Final Essay: The Marginalization of Black Bodies PDF

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Essay covering the entire course. Details how black lives have long been marginalized and how this is reflected in African American literature. ...

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The Marginalization of Black Lives

Throughout American history, Black lives have consistently been marginalized. The perceived depreciation of African Americans is deeply rooted in historical notions of race which has been determined to be socially constructed rather than biological. The conceived differences between racial groups creates the power structure within the United States, which ultimately serves to benefit the dominant group at the expense of subordinate races. Racialized oppression is sustained by this superiority ideology of White Americans and generates the consensus that Black lives are inherently inferior, an ideology which originates from the former enslavement of African Americans. Although racial progress has been achieved with the abolition of slavery and the civil rights movement of the 1960’s, African Americans have yet to truly achieve equality. Black marginalization has evolved and developed alongside of progression and is manifested in a multitude of social injustices. In pursuit of social reform, activists have developed theoretical frameworks which explore the impact of race and racism in perpetuating racial discrimination. An effective way to expose and counter the subjugation of marginalized groups is through personal narratives; a concept that is prevalent in the genre African American literature. The works of prominent African American authors conceptualizes the Black identity and functions as a platform to broadcast experiences of racialized oppression. Social reform is further facilitated through various movements which seeks to protest the continued devaluation of Black lives. The function of race and racism in perpetuating the dominance of Whites in American society, and the subsequent subjugation of African Americans, is explored in the critical race theory. The overall goal of this theoretical method is to understand how cultural perceptions of race affect victims of systemic racism and how counter narratives are produced in response to such prejudice. The basis of the critical race theory is that the concept of race is constructed by

society to create a power structure which benefits the dominant culture. To explain how this power structure has been developed and implemented, the critical race theory traces the history of race and racism in America through slavery, the civil rights movement and recent events. Moreover, the critical race theory combats the prevalent racial power structure by opposing the notions of prestige and power that are associated with race. Critical race theorists rely upon individual’s accounts of their experiences with racial discrimination to expose systemic racial inequality; thus, various forms of social activism are considered imperative in transforming common notions of race, racism and power. The conceptualization of the critical race theory is explored in the article “A Primer on Critical Race theory” by Edward Taylor. According to Taylor, critical race theory (CRT) arose in the 1970’s as a response to the stalled progress of civil rights litigation which failed to produce meaningful racial reform. In addition to addressing dissatisfaction with civil rights legislation, Critical race theorists also opposed common ideologies that perpetuated the myths of meritocracy and colorblindness. These concepts are problematic as merit criteria provides the dominant group with justification for exclusion in positions of power, and color blindness ignores the racial construction of whiteness thereby reinforcing “it’s privileged and oppressive position” (Taylor). As a result, Whiteness is considered to be the normative standard and other racial groups are marginalized. CRT challenges this notion by focusing on the distinctive experiences of people of color and considers storytelling to be an effective means of challenging dominant misconceptions of society. Personal narratives are therefore a fundamental aspect of critical race theory as they facilitate mutual understanding of the perspective of race and contest negative stereotypes.

In the article “Critical Race Theory in Education: Possibilities and Problems” Lawrence Parker examines the connection between racism and ideological forces of domination. Due to historical perspectives and ideology regarding race, racism is deeply ingrained throughout American society. As a result, racism has directly influenced the structure of the U.S legal system as well as the ways in which laws, racial categories and privilege are regarded. Critical race theory analyzes and vocalizes how racial discrimination operates in larger society through the law and areas of difference such as gender, social class, culture and language. By challenging the dominant racial ideology through law, CRT uses the power of the court to eradicate the effects of racial oppression and expose the legal advantages that White European Americans have over people of color. The critical race theory rejects the colorblind perspective’s demand of assimilation and instead advocates for awareness of racial ideology as a “determining factor in how the law has been used against racialized minority groups” (Parker). Research in the methodology perspectives of critical race theory argues that race and racism is essential in exploring the distinct experiences of racial groups. According to the article “Critical Race Theory, Racial Microaggressions, and Campus Racial Climate: The Experiences of African American College Students,” the role of racism is to generate institutional power and justify racial dominance. In this regard, racism can be defined as the belief that one’s racial group is superior to others. However, for racism to have any effect on other groups, ideas of superiority must be paired with the power to implement racist behavior. As overt acts of racism are no longer condoned in modern day, racism is manifested in covert ways that have been coined with the term microaggressions. Critical race theory is utilized to address racial microaggressions and its overall impact on racial climate. By examining the subtle manifestations of racism, critical race theory provides insight into the structural and cultural

