Brent Staples author of " Just Walk on By" is a black journalist that has a Ph. D from the University of Chicago. The article was published in Ms. Magazine in 1987. Staples wrote the article to relate to many young black men and middle-aged white women. It 's based on a reoccurring situation that many black men have had to deal with. The author of this article gives examples of situations that he has encountered while walking the streets at night in New York. Staples wrote the article for young and middle-aged black men to help them find a way to deal with similar situations that they might have in the future. "Just Walk on By" could win a prize, because it gives advice for men who have been in similar situations and want people to understand
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The woman he was walking behind would glance back a couple of times and each time she looked worried (Staples1). To her, Staples looked like a mugger or a rapist. He was a six-foot tall man with a beard wearing dark colors. At that moment, he realized why she was acting that way. To her, he appeared as a man that could hurt her, but what she failed to realize was that not all people dressed in all black attire or raggedy clothes are straight from the hood. Staples is a well-educated man and has never experienced something like this. White women easily get afraid when they encounter black men at night dressed in dark colors with their hands in their pocket. Being a woman myself, I understand why they would be afraid, but men need to dress better when they are walking the streets at night. Staples wanted to educate and inform white women and hopefully from reading the article they will think differently then next time they encounter a black man on the streets at …show more content…
The reasoning behind the article is to inform readers and relate to readers. Staples states " Black men have a firm place in New York mugging literature. I often witness that hunch posture, from women after dark on the streets of Brooklyn where I live" (2). He states further in the article " I have since buried several. They were babies, really a teenage cousin, a brother of 22 and a childhood friend in his mid-twenties, all gone early"(3). His reasoning behind this is to show he has a close relation to these people that are dying out on the streets and they are just everyday people, not muggers or rapist. He gave background information so the readers could get a visual of where his point of view is coming from. Many black men have to deal with problems in life and this is one that affects many people in different ways. He gave information and then followed it up with things that happen in people 's lives. White women might not be able to understand completely, but they can imagine
The woman he was walking behind would glance back a couple of times and each time she looked worried (Staples1). To her, Staples looked like a mugger or a rapist. He was a six-foot tall man with a beard wearing dark colors. At that moment, he realized why she was acting that way. To her, he appeared as a man that could hurt her, but what she failed to realize was that not all people dressed in all black attire or raggedy clothes are straight from the hood. Staples is a well-educated man and has never experienced something like this. White women easily get afraid when they encounter black men at night dressed in dark colors with their hands in their pocket. Being a woman myself, I understand why they would be afraid, but men need to dress better when they are walking the streets at night. Staples wanted to educate and inform white women and hopefully from reading the article they will think differently then next time they encounter a black man on the streets at …show more content…
The reasoning behind the article is to inform readers and relate to readers. Staples states " Black men have a firm place in New York mugging literature. I often witness that hunch posture, from women after dark on the streets of Brooklyn where I live" (2). He states further in the article " I have since buried several. They were babies, really a teenage cousin, a brother of 22 and a childhood friend in his mid-twenties, all gone early"(3). His reasoning behind this is to show he has a close relation to these people that are dying out on the streets and they are just everyday people, not muggers or rapist. He gave background information so the readers could get a visual of where his point of view is coming from. Many black men have to deal with problems in life and this is one that affects many people in different ways. He gave information and then followed it up with things that happen in people 's lives. White women might not be able to understand completely, but they can imagine