Between the World and Me

This section of the book paints a picture of what white privilege truly is. Coates begins the section by describing his concerns for down playing the horrific events of slavery and civil war. Coates criticizes what many would describe as "Southern Pride" such as the use of confederate flags and other artifacts that seem to detract attention from the horrors of slavery and instead focus on Southern, white soldiers. Coates also discusses the importance of taking pride in his culture and being unapologetically himself, and he encourages his son to do the same. Coates states that he spent his life chasing the "Dream," a very white-washed version of reality, and he realizes the importance of taking pride in his own culture. I was struck by this quote in which Coates describes the "Dream" that many Americans hold: "... to grow rich and live in one of those disconnected houses out in the country, in one of those small communities, one of those cul-de-sacs

The struggle to have control and possession of his body continues for Coates in this section of Between the World and Me. In his discussion of the various challenges of African-Americans face, Coates highlights police brutality. He shares a harrowing story of his friend's murder by the police. Although his friend had achieved tremendous success in his life, his success did not stop him from being racially profiled and murdered by an officer. Coates explained that he had little regard for the police officer, but had intense outrage toward society that continually perpetuated the fear of black men.  As Coates described he experiences policy brutality, I found myself completely overwhelmed by the harsh reality in which he lived. Coates stated that black people need to work twice as hard, but even then, could still end up dead. The kind of inequality and fear Coates describes is completely foreign to me. I have never feared for my life when I've encountered the police, nor have

In this reading from Between the World and Me , Coates continues to search for his identity as a black man in the United States. As he continues to struggle with owning his body, Coates realizes that he himself had taken part in "plundering" the livelihoods of other minority groups. Coates writes, "But perhaps I too had the capacity for plunder, maybe I would taken another human's body to confirm myself in a community. Perhaps I already had. Hate gives identity." Coates finds himself in a situation where his stereotypes and treatment of the LGBT+ community confronts him. As he begins to fall in love with a woman whose identity lies within the LGBT+ community, he understands his previous ignorant and hateful behavior. He states that his hatred "illuminates the dream of being white, of being a man." Coates realization of his own hatred towards a minority group, though he himself identifies as a minority, illuminates the deep complexity of prejudice. Co

In this reading, Coates reflects on his experience with education in the United States. As a student, Coates found it difficult to thrive in a strict school system. Although passionate about reading and writing, Coates felt restricted and thought school was not representative of the life he lived on the streets. When Coates discovered Malcolm X and other prominent black figures throughout history during his time at Howard University, he began to discover the uncovered history of his people. Through reading about the history of his race, he started to find confidence and beauty in himself.  Coates' experiences with education are much different than my own. Aside from black history month, the majority of my education has focused on the history and achievements of white people. After reading Coates memoir, it became apparent to me that how we are taught in the United States white-washes history and minimizes the experiences of minorities. When Coates listed a variety of names of bl

In Between the World and Me, Ta-Nehisi Coates writes a letter to his son, recollecting his experiences growing up as a black man in the United States. The stories he tells are vivid descriptions of his exposure to fear, violence, anger, and abuse. As I read the first part of his letter, I could not help but compare his life to my own. Coates' life was encompassed by fear: fear of the police, fear of violence at school and in his community, and fear of death. Coates writes, "To be Black in the Baltimore of my youth was to be naked before the elements of the world, before all the guns, fists, knives, crack, rape, and disease ... The nakedness was the intended result of policy, the predictable upshot of people forced for centuries to live in fear." The world Coates struggled through during his youth is a drastic contrast from my upbringing. I was born white and was raised in a middle class, almost completely white community. Fear has been an infinitesimal part of my life.