aspects which maintain subordinate and dominate racial positions. The CRT model focuses on the following five elements: the significance of race and racism and how they intersect with other forms of subordination; opposition to dominant ideology; dedication to social justice; importance of experiential knowledge and the transdisciplinary perspective. In CRTs aspiration to explore the ideology of racism and name racist injuries, the critical race theory ultimately provides victims of racism with a voice that oppression has often suppressed. The overall focus of critical race theory is to promote racial reform and dismantle the notion that prestige is correlated with race. Through the use of personal narratives, critical race theory makes counter-arguments to the prevalent misconceptions regarding race and expose inequality. Although race and racism are socially constructed concepts, they are so deeply ingrained into society that these notions are essential in exploring the unique experiences of marginalized racial groups. Critical race theory attempts to explain racial ideology and give subordinated victims a platform to expose instances of racial inequality. In this regard, the critical race theory is closely associated with acts of social reform; and correlates with African American literature and social movements, like #BlackLivesMatter, in its intentions to expose the continued domination of subordinate groups. White dominance in American society stems from the institution of slavery which provided systemic power and privilege by delegating the White race as inherently superior. To maintain the established White supremacy, African Americans must remain in positions of inferiority. In the era immediately following the abolition of slavery, African American subjugation was enforced by racially motived attacks, the most common of which was lynching. The Red Record by Ida B. Wells exposes the frequency and normality of White mobs lynching Black men and women during the period of Reconstruction. Wells determines that Emancipation

ultimately contributed to the widespread murder as slavery unintentionally placed restrictions upon the violence Blacks endured. As commodities of an economic institution Black lives were equated with monetary value. Objectification thus functioned as protection; in a measure of preserving wealth, owners deemed slaves too valuable to kill. This established value of Black lives depreciated after Emancipation in which “the vested interests of the white man in the Negro’s body were lost” (677). Without the restrictions of financial repercussions, White men frequently engaged in extreme violence against Blacks to maintain social control. The prevalence of lynching prolonged the subservient status of African Americans and altered societies’ perception of the race. In her investigations, Wells discovers a commonality between lynching victims – many were falsely accused of sexual assault against white women. Despite the lack of legitimacy to these claims, Black suspects were often punished by vigilante mobs. In most instances the judicial system overlooked these breaches of natural justice, further denying African Americans their civil liberties and inadvertently justifying the murders. The assumed guilt of lynching victims has resulted in Black men developing reputations as brutes, implying that “the world has accepted the story that the negro is a monster which the Southern white man has painted him” (679). The stereotype of the Black Brute was perpetuated in justification of the general acceptance and routine nature in which violence was inflicted upon African Americans by White supremacists. Bigger Thomas, the protagonist of the novel Native Son, best embodies this racial stereotype and the author Richard Wright explains that his underlying motivation behind the character was to provide social commentary on racial discrimination. Bigger is defined as a product of his environment, and his volatile behavior is a reaction to a consistent denial of dignity. The world which embitters Wright’s protagonist conditions Blacks to view themselves as

inferior. This self-depreciation has been cultivated by imposed limitations on Black education, residential segregation and widespread “ideology of racial superiority that would justify any act of violence taken against him to defend white dominance” (438). A sense of exclusion is manifested in Bigger due to this racial discrimination, resulting in his hatred of Whites and alienation from other Blacks. Through Bigger and his respondent behavior to society, Wright conveys the detrimental effects that racialized oppression can have on one’s character. In Native Son Bigger is accused of rape as a consequence of his skin color and the associated connotations, an accusation which cements Bigger’s status as a brute and provides further social commentary. Wright was compelled to explore this issue due to the frequency with which Black boys were accused and convicted of rape; the occurrence was so common, Wight viewed it as “a representative symbol of the negro’s uncertain position in America” (455). Often Black suspects were treated unfairly by the police and intimidated into confessing to crimes they did not commit. Similarly, society regarded African Americans with contempt and suppressed their civil liberties. The identity of African Americans has been directly influenced by the racial divide which has long established their subservient positions. In his book The Souls of Black Folk W.E.B Dubois examines the conceptualization of the black identity by analyzing the experiences of African Americans in the early twentieth century. Dubois determines that although slavery was the root of prejudice towards African Americans, emancipation was ineffective in facilitating the end of Black oppression. African Americans continued to be subjugated through acts of disrespect, systematic humiliation and society’s “all-pervading desire to inculcate disdain for anything black” (697). The burden of consistent social degradation was detrimental on the selfesteem of African Americans. As a result, African Americans were conflicted by the “self-

questioning, self-disparagement, and lowering of ideals which ever accompany repression and bread in an atmosphere of contempt and hate.” (698). Doubtful of their own value, Blacks regarded themselves to be permanently bound to subservient positions and considered notions to promote racial equality to be futile. Society reiterated these views and perceived Blacks to be content with servitude as their assumed inferiority was associated with limited aspirations. In response to this criticism Dubois advocates for the progression of the black race which can be achieved through education and political power. Suppression can be further dismantled by the pursuit of freedoms that African Americans have yet to obtain; among these liberties are the rights to life and limb and the opportunities to work and think. Liberation is thus achieved when Black lives are reinstated with the freewill and value that was stripped away by the institution of slavery. Methods for remedying the prevalent racialized oppression of African Americans are explored by James Baldwin in his work My Dungeon Shook.. Although systemic racism is debilitating, Baldwin states that racial discrimination can only affect a person if they allow it to have an effect on them. Baldwin uses his father as an example, stating that white authority was enforced through the belief in the preconceived notions regarding Black inferiority. By rejecting these preconceived notions regarding race, one is empowered to oppose ideas regarding White dominance and Black inferiority. An understanding of history is also imperative in overcoming racial oppression as modern racial issues are often reflective of past struggles. The perpetuation of racial issues is often due to the false sense of innocence maintained by Whites which causes them to neglect their historical role in racialized oppression and prevents any change in social order. True equality, according to Baldwin, can only be achieved through the joint demolition of African American oppression and White innocence.

