern world, racism manifests itself in the society at workplaces, schools, churches and all other public sectors. As a result, this issue should be addressed to establish the truth about whether racism is increasing or declining in the United States. According to some scholars, racism is no longer an issue in the American society while others believe that America is still divided largely by racism and racial discrimination. In the United States, racism has always been a grave issue, but the world is working hard to get over that archaic practice.

America Still divided by Racism into two unequal societies; by Joseph E. Stiglitz

In this article, Joseph interrogates the extent to which racism has manifested itself in the contemporary world”. He says that African Americans are still suffering in a dominantly white society regarding education, employment as well a peaceful coexistence with their white counterparts. I chose this article because it gives a deep insight into the issues of racism that still exist in the world today and their effects on the victims. In public institutions, for instance, white people receive better and quicker services compared to people from other races. The finance sector is particularly said to target African Americans for exploitation by selling them volatile products and charging them high fees for the same products. Wells Fargo Bank ended up being fined hugely by the authorities for having exploited African Americans as well as Latinos by charging them higher interest than their white counterparts.

The author says that today, America is paying dearly for racial inequalities and the economy feels the effects of this inequality. The assumption that the power structures in the United States are run primarily by the military forces is a complete fallacy because the Presidency has eroded the country’s soft power (Stigliz, 2018). As time goes by, the situation is worsening, and since President Trump was elected, there is no end in sight to this nightmare. Racism has developed roots in the system such that non-white people are unlikely to get employment in America. An individual’s resume does not matter as much as their skin color and when it comes to hiring and firing, African Americans, Latinos and other people from other races. He, however, concludes by saying that there might be hope for a better future only if people are willing to stand up, they can purpose to transform the society.

Racism in America; By Donald W. Shriver

The second article by Shriver explains that despite the past having been full of racism and prejudice, the world has changed and racism remains a thing of the past. He explains that the only thing that remains are the scars inflicted on black people by racism. Shriver talks of an actor who only encountered racism upon arrival at the United States and even today, Americans carry with them the scars of this vice. He had previously talked to his friend who was black, and they both acknowledged that they still have the scars of racism, but now, the world has changed. They both looked at racism as a challenge as well as an opportunity for people to move on and realize the value each other. The article shows that racism is heading to an end and it is not as bad as it was in the past. The hopeful difference between people is that some of them learned how to fight and overcome the influences of racism such as members of the Christian community and the church at large.

Points of View

I chose these two sources because they have an opposing opinion about racism in America. In the first source, racism is said to be at its peak in the United States and continues to manifest itself. In the second article, racism is becoming a thing of the past, and all that remains are the scars from the years of racial discrimination. Similarities exist between these viewpoints such as the fact that both authors agree on the fact that racism is negativity that needs to be addressed in the society. They also concur in the fact that racism has undergone serious metamorphosis and it is not as it was a few years ago. However, in Joseph’s perception, there is an increasing danger brought about by racism, and the American society remains divided nonetheless. The white people who perceive themselves as a superior race deny their non-white counterparts the opportunity to access equality.

On the other hand, Shriver believes that shortly, everyone will be able to deal with racism and the only thing remaining would be the previous scars. Racism in America can be dealt with, (Shiver, 2018) and there is no need to worry about people getting discriminated . If Joseph could speak to Shriver, he would explain that the dynamics of the society dictate interpersonal relationships and racism is one of them. Contrastingly, Shriver would argue that the society has already outgrown the era of racism and that everyone is capable of dealing with the situation. The differences between their points of view include the fact that Joseph addresses the situation from a social perspective while Shriver uses an individualistic approach. According to Joseph, the whole society is doomed while Shriver claims that the individuals can work things out and eliminate racism and its effects.

