Racism still exists. It has seeped into every nook and cranny of our lives and disguising itself as a raised heart rate around a group of colored individuals or a casual throw of the N word behind the safety of closed doors. It is engrained into our lives: as primal and distinctive as the color of our skin, as overshadowed and unacknowledged as the history of the Native American people. It is the topic of never ending conversation and the topic of no conversation at all. Racism has induced riots, murder, pain, and much suffering that continuously prompts individuals to speak out and fight. Sentiments about subjects such as these tend to reflect in the literature of the times. Unsurprisingly, the 19th and 20th century produced endless works
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“The Birthmark” by Ralph Ellison, written in 1940, is just one of these powerful stories based off of the racial injustice of the time. How time-stricken is this haunting tale though? Is it possible that stories like these could comfortably fit into 2016 as it did in 1940? Detective stories such as this one just as easily reflect the times of today as they did in the 1900s. Although claimed to be “hit by a car” the victim’s mutilated body told a different story. Willie’s sibling screams that “they done lynched our brother” (363). Their expressions of horror and disgust are quickly impended by the white detectives who have power over their lives in that moment. Now, racism is clearly not as blatant as it was in the 1940s and lynching is no longer a commonality, but switch the idea of concealing an immoral act? (lynching) as a mistake (car crash) with police brutality and this is certainly a different story. At a city park in Cleveland, Ohio, twelve-year-old Tamir Rice …show more content…
Willie would be considered just another African American that was unjustly killed like Emmett Till, Mike Brown, Tamir Rice, and thousands more. In this paper I argue that seemingly not much has changed in today’s society. There are still clear racial inequalities that plague American minorities today that could become worse with the upcoming Trump presidency. However, it is important to notes that strides have been toward equality. In the 1940s the idea of a black president was almost unimaginable but today it is a reality. Change is largely seen between generations so there is hope that one day the US can make Martin Luther King
“The Birthmark” by Ralph Ellison, written in 1940, is just one of these powerful stories based off of the racial injustice of the time. How time-stricken is this haunting tale though? Is it possible that stories like these could comfortably fit into 2016 as it did in 1940? Detective stories such as this one just as easily reflect the times of today as they did in the 1900s. Although claimed to be “hit by a car” the victim’s mutilated body told a different story. Willie’s sibling screams that “they done lynched our brother” (363). Their expressions of horror and disgust are quickly impended by the white detectives who have power over their lives in that moment. Now, racism is clearly not as blatant as it was in the 1940s and lynching is no longer a commonality, but switch the idea of concealing an immoral act? (lynching) as a mistake (car crash) with police brutality and this is certainly a different story. At a city park in Cleveland, Ohio, twelve-year-old Tamir Rice …show more content…
Willie would be considered just another African American that was unjustly killed like Emmett Till, Mike Brown, Tamir Rice, and thousands more. In this paper I argue that seemingly not much has changed in today’s society. There are still clear racial inequalities that plague American minorities today that could become worse with the upcoming Trump presidency. However, it is important to notes that strides have been toward equality. In the 1940s the idea of a black president was almost unimaginable but today it is a reality. Change is largely seen between generations so there is hope that one day the US can make Martin Luther King