I’ll be honest, the readings for this week were particularly overwhelming for me. Although there was much to learn, which is a good thing, I realized that there was a pit forming along with an unsettling feeling in my stomach. Perhaps that’s why these things are tough to talk about. The nature of racism and white supremacy is one that will make any decent person feel sick. That’s exactly why we need to do something about it.
Like with any reminder of my disadvantage in the world, I felt sick the first time I tried to interpret Joseph Conrad’s “The Heart of Darkness” and argue against his claims — angry and disgusted — not shocked or confused. Achebe’s critical look at Conrad’s racist image of Africa and subsequent dehumanization of black people calls attention to something imperative. He points out that, not only is this text inherently racist, but it somehow manages to do so without being extremely obvious to some readers, even those claiming to be scholars! What an amazing feat that has allowed Conrad to gain critical acclaim in the literary world and, as Achebe notes, his work previously hailed as “among the half-dozen greatest short novels in the English language.” Ah yes, there goes my last good brain cell. Why is it that some people could read “The Heart of Darkness” and interpret it through every lense except that of racism and white supremacy when this ugly theme is at its core and so clearly evident?
If modern times have taught us anything, well, it’s that we’re not nearly as sophisticated as some would believe. For example, if prejudice and discrimination are still severe issues in today’s world as much as they were in the world sixty, or even two hundred years ago then friends, I believe we have a major problem (but you guys already knew that). Taking a look at Delgado’s introduction to “Critical Race Theory,” he poses the question of “how much racism is there in the world?” He follows this with evidence that researchers have actually found a decline in racism and acts of violence against black people and other minority groups. Here’s a question for you: If research shows that racism is on the decline, then why does it constantly feel like the exact opposite? Or better yet, why do some people fullheartedly believe that racism simply disolved into thin air on the day that formal slavery or segration ended? What’s up with this sort of Mandela Effect of racism?
Well I can say with certainty from my own experiences with racism that the struggle isn’t even close to over. I grew up in one of the most racially segregated parts of America — Long Island, NY. My school district was 100% black and hispanic as I moved up from K-12, despite my town apparently being about 30% white. I remember being a kid and playing catch with my friend outside when our neighbor’s kids came home from soccer practice. We thought that it was the perfect opportunity to invite them to play, so we cheerfully strided over to them and asked, only to have their mom give us a dirty look and quickly shooed them inside. Before going to college, the only white people I could ever interact with were my teachers. In my subsequent years at this very college, I’ve faced workplace discrimination during a summer job and had racial slurs hurled at my friends and me while walking on campus at night over the years on several occasions. I’ve had to fear for my safety in this world, not just as a young woman, but as a black woman.
In Claudia Rankine’s piece discussing class, power and race, she affirms that the greatest power of white privilege is the sense of security that it provides. White privilege is like a cloak that protects the wearer from prejudice, discrimantion and hate based violence. This is a luxury that black people and other minority groups are never afforded. It’s a sad truth but black people are considered fortunate if they can make it through life without being murdered on account of their skin color. The narrative of black people feeling that they need to be prudent in their daily lives in order to simply live to see another day is way too common. In the Boston Globe article by Aaron Thomas, he describes desperately wanting to “stay alive” while also wanting to… huh whaddya know, “STAY ALIVE.” His words are like a punch in the gut to me because I know exactly what he means as my friends, family and I all had to face the same frightening dilemma — wear a mask and risk being killed as a victim of discrimination, or don’t and face being killed by a deadly disease. No one should ever have to grapple with this “choice.”
For those out there who may want to gaslight and pretend that this isn’t a real issue, here’s a story: Three weeks ago, two of my best friends were handcuffed and detained by police in a Target on Long Island because the manager thought that they looked suspicious and claimed that they were stealing based off of video evidence. Just so you know, there was no “video evidence,” the manager made it all up. Although my friends are lucky that the situation didn’t escalate, and thankfully lived to see tomorrow, as we’ve seen time and time again, it only takes a split second for these situations to end with innocent lives being lost. Though, something was lost that day as it continues to be lost everyday — innocence, trust, and hope for a future where black people don’t have to be scared to even be alive. White supremacy is a deadly myth that still thrives in society today as it is passed on like an inheritance from one generation to the next, in other words, it’s a deadly cycle but therefore it can be broken. Let’s do that. The first step is talking about it. The rest is doing what we can to promote and support racial equality because despite racist falsehoods that people like Conrad have spread, I know that black lives matter.
Some questions for discussion…
* Why is it that some people could read “The Heart of Darkness” and interpret it through every lens except that of racism and white supremacy when this ugly theme is at its core and so clearly evident?
*If research shows that racism is on the decline, then why does it constantly feel like the exact opposite?
*Why do some people foolheartedly believe that racism simply dissolved into thin air on the day that formal slavery or segregation ended? What’s up with this sort of Mandela Effect of racism?