In conclusion, racism remains a calamity in the modern world, and as time goes by, there is a need for change and individuals must perform. According to Joseph, the American society has fully embraced racism, and as a result, most of the public sectors and their service delivery is influenced by race. African Americans do not enjoy equal rights as the rest because they are black and the whole society is divided into two groups. On the other hand, Shriver believes that racism is almost over and if people could be responsible, the world would be a better place. I do agree with the fact that racism is a problem and it is so deep-rooted in the American society that there is no quick solution in sight. Joseph gives a true and clear account of the reality on the ground because looking at the modern society, it is clear that there may not be an end in sight for racism in America. I would like to challenge the government and the media to propagate equality by passing legislative measures against racist people. In most cases, the media plays a huge role in propagating racism, and for that reason, there is a need to change the type of communication passed to the public on racism.

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The Impacts of Racism Portrayed in Comics

“Mind your own god damn business, fuckin’ Ni**er!” (Hernandez, 142) says the character Hopey in Jaime Hernandez’s comic The Girl from H.O.P.P.E.R.S. While this sort of language for anyone in today’s society is incredibly looked down upon and should never be said to anyone in any context. Even for this essay, it is uncomfortable to type out this quote because of the history behind this word. However, decades ago people used this term freely and commonly without any correction. This sort of racism embeds within our society, and culture and shapes the future for better or worse. The outcome of racism is shown in comics such as Jaime Hernandez’s The Girl from H.O.P.P.E.R.S and graphic novels such Harvey Pekar’s Cleveland where both writers express the impacts racisms had on society and culture through visual and narrative text.

Racism whether we like it or not affects everyone, some cultures a lot worse than others and ultimately shapes who we are. An example of this is segregation, where people are separated due mostly due to the color of their skin and/or their race. Segregation begins to create a culture and society that will ultimately define a certain race. An example of this is in the comic The Girl from H.O.P.P.E.R.S. This comic is set in a fake place however, the way this place is drawn, and the characters portrayed shows a lot about the authors culture. The location of the comic is usually set in a suburban area and/or a city. Within this place there is usually always Latinos, African Americans and very rarely white females or males (with the exception of Doyle). Additionally, there were times when the city or suburbs were drawn with graffiti and a bit run down. I believe the author drew this intentionally to represent how Latinos and other races lived in California back in his time. Now, not all Latinos, or African Americans lived together due to segregation, there was a few that were able to live outside of these areas. However, a majority of races are segregated into these types of suburbs and cities. This is an important representation because due to this segregation and this community culture begins to form. There’s a sense of community within these areas as well as close knit relationships between everyone.

However, problems also arise when communities begin to fight other communities and basically starting gang wars. When this happens, society then views people within this community as bad and dangerous and thus begins a cycle of people becoming segregated because others don’t want to be in a neighborhood with others that are dangerous and bad. This isn’t always the case and a majority of the time misunderstandings and accidents cause gang wars and this perception. A great example of this is within The Girl from H.O.P.P.E.R.S there is a comic called The Death of Speedy Ortiz. In this comic it portrays a man named Speedy that gets involved with a woman that is dating a man from a rival gang. This leads to many misunderstandings and ultimately violence that leads to someone from Speedy’s community getting shot in the eye. Not only that there is an important panel in this comic where Jamie writes, “Every night we hear the sirens, the pops… fire crackers? Box cars coupling at the train station? Are we even certain? Do we even check? No…”(Hernandez, 125).

This panel shows so much about how things are in communities like this. People end up coming into these suburbs either because that their only option or due to segregation and deal with situations such as gang violence, theft, etc. and all they can do is hope that it doesn’t happen to them. This problem isn’t only seen within one race but within many and will end up classifying the culture of those individuals. Another example of this is seen in the graphic novel Cleveland. When Harvey Pekar describes the history of Cleveland he writes, “The early part of the 1900s saw efforts made to segregate blacks and keep them out of the suburbs. Some whites were threatened as their population increased, largely due to the increasing industrial jobs available in Cleveland.” (Pekar, 24) Which three panels after writes, “Blacks did not tolerate their exclusion from larger society, which lead to a great deal of social unrest, and in the 1960s two full scale riots.” (Pekar, 25) This section of the graphic novel does such an amazing job of showing just how bad segregation can be, in just four panels it was able to show the start of segregation and to what end segregation can lead.

