Being Black in America

Being Black in America

Introduction

The life an average African-Americans have increased significantly over the last century. However, despite the improvement, a lot of Black people still feel marginalized. In particular, many African Americans feel like they are less appreciated, judged, and supported that their white counterparts. According to a study by Pew Research Center, 58% of African Americans believe that racism still influences the general operations in the US (Horowitz, Brown, and Cox para.2). Some of the historical events that depicted racial discrimination against Africans in America is racism and the Jim Claw rules. Today, police brutality, high incarnation rates, and low life expectancy are among the aspects used to justify racial inequality in America. As an evaluation of whether or not Blacks are still marginalized in America, five relevant publications will be evaluated in this report.

Ta-Nehisi Coates

Coates mentioned multiple aspects in his story, which all showcased various racial challenges that African Americans face in the hands of police officers. First, Coates’ story shows the high rates at which African Americans die in the hands of the cops. For instance, I Coates mentions a case where police killed Quintonio LeGrier. LeGrier was a 19-year-old Black man with mental issues. He tried to break into his father’s widow, who got terrified and called police. On their arrival, police shot LeGrier seven bullets (Coates para.3). From a critical perspective, the high number of bullets shot indicates that the involve police had the passion for killing LeGrier, an African-American.

Coates’ essay also highlights the theme of brutal and incompetent policing against Blacks. For instance, LeGrier was already calm and welding a bat when the police arrived. Despite not being dangerous anymore, police opened fire at LeGrier (Coates para.4). The incident displays the incompetence that police display against African Americans. In other words, LeGrier’s father called police expecting them to ease the situation, but they instead worsened it. From a critical point of view, the killing of LeGrier implies that a Black person is vulnerable in the hands of American police regardless of how he or she responds. Thus, LeGrier’s instance is a wake-up calls to many African Americans not to contact intense police situations.

Finally, Coates’ story outlines the theme of the unbiased legal system. For example, the District Attorney in Ohio refused to prosecute two cops that killed a 12-year-old African kid. Tamir Rice died after police responding to an emergency called arrived. Rice was unarmed and never showed any danger (Coates para.8). The fact that the DA was hesitant to prosecute cops for innocent killing shows how the lives of Blacks are undervalued in the US.

Audre Lorde

In Lorde’s narration, the author presents multiple challenges that African Americans experience. The first theme is racial discrimination in public places. For example, Lorde explains how he learned that Blacks were barred from railroad dining cars (Lorde 240). Plus, Lorde’s family was asked to leave Breyer’s snack shop for being Black (Lorde 240). From critical evaluation, African-Americans have not been accepted entirely in American society as normal human beings. In short, blacks are perceived as sub-humans.

Another theme showcased in Lorde’s story is that Black Skin is perceived as the odd one out in America. For instance, Lorde admitted that he wanted to ask her mother why she was darker than everyone else in the family (Lorde 241). This way of reasoning implies that everyone in America is supposed to be White, otherwise, you will be considered as special case. Unfortunately, the above instance also implies that African Americans discriminate each other based on their skin colors. That is, those with lighter skin believe that they are better than the ducker ones.

The last theme showed in Lorde’s story is low self-esteem among African Americans. For instance, after being chased away from Breyer’s store, Lorde’s parents did not blame the racially discriminative system. Instead, they regretted for not predicting the harsh reception and avoiding the hotel (Lorde 241). The above statement indicates that some African-Americans have accepted being marginalized as part of their lives. In other words, whenever a Black person is racially discriminated, they should blame themselves for overstepping boundaries.

Frederick Douglass

Douglass’s story communicated three points on the experiences of African Americans. The first challenge is slavery. Douglass explains how Irishmen asked him if he was a slave of life and agreed unemotionally (Douglass 3). The above statement implies that African Americans were so used to racial discrimination that they embraced it as part of their lives. In other words, the above scenario implies that Blacks were the properties of White Americans. Another theme in Douglass’s essay is betrayal. For instance, Douglass was hesitant at first to follow Irishmen’s advice to escape to the north since most White people used to trick slaves and recapture them once they escape (Douglass 3). The implication of the above narration is that Africans barely believed that White people who were cause of their suffering as slaves would again turn out to save them.

However, the story of Douglass also shows that not all White people hate African Americans. For instance, Irishmen helped Douglass with a plan of escaping slavery and joining fellow free people in the North (Douglass 3). The above incident shows that despite the racial issues experienced in America, Blacks can still build honest relationship with whites. Finally, Douglass’s essay presents the theme of endurance and success. For example, despite being a slave, Douglass managed to learn how to read (Douglass 4). Thus, it means that African Americans can still overcome the odds and achieve their dreams.

Olga Khazan

Khazan, too, explained the racial challenges that Khazan faces. For instance, Khazan’s article highlights the issue of economic imbalance. Most of African Americans are low-income earners (Khazan para.12). The critical impression of this reality is that Blackness in America translates to poverty. Khazan also highlights that African Americans are more susceptible to diseases like cancer and diabetes than whites (Khazan para.14). Thus, it means that being African in America somehow translates to sickness.

Another important theme in Khazan’s publication is low life expectancy among Blacks. The reports indicate that the life expectancy of African Americans in Baltimore is 20-year less than Whites’ (Khazan para.12). Nationally, Blacks’ life expectancy resembles the one that Whites had in 1980s. In particular, the life expectancy of white Americans exceed that of Blacks by three years (Khazan para.13). From critical perspective, a typical Black person is more exposed to death risks in America than a white counterpart.

Connor Maxwell and Danyelle Solomon

Maxwell and Solomon presented a report on implication of mass incarceration among African Americans. The first finding is that African American men are five times likelier to be imprisoned (Maxwell and Solomon para.1). Also, one in four Black millennial has a loved one in prison (Maxwell and Solomon para.2). Such biased revelation makes African men to be perceived as criminals and unruly.

Also, Maxwell and Solomon noted that kids born from a Black American mother have two-times likelier to die than their counterparts from a White mum (Maxwell and Solomon para.2). The finding make it sound that without African Americans, the mortality rate among kids in the US would be little. Finally, the report of Maxwell and Solomon showed that African Americans whose relatives are imprisoned are more vulnerable to mental issues and diseases like HIV (Maxwell and Solomon para.5). From critical point of view, the statistics above make it sound like Blacks are ruining the global reputation of America of having good health measures.

Conclusion

In conclusion, this report proved the challenges that Blacks experience in America. The first issue is police productivity against African American suspects that often result in deaths. Besides that the legal system is biased against Blacks, as cops who shoot innocent Africans barely prosecuted. African American also battle racial segregation in public places, especially during the Jim Claw era. Notably, African Americans are also vulnerable to diseases and deaths than their white counterparts. In correctional facilities, African Americans are more susceptible to incarceration than their white counterparts. Poverty is also a significant challenge among Blacks in America. All those undesirable experiences above make it appear like African Americans are odd one out in the country. However, despite facing challenges, Blacks can maneuver around and achieve their goals.