Between the World and Me

In this final section of the book, I was struck by Coates' powerful message to his son to struggle for his identity and his culture. He encourages his son to not struggle for the Dreamers (white America), but rather hope and pray for them. Coates encourages the Dreamers to learn about the struggle of Black America, writing, "The Dreamers will have to learn to struggle themselves, to understand that the field for their Dream, the stage where they have painted themselves white, is the deathbed of us all" (p.151). I think the last few pages of the book perfectly summarize Coates' message. We as a collective culture need to acknowledge the painful and tragic history that this nation was founded on. For black Americans, embracing their culture and all of its struggles can help give the community a sense of pride and identity. For white Americans, myself included, it is critical to acknowledge our role in the perpetuation of racism and our history of destroying the bodies...

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 ...