Racism overall not only affects adults, but it also affects children. People tend to forget that creating a racist environment heavily impacts children. They grow up seeing and hearing racism and either think its ok or they later realize that it isn’t ok and decide to stop it by their actions. Cleveland does a great job of showing how this segregation impacts children. A very important panel in this book that shows the impact of racism is where Harvey is a child seeing other kids on his front porch and his adult self says, “I used to spend a lot of time on my front porch watching other kids play. They wouldn’t accept me. I believed my mother when she told me what hell black people went through just to survive, but did that mean I had to be ostracized? I guess it did.” (Pekar, 43) This panel really shows the impact of racism not only in the area but on children and the future. Due to segregation and living in an area where others hate your race, children see this impact and begin to take that outlook which again can be either positive (trying to bring people together) or negative (keeping that hate for their whole life and continuing the cycle of racism). It also shows that as an adult was when Harvey truly understood why the kids wouldn’t interact with him. It’s so important that Harvey adds this panel because so many kids are affected by this type of seclusion and end up hating others because of it.

Both Cleveland and The Girl from H.O.P.P.E.R.S express how segregation due to racism impacted society back in the writer’s times. Another huge impact to both society and culture is the language. In The Girl from H.O.P.P.E.R.S there are panels where the N word is used as a derogatory word against an African American man out of anger. I believe the purpose of adding this panel to the comic was in order to show how language was used during Jaime’s time. Derogatory language is also shown as graffiti on walls and buildings adding to how Jaime’s surrounding and the racism that was constantly around him was represented in his comic. An example is a panel in The Girl from H.O.P.P.E.R.S where on a building wall you see writing that says white power and split wet backs (154). This language at the time was a regular thing and could be seen everywhere. Impacting lots of people in the process and in a sense telling them that this is who they are and nothing else.

Both comics do a great job at portraying the way racism impacted the lives of the writers and how it overall shaped the culture and society around them. It is important that these types of comics be read because it shows a lot about our history from a perspective from people that are normally shut out. Additionally, understanding the history of our past can help with how racism shapes our culture and society today. Knowing how society was decades ago and the impact it made on people can lead us now into a path where we avoid mistakes that lead to events such as rioting and gang wars. Currently, our society has shown improvement on language and what is and isn’t right to say but bigger issues such as segregation in communities are still an issue. Thus, comics such as The Girl from H.O.P.P.E.R.S and Cleveland are a vital necessity in understanding how racism impacts our social and cultural lives.

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Modern Racism

Contents

Introduction
Racial Profiling
Racial Gaps
White Supremacy
- Conclusion

Introduction

Since Black Like Me, a book which gives the true account of a white man who experiences the life of a black man in the deep south during the 1960s, was written, the role than an individual’s race plays in society has changed drastically (Griffin, 1996). Though restrooms no longer bare signs reading “white” and “negro”, discrimination and racial issues still exist throughout society, and they exist across all races, not just blacks (Griffin 1996). African Americans, Mexican and Mexican Americans, and people of middle eastern decent are still bombarded daily by racial profiling, racial gaps, and white supremacy, despite society’s apparent leap towards racial equality since the 1960s.

Racial Profiling

As America transitioned from the Civil War era to the 20th century and even into the early 21st century, past prejudices and stereotypes associated with different racial groups became integrated into every-day occurrences and even modern legislature. Similarly to in Black Like Me when Griffin (1996) was accused of being a thief and unintelligent simply because he was black, people today are still often assumed to have certain traits and characteristics simply because of the color of their skin. Racial profiling occurs among police, civilians, and even in airports (“Racial,” 2018). In a study of the stop-and-frisk procedures done by police, researchers found that most of the people stopped were people of color, over 90 percent of which had not even committed a crime (“Racial,” 2018). However, police are not the only ones guilty of racial profiling, as average citizens are often the worst offenders (“Racial,” 2018). The most popular example of this occurred in 2012, when George Zimmerman, a white man on patrol for his neighborhood watch, shot and killed Trayvon Martin, an unarmed, black teenager, with the main cause of the attack suspected to be racial profiling (“Racial,” 2018). Even in airports, the stereotypical belief that all Muslims and people of middle eastern descent are terrorists is startlingly obvious, as the people selected for “random” security checks were overwhelmingly Arab (“Racial,” 2018).