The twentieth centuries’ issues of racial discrimination are still prevalent in present day. The unpunished murders of African Americans are evident that Black Lives remain depreciated of value. To address the prolonged misconception of inferiority, a new movement for Black liberation has emerged in the recent decade. A product of modern technology, #BlackLivesMatter is able to gain awareness and spread its message due to widespread access to cameras and the internet. The movement itself originates from social media, and the phrase “Black Lives Matter” was first coined in a 2013 Facebook post by Alicia Garza. In an open letter to the Black community, Garza voices their mutual frustration over George Zimmerman’s nonguilty verdict in the murder of Trayvon Martin. The incident resonated with many African Americans who related to the young teenager, Trayvon Martin, and felt a sense of injustice that George Zimmerman was unpunished for what appeared to be a racially motivated attack. Garza expressed disappoint with the verdict and in the final words of her post, she informed Black people that despite the current circumstances, their lives mattered. A friend of Garza, Patrisse Cullors, amended her words into a hashtag, which reflected the core principle “of black social movements dating back more than a century.” (Cobb). The next year, Black Lives Matter received widespread recognition after the death of Michael Brown by police office Darren Wilson in Ferguson, Missouri. The organized protest which followed Brown’s death “exposed Ferguson as a case study of structural racism in America and a metaphor for all that had gone wrong since the end of the civil-rights movement” (Cobb). Police brutality and violence against African Americans is not a newfound occurrence. However, this persistent issue has received revived interest after the Ferguson protests and the prominence of Black Lives Matter. The new movement for Black liberation is reminiscent of the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960’s in both its intended goal and the way in which their

message is spread. For #Blacklivesmatter and the Civil Rights Movement mass communication is a tool to gain awareness and support. However, instead of relying upon mass media to broadcast instances of injustice, current technology allows #Blacklivesmatter activists to record and distribute their individual struggles with discrimination. Social media, which functions as a public platform for the movement, emphasizes the individual rather than a collective voice. This creates “a horizontal ethic of organizing, which favors democratic inclusion at the grassroots level” (Cobb). Without a centralized leadership, the movement has adopted a chapter structure and throughout North America multiple chapters of Black Lives Matter organizations exists. Each chapter varies in the issues which it emphasizes and their methods of operation; however, they all “must commit to the organization’s guiding principles” (Cobb). The varying nature of Black Lives Matter chapters has allowed the movement to expand beyond police racism and economic inequality. #BlackLivesMatter has adapted into a movement for Black liberation and activists have protested for a multitude of issues which affect the black community, such as “an end to stop-and-frisk, for more public school funding, and for an increase in the minimum wage” (Peterson-Smith). The most notable aspect of the movement is its equal commitment “to the rights of working people and to gender and sexual equality” (Cobb). Unlike previous Black liberation movements, which have aligned primarily with the interests of heterosexual Black Men, #BlackLivesMatter acknowledges the struggles of women and the LGBTQ community. Further inclusion is created by the leadership roles possessed by these women, queer and trans people, which allows the movement to place marginalized individuals at the center. America has long established a proclivity for devaluing Black lives. The designated role of African Americans has been established by general perceptions of race and racism. Detailed examination of how race and racism functions to establish the power structure in U.S society is

crucial in understanding the Black experience. At the onset of their interactions with White Americans, African Americans were equated with monetary value as they were considered property. Emancipation ended the commodification of Black body which prompted White Americans to subjugate African Americans to extreme brutality and murder to maintain their superiority. To justify these unprovoked attacks, African Americans were deemed to possess animalistic qualities which diminished their humanity. In response to the oppression which they endured, African Americans viewed themselves negatively and thus depreciated their own selfworth. The devaluation of the African Americans continues to present day and is manifested in the unjust and unpunished murders of Black men and women. The Black Lives Matter movement attempts to address the racial inequality and highlight the lingering effects of this issue. Ultimately, #Blacklivesmatters is committed to achieving equality for all marginalized victims and reinstating the innate value of all oppressed groups.

Works Cited Baldwin, James. “My Dungeon Shook.” The Fire Next Time, Vintage International, 1995, pp. 3–10. Cobb, Jelani. “The Matter of Black Lives.” The New Yorker, The New Yorker, 23 Dec. 2017, www.newyorker.com/magazine/2016/03/14/where-is-black-lives-matter-headed. Du Bois, W.E.B. “The Souls of Black Folk.” The Norton Anthology of African American Literature, 2nd ed., W. W. Norton & Company, 2004, pp. 692–766. Parker, Laurence. “CRITICAL RACE THEORY IN EDUCATION: POSSIBILITIES AND PROBLEMS.” Counterpoints, vol. 168, 2003, pp. 184–198. JSTOR, JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/42977500. Petersen-Smith, Khury. “Black Lives Matter.” Black Live...