In America, Black Americans are often faced with oppression. In order to combat this oppression, Black Americans are forced to try to change the way they act so they will be viewed as less intimidating or threatening to White Americans. In Citizen: An American Lyric, Claudia Rankine discusses an argument relating to Serena Williams. She says, “She has grown up,… as if responding to the Injustice of …show more content…
In How It Feels to Be Colored Me, Zora Neale Hurston states, “I feel most colored when I am thrown against a sharp white background.” (Hurston 3). This quote emphasizes the idea that black people are more comfortable with other black people. Hurston believes that she stands out the most when she is around people different than her. This statement is significant because it demonstrates how Hurston feels comfortable around people that she can relate to, but also feels isolated when she is the only black person around. America is not the land of opportunity it claims to be, and although it is getting better, there is still a high amount of racism and oppression displayed