This racial profiling can be accredited to events as far back as the conquering of the native peoples of the Americas, as well as a recent rise in illegal immigration among Latinos and Syrians, and the tragic events of September 11, 2001(“Racial,” 2018; Salaita, 2006). Racial profiling has even infiltrated into American legislature and the Oval Office (Korte & Gomez, 2018). As a result of the strong prejudices against Arabs and Latinos, as well as 9/11 and illegal immigration, these racial groups in particular, have been the target of recent backlash and immigration laws (Korte & Gomez, 2018; Lind, 2018). Since 2001, and since Donald Trump took office in 2016, immigration has been particularly strict, especially among the thousands Syrians who are trying to flee war-torn Syria (Lind, 2018). Racial profiling against Arabs is at least partially to blame for the immigration ban against Syria, as well as the dramatic drop in number of Syrian refugees accepted into the United States (Lind, 2018). The president himself has even blatantly racially profiled entire groups of people, describing Mexican immigrants as “‘bringing drugs…bringing crime…[being] rapists” (Korte & Gomez, 2018, para.8). Despite the obstacles the United States has overcome in the past regarding racism, its citizens and government still struggle daily with racial stereotypes, biases, and prejudices.

Racial Gaps

Though jobs and schools are no longer formally segregated as they were in Black Like Me, racial gaps occurring in both the workplace and in the classroom have been serious issues in America for decades (Griffin, 1996; Patten, 2016). Wage gaps among races are most prevalent between the wages of white individuals, and those who are black or Hispanic (Patten, 2016). Looking hourly, the average black or Hispanic man will only earn 73% and 69% as much as a white man, respectively (Patten, 2016). These gaps have narrowed marginally, if at all, since they were recognized in the 1980s, and are part of the racial issues faced in America today (Patten, 2016). Accounting for part of the wage gap is racial discrimination, with a whopping 64% of blacks and 38% of Hispanics saying that they are treated differently in the workplace because of their race (Patten, 2016). However, the cause of the wage gap between races can only partially be attributed to racism and discrimination, as the other cause is largely accepted to be the difference in education rates between blacks, whites, and Hispanics (Patten, 2016). Unfortunately, discrimination also plays a role in the education gap (Levitt & Dubner, 2006).

The education gap, particularly between blacks and whites, begins in early schooling as white students test significantly higher in nearly all subjects at a grade-school level (Levitt & Dubner, 2006). This gap is not the result of either race’s “intelligence” but rather a result of the socioeconomic status of each group, with black children being more likely to come from lower income, less educated households (Levitt & Dubner, 2006). However, despite the fact that neither race is more or less intelligent than the other, societal expectation does play an important role in how children perform in school (Levitt & Dubner, 2006). The mere existence of the racial stigmas regarding intelligence is enough to influence how children, particularly black and Hispanic children, perform in school (Levitt & Dubner, 2006). As a result of the early education gap among people of color, those same people have a much lower rate of going to, and graduating from college, which relates directly back to the racial wage gap (Patten, 2016). Severe oppression and prejudice in America’s past, against both blacks and Hispanics, is the most likely cause for the gaps among different racial groups today.

