Conversations in the United States regarding racial inequality between blacks and whites are incredibly divisive. That is logical because one side must blame, while the other rebuts, and vice versa, until the discourse resentfully ends and no progress has been made. The chasm on opinions exists because whites are fundamentally incapable of understanding the plight of blacks unless they are well-educated. However, it’s difficult for whites to be well-educated, in context, given that the historical narrative being taught across the country is intentionally void of critical information regarding the black experience. Therefore, whites remain oblivious to the black struggle unless they either have intimate relationships with blacks who enlighten
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These ghettoes became a breeding ground for a host of social issues that all seemed to result from a lack of education. By isolating blacks and depriving them of equal education, many blacks were metaphorically born and raised in the streets, giving way to drug dealing and abuse, teen pregnancy, gang violence, increased police presence, and more. With all of these problems constantly festering and becoming further entrenched in our society, “Whites observed the black ghetto and concluded that slum conditions were characteristic of black families, not a result of housing discrimination. This conclusion reinforced whites’ resistance to racial integration, lest black residents bring slum conditions to white communities” (Rothstein 20). As one can see, the cycle was a vicious and self-perpetuating one, and more importantly, one that came as a result of direct government action, or lack thereof. But, how does this all relate to the situations I mentioned in the beginning of this …show more content…
Up until extremely recently, I wasn’t well-educated, and thus part of the problem. Although I was filled with sorrowful each and every time I heard an instance of a black person losing their life at the hands of the police, they were somehow extremely distant from me. These occurrences seemed to take place in an almost different world from the one I was living in. However, this summer, I read brilliant author Ta-Nehisi Coates’ book Between The World And Me, and faced a rude awakening. While reading, I was positive that Coates was speaking to me directly by saying that, “You have seen all the wonderful life up above the tree-line, yet you understand that there is no real distance between you and Trayvon Martin” (Coates 24). I think about that quote every time that I wake up and every time that I go to sleep. Regardless of any tangible difference between my life and that of any of these black people who have been senselessly murdered, we are subjected to the same system, and thus, not incredibly different. That is the reason that I mentioned the Cardale Jones and Colin Kaepernick situations. When talking to friends, a lot of them have violently asserted that in some sense, both of their actions were either, egregious, disrespectful, unwarranted, or inappropriate. Prior to reading Coates’
These ghettoes became a breeding ground for a host of social issues that all seemed to result from a lack of education. By isolating blacks and depriving them of equal education, many blacks were metaphorically born and raised in the streets, giving way to drug dealing and abuse, teen pregnancy, gang violence, increased police presence, and more. With all of these problems constantly festering and becoming further entrenched in our society, “Whites observed the black ghetto and concluded that slum conditions were characteristic of black families, not a result of housing discrimination. This conclusion reinforced whites’ resistance to racial integration, lest black residents bring slum conditions to white communities” (Rothstein 20). As one can see, the cycle was a vicious and self-perpetuating one, and more importantly, one that came as a result of direct government action, or lack thereof. But, how does this all relate to the situations I mentioned in the beginning of this …show more content…
Up until extremely recently, I wasn’t well-educated, and thus part of the problem. Although I was filled with sorrowful each and every time I heard an instance of a black person losing their life at the hands of the police, they were somehow extremely distant from me. These occurrences seemed to take place in an almost different world from the one I was living in. However, this summer, I read brilliant author Ta-Nehisi Coates’ book Between The World And Me, and faced a rude awakening. While reading, I was positive that Coates was speaking to me directly by saying that, “You have seen all the wonderful life up above the tree-line, yet you understand that there is no real distance between you and Trayvon Martin” (Coates 24). I think about that quote every time that I wake up and every time that I go to sleep. Regardless of any tangible difference between my life and that of any of these black people who have been senselessly murdered, we are subjected to the same system, and thus, not incredibly different. That is the reason that I mentioned the Cardale Jones and Colin Kaepernick situations. When talking to friends, a lot of them have violently asserted that in some sense, both of their actions were either, egregious, disrespectful, unwarranted, or inappropriate. Prior to reading Coates’