Recognizing and celebrating the successes of the black community perfectly describes the idea of ‘Black Excellence’. For the black community, the joy in celebrating this excellence has been counteracted by the backlash of apparent racism. Claudia Rankine’s “The Meaning of Serena Williams”, while specific to Serena’s career, discusses issues reflecting the struggle experienced by the black community, as it attempts to achieve the recognition of its excellence in the face of racist perpetrations.
Imagine that you are undeniably the world’s greatest tennis player, but the twentieth most marketable athlete according to a list provided by the London School of Marketing. Placed eight slots above you at twelfth, is a woman you have ousted eighteen …show more content…
Imagine”. The methods in which the black community chooses to go about tackling this specific problem have a broad spectrum. For Richard Williams, as told by the Rankine essay through the use of his autobiography, “Black and White: The Way I See It”, when Serena and her sister were young, he would pay white children to shout racial epithets while they practiced on the tennis courts. While this is difficult to digest, it exemplifies the way in which many members of the black community believe ignoring the racism will help to solve the problem. Though the method is commendable, we witness through Serena that undeniable talent will not eradicate the racism that she experiences in relation to the acknowledgement of her excellence. If this method was successful, there would not be reason for writing this …show more content…
There is nothing about your demeanor that should provoke any type of fear or terror. However, after a few paces, the woman gradually increasing in speed until she runs and disappears into a cross street. You, a young black graduate student at the University of Chicago, becomes inherently aware that you have the ability to unintentionally alter a space in negative ways. While you originated from a background of gang violence, incarceration and death, you managed to challenge the status quo and achieve excellence. Regardless of all the successes you have experienced in your life, your excellence is denied because your presence invokes fear. Brent Staples reflects on these moments in his essay entitled “Just Walk on by”. He goes on to discuss his transition to New York and his attempt at making himself appear less threatening. “And on late-evening constitutionals along streets less traveled by, I employ what has proved to be an excellent tension-reducing measure: I whistle melodies from Beethoven and Vivaldi…Virtually everybody seems to sense that a mugger wouldn’t be warbling bright, sunny selections from Vivaldi’s Four Seasons”. This tactic is yet another example in which the black community attempts to prove its excellence in the face of racism. Conforming however, is not the way in which we should go about solving the problem. If we continue to define black excellence
Imagine that you are undeniably the world’s greatest tennis player, but the twentieth most marketable athlete according to a list provided by the London School of Marketing. Placed eight slots above you at twelfth, is a woman you have ousted eighteen …show more content…
Imagine”. The methods in which the black community chooses to go about tackling this specific problem have a broad spectrum. For Richard Williams, as told by the Rankine essay through the use of his autobiography, “Black and White: The Way I See It”, when Serena and her sister were young, he would pay white children to shout racial epithets while they practiced on the tennis courts. While this is difficult to digest, it exemplifies the way in which many members of the black community believe ignoring the racism will help to solve the problem. Though the method is commendable, we witness through Serena that undeniable talent will not eradicate the racism that she experiences in relation to the acknowledgement of her excellence. If this method was successful, there would not be reason for writing this …show more content…
There is nothing about your demeanor that should provoke any type of fear or terror. However, after a few paces, the woman gradually increasing in speed until she runs and disappears into a cross street. You, a young black graduate student at the University of Chicago, becomes inherently aware that you have the ability to unintentionally alter a space in negative ways. While you originated from a background of gang violence, incarceration and death, you managed to challenge the status quo and achieve excellence. Regardless of all the successes you have experienced in your life, your excellence is denied because your presence invokes fear. Brent Staples reflects on these moments in his essay entitled “Just Walk on by”. He goes on to discuss his transition to New York and his attempt at making himself appear less threatening. “And on late-evening constitutionals along streets less traveled by, I employ what has proved to be an excellent tension-reducing measure: I whistle melodies from Beethoven and Vivaldi…Virtually everybody seems to sense that a mugger wouldn’t be warbling bright, sunny selections from Vivaldi’s Four Seasons”. This tactic is yet another example in which the black community attempts to prove its excellence in the face of racism. Conforming however, is not the way in which we should go about solving the problem. If we continue to define black excellence