White Supremacy

White supremacy and the Ku Klux Klan are topics that are seldom discussed, let alone addressed as serious issues, in modern society (Gustainis, 2013). White supremacy and the KKK exemplify the racism and the bigotry that still exists in America (Gustainis, 2013). The KKK, America’s most prevalent white supremacist group, has violently targeted Jews, immigrants, and black for decades, and, contrary to popular belief, is still in existence today (Sanburn, 2014). Just as John Griffin (1996) and the blacks of the south did in Black Like Me, minority groups, especially people of color, still struggle against the hold that white supremacy has on modern-day America (“Demonstrations,” 2018). Though the KKK’s membership numbers are not nearly as high today as they were at the group’s peak in the early 1900s, the Klan still organizes hate rallies and bombings, recruits new members, and has members in the American government (Sanburn, 2014). As if to only confirm that white supremacy is a growing problem in the U.S., a former terror analyst for Homeland security “warns that the threat [of white supremacy] continues to grow in the twenty-first century” (Gustainis, 2013, para. 18).

A recent example can be found when looking at the white supremacist rally held in Charlottesville, VA on August 11, 2017 (“Demonstrations,” 2018). The rally, attended by a combination of white nationalists, Neo-Nazis, and KKK members who waved racist rally signs, resulted in nineteen people injured, and one dead (“Demonstrations,” 2018). Though incidents such as this are few and far between, the events in Charlottesville were a demonstration of the hatred, bigotry and racial violence that still runs deep in American society (“Demonstrations,” 2018). As for the cause of society’s ongoing struggles against white supremacy, its is perhaps best explained by the adage, “old habits die hard,” referring to the slavery, bigotry, and segregation that marks America’s history. However much society may deny or refuse to accept the existence of white supremacy and the Ku Klux Klan, whispers from the past are still heard today (Gustainis, 2013).

Conclusion

Despite the leaps and bounds that the United States has made towards racial equality, we do not live in a colorless society. The color of an individual’s skin or how they look still influences others’ opinions of them, and it is an issue that society continues to struggle to overcome. Though racial issues may not exist as intensely as they did during the 1960s, when Black Like Me was written, racial profiling, racial gaps, and racial hate groups continue to slow down America’s quest for “liberty and justice for all” (Griffin, 1996).

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Racism in “White Like Me” by Tim Wise

I enjoyed watching this documentary “White Like Me”, by Tim Wise. What I found most surprising was the fact that Tim Wise was a white male and was the individual in the film talking about the discrimination people of color receive. There were a few other things that surprised me, like the fact that there are more African Americans in jail and than the number of people that were enslaved in 1850. The movie version of Black Like Me was another thing that surprised me, the main character was a white man that dyed his skin so, he could experience what it was like to be an African American during the pre-1950s. Even back then individuals were trying to open up the eyes of Americans by producing a film like this, and well I am sure the main character must have received a lot of hate from his own race for taking part in the film. Without a doubt people of color face many hardships.

Whites, being the dominant group of them all have it easier than all other groups of color. White privilege has always existed, as said in the film the first law to be passed by congress once the constitution was ratified was the naturalization act. Which basically states that in order to become a citizen here in the United States you must be a free white individual, which excluded people of color. This is a very early example of white privilege, where people of color were unable to become legal citizens, but whites were. Which now a day is a huge issue and dilemma with the Trump Administration. Furthermore, white privilege is the benefits that individuals receive simply for being white. I personally believe this is not fair, even though sometimes it is invisible and can slip to become unnoticeable. Many white individuals succeed in life because they work hard but regardless they have some type of white privilege involved that has helped them become successful. Individuals of color struggle and have to work hard to succeed, they receive no type of privilege like white privilege.

Colorblind racism, is the thought that racism is no longer an issue and that every single race has equal opportunities. This type of racism does not want to accept the fact that racial inequality exists based on skin color, that not every race has equal opportunities. This concept is unreasonable, because racism exists because of the color of your skin, you cannot ignore that. If people have this thought of colorblind racism, then you will be unable to foresee the real-life situations that are going on in the world based on skin color. Individuals make assumptions or judge people simply based on their skin color without thinking of it. So therefore, you cannot say that every other race gets treated equally like those who have white skin color.

