“I Am Not Your Negro” by James Baldwin Response PDF

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Kensha Secrease Professor Ifakolade SBS 318-17 10 December 2018

“I Am Not Your Negro” by James Baldwin Response The “I Am Not Your Negro” documentary by James Baldwin talks about the times in America where racism is a peek issue. James Baldwin explains racisms as a person with Black and White ancestors. James shares this is why he is not a part of the Black Panthers, Christian churches, nor the NAACP. He is well aware that White people are the vast majority, and he uses words like moral monsters to describe them. It is unfortunate that White people in America do not view Black people as humans ever since slavery. He wishes to dispense the story of individuals like Medgar, Malcolm, and Martin to the world. Someone like them who dealt with the idea that white equals right. The various situations in history that James highlights also showcase how White people get away with treating Black people unfair. Although America seems very complex, it is filled with people who are close-minded. James Baldwin is able to explain why the world is the way it is today with this documentary. One part that stands out to me is the flashback to the movie “Uncle Tom.” It shows a White slave owner harshly whipping a Black slave and gives the viewer an idea for why the relationship between Black and Whites is mostly negative. Another important clip is the part showing Dorothy, a young Black girl who was the first to attend an all-white school. This portion highlights how everything was arranged to benefit white people in particular which fails to make Blacks happy and better people. Black people may also be bitter due to the fact that everything was segregated in the mid-1900s. At the Cambridge University Debate and the Florida Forum in 1963, Baldwin talks about things that are segregated: schools, buses, restaurants, etc. These

events are at two different times yet Baldwin is able to talk about the same topics because segregation is a monstrous issue in America. Baldwin also talks about the 3 men who were murdered. Even though it happened a long time ago he states, “History is not the past. It is the present, and we carry it with us.” Medgar was an important hero because he hoped for Matin’s success but did not live to see it. Martin Luther King was, of course, an inspirational leader because he preached for getting Black rights with the use of nonviolence. Malcolm X and Martin had similar motives to achieve Black power. In the present, there was a controversial event in Ferguson. In 2014, there were mass riots to fight back to police brutality. Black people are trying their best to live in a world that constantly puts them down and takes everything from them. A white man even once stated, “If Black people are good they will let a Black man become president.” In a white person's eyes, they have to give everything to a Black person. It is unfortunate that they do not fully value Black people and they do not all believe that Black people can earn greatness as well. I agree with Baldwin, not all whites are evil only some of them are. The ultimate lesson I learned from the movie is “ The story of the Negroe in America is America.”...