Reaction Paper: Black Men and Public Space

Brent Staples essay that was published in 1986 is relevant today because of the issue of race. In Staples essay, he begins it by describing a white woman, who ran away when he saw him walking behind her. Also, in another occasion, Staples explains that when walking on the streets of Brooklyn, the women that pass him have their face put on neutral and have their purses tight across their chest. Furthermore, Staples provides an example of when he was rushing into the office of a magazine and was mistaken for a burglar. Being a black man, Staples is at risk and everywhere he goes, people see him as a threat. Today, a black person is fearful in this country because people view them as violent and aggressive. For example, there have been cases of white women calling the cops on black men because they felt threatened by their presence. Today, people judge other people based on the color of their skin. Interestingly, since 1986, the issue of race continues to be a problem in this country.

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Based on the readings on race and ethnicity, the ways Staples goes about alleviating fears in others are conceivable. In his essay, he affirms that he did take precautions to make himself appear less harmful to the people around him. He indicates that one of the measures included moving with care especially when walking in the evening. He adds that when walking in the evening, he usually whistles melodies from classical composers such as Beethoven and Vivaldi to reduce tension among people who he walks by in the late hours. As he explains, that measure makes people around him comfortable because people link him to intelligence. From a personal perspective, those methods employed by Staples would be unhelpful today. The reason is due to the myriad of cases that have been witnessed in the country. Among them is the case of the white woman who felt threatened by a black man who was sitting in his car. Racial profiling is still a problem in the country and any measures taken by black men to alleviate fears are unhelpful.

Conclusion

In 2018, black men have the same effect on public space as Staple's experienced over 30 years ago. Today, white people have been calling the police on black men because they feel threatened by their presence. In fact, racism has been institutionalized. When white people occupy the positions of power, people of color tend to suffer. Even after the election of an American black president, racism has still not gone away. When blacks walk on the streets or visit any public area, people tend to feel threatened because they believe that they are violent and aggressive. Racial discrimination has become a collective process that is not just limited to members of the Republican Party. Most black people receive different treatment from law enforcement agencies and their perceived criminality has been used to justify police killings. To some white people, a black man cannot have a decent job or own expensive thing. A good example is when Staples was mistaken for a burglar when he went to the media house. From a personal perspective, the indifferent federal government where the president justifies racism makes white Americans be more racists. Democratic justice has been a problem and black folks continue to be oppressed in the society.