I would like to believe that someday we will be a post-racist society, but we have a long way to go. I believe there will not be a post-racist society, reason being because people of color will always exist, as well as white people. Relatively speaking, America has never really been able to be a post-racist society. It has existed since early years in history; for example, there was discrimination and slaughtering of many Native Americans in early years. Which of course is not talked about and brought up in American textbooks, it has been swept under the rug. A great example of Americans thinking we became a post-racist society was when the first African American President was elected into office in the United States, Barrack Obama. Unfortunately, it was not like that, and has not been like that; today in present day we have a President in office who makes many racist comments towards people of color. Which definitely encourages individuals who agree with his comments to feel superior and correct, since their own President makes racial comments. This does not help with becoming post- racist.

Overall Tim Wise pointed out many things regarding racial inequality that I had not noticed or put much thought into before. It made me remember that racism has existed since many years ago, it is not a new issue we face. Even after abolishing slavery people of color still struggle to be treated equally as a white person. This film made me think why does our skin color matter? What if in the early years of Americas history, color did not matter or if slavery never existed? Would racism exist today if that would have happened? Deep down inside it made me reflect on the acts and comments racist individuals make, making me question why so much hatred is held towards people of color as years go by. I believe we are all human, and that our color should not distinguish how we get treated or what privileges we don’t receive by not being white.

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Racism in Janie’s Life

Contents

Introduction
Conclusion

Introduction

Racism in Janie’s life appears even before she was born and lasts during her entire life journey. Her grandmother and mother Leafy both were victims of racism and the world she came into after her mother was raped, was already poisoned. Even absent of her parents in her life emphasizes circumstances of racism. Janie's first understanding of her difference of race comes to light when she finds out that the black tiny 6 years old girl in the picture next to whites is her. ” So when we looked at depicture and everybody got pointed out there wasn’t nobody left except a real dark little girl with long hair standing by Eleanor.

Dat’s where Ah wuz s’posed to be, but Ah couldn’t recognize dat dark child as me. So Ah ast, ‘where is me? Ah don’t see me”(00). After Janie sees a dark little girl on the picture, she is confused. Janie always spent time with white children and believed that she was one of them. Throughout this years she never experiences racism and the race was not a factor in her life until now.

However, since she discovered herself on the picture “Aw, aw! Ah’m colored!’" she begins to think about the true nature of her racial identity. Her second experience with racism takes place when Janie goes to a predominantly black school. The light skin tone makes her different within black children. Schoolmates are jealous of her life condition, clothes she is wearing and make fun of her for living with a white family. " They'd push me 'way from de ring plays and make out they couldn't play wid nobody dat lived on premises"(9). It indicates that black children show to Janie that lighter skin color, dressed like white cannot be part of them. When Janie becomes big enough to understand things the grandmother shares her experience with racism with her and tries to show her brutal reality of race. "Honey, de white man is de ruler of everything as fur as Ah been able tuh find out.

Conclusion

Maybe it’s some place way off in de ocean where de black man is in power, but we don’t know nothin’ but what we see. So de white man throw down de load and tell de nigger man tuh pick it up. He pick it up because he have to, but he don’t tote it. He hand it to his womenfolks. De nigger woman is de mule uh de world so fur as Ah can see." because of nanny's past is part of Janie's identity the grandmother reveals her life story as a victim of racism and attempts to explain to her what real life is like. While she designates the fact that the white man is a ruler and black men were always put down and discriminated against by white men, Nanny calls attention an even more victimized group – black women. Nanny's story illuminates the reason for Janie's light-skin and consequently diffusely illustrates one underlying reason for Janie's concerns about self-image and race.

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Racism in Janie’s Life. (2019, Jan 31). Retrieved November 2, 2025 , from
https://studydriver.com/2019/01/

Month: January 2019

The Impacts of Racism Portrayed in Comics

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Racism in Janie’s Life

Introduction

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