Between the World and Me, by Ta-Nehisi Coates, is a novel that captures the view of America from the perspective of a person that has witnessed some of the darkest things the country has to offer. Throughout the book, Coates questions many aspects of society. One aspect of society that heavily affects the lives of Coates and many of his peers is race. He explains his perspective on race and how it has changed his life and divided the country. In Coates words, “Race is the child of racism, not the father.” (7) Which means without racism there would be no reason for race to have any effect in today's society.
The neighborhoods I have grown up in are not very diverse at all, according to illinoisreportcard.com, New Trier Highschool is only 0.6% African American. Having grown up in a very sheltered, not diverse area, many of the topics discussed by Coates are very foreign to me. Between the World and Me really showed me the gravity of racism in America. Although it seems we have come far in the fight on racism. We have only skimmed the surface. It has been scratched deep into the surface of the country and will take a lot to be removed. Coates states, “You cannot forget how ... they transfigured our very bodies into sugar, tobacco, cotton, and gold” (71). This quote is an example of how racism is rooted in the base of our country. Changing laws won't change the mindsets set hundreds of years ago. It will take a very deep change in the base of our country in order for a true change. Before reading this book I had believed that great progress was made in helping resolve racism. However, it is now clear to see that based on where I have grown up, the true nature of racism has been hidden from me.
There is no way to fight racism without changing the effects it has on law enforcement and other government agencies. Systemic racism is one of the main reasons racism still affects so many. It is clear to see the effects of systemic racism just from looking at where I live. The Northshore is one of the wealthiest communities in the state of Illinois and it has one of the smallest African American populations. This is due to many different reasons. According to USA Today, “The median annual income among black households in the United States is just $36,651, about $24,000 shy of the median income among white households.” There is a very large difference in the amount of money made per black household compared to white households. This leads to more separation because African American families can't afford houses in as nice of neighborhoods. The less healthy neighborhoods they can afford to live in don't have the best education and have a lot more violence and crime. The poor schools and rough neighborhoods lead to poorer education and lower chances of getting higher paying jobs. Thus a cycle is created that keeps the systematic racism in place.
Another part of systematic racism that affects the black community is law enforcement. In Between the World and Me, Coates shares multiple instances wear police brutality has caused major pain and even death to those he knows. More police shootings occur weekly. Amnestyusa.org brought attention to the case of Oscar Grant. An unarmed African American man that was brutally killed in the street by police officers. At this point it is basically common knowledge that African Americans face more police brutality than other races, and that is not a coincidence. According to the Chicago Tribune, in Chicago, “About four out of every five people shot by police were African-American males.” This statistic is proof that the African American community is targeted much more than other ethnic groups. Trust between the black population and police and other government agencies is severed. Without trust people are much less likely to report crimes to the police and try and get help from the government for issues in the community leading to even further separation.
Although I had thought lots of progress was made to fight racism, Coates showed me that racism still thrives in America today. The only way to solve systemic racism is to break down the very basics of the country and attack racism at the source. This includes providing equal education to all and finally removing the segregation that has formed due to the imaginary idea of “Race”.
