Identify one or more themes in the Baldwin reading, and find a newspaper article from the past week that contains one or more of these themes. Post a link on the blog with a brief note on the thematic connection you see between the reading and the article.
James Baldwin, in “The Fire Next Time” touches upon delicate topics such as racial discrimination, religion, church “irony”, integration difficulties, man’s insecurities, with a very admirable degree of finesse, delicacy, and expertise.
Personally, I feel I can come up with more than one theme by reading “The Fire Next Time”, but having to narrow it down to one theme only, I think that the predominant one would be “Religious and mental perturbations may lead to conflicts among people”.
Baldwin mentioned how in church he started to see things in a clearer [and deeper] way; he started believing that in church there was no [actual] love. There were instead “hatred and self-hatred and despair”. After leaving church, James and the other people of West Harlem would go to parties, and have liquor, and “have each other”; and there, there was no need to “pretend to be what we were not”. The author expresses an apparent bias against the role of god. He mentioned that “If the concept of God has any validity or any use, it can only be to make us larger, freer, and more loving. If God cannot do this, then it is time we got rid of Him”.
As a kid, Baldwin had grown Christian. With his old-fashioned father James had had some harsh debates when for example he frequented people who were not Christian, like his best high school friend who was Jewish. James’ father slammed James across the face once the father knew his son’s best friend was “not saved”, but Jewish instead.
Religion plays a fundamental role for the author when he reminisces that god, (according to Christianity and the bible), could not have been black, in terms of skin color. The author, being black himself–aside from being perturbed from society’s racial prejudice–acknowledges that in the bible is written that black men were descendants of Ham, (who had been cursed), and that black men were destined to be slaves.
Baldwin reflects on how it can be that America is the richest and freest country in the world, yet, still in the 20th century, racial discrimination still existed, horribly obscuring and manipulating people’s morals and identities.
Baldwin’s stand on unity of man is strong, firm, solid. He claims “We, black and white, deeply need each other if we really are to become a nation”. We, the people, have the power to truly fight for ending racial prejudice, this “racial nightmare” that for centuries now has been eclipsing the colorful rainbow of races. We need to unite.
A recent article which I find to connect well with James Baldwin’s would be: “Neighboring churches in Georgia, split on race lines, work to heal divide”, from The Denver Post. In this news article we see what critical role the church plays in terms of division between black and white people. Link to news article: http://www.denverpost.com/2016/08/29/neighboring-churches-in-georgia-split-on-race-lines-work-to-heal-divide/
In “The Fire Next Time,” a piece written by James Baldwin, many themes are discussed throughout the text. The theme that struck most to me was the theme of ongoing racial disparity and an ethnocentric attitude that seemed to be discussed throughout the text. In my personal opinion, the fact that each race and religion believed itself to be better seemed to be mentioned multiple times–first, beginning with Baldwin’s father emphasizing the superiority of Christianity. One scene to exemplify this theme is when Baldwin’s father asked him if his new friend was a Christian. When Baldwin admitted that his friend was Jewish, his father responded by slapping him across the face.
This signifies the fact that his father viewed Christianity to be too sacred of a religion for a Christian to be seen hanging out with a Jewish–whose faith differed significantly to the teachings of Christianity.
Another theme that seemed significant was the theme of racial disparity. Although it is the modern world, racial disparity is still very existent. “A white man’s Heaven is the black man’s Hell.” There are still dispute among the races and the line of equality that should exist is quite thin. As mentioned in the text, the white man views himself to be better and superior, and therefore, the ability of the other races are undermined. White superiority is a concept that has existed from the beginning.
An article that relates to the theme of this text is:http://www.npr.org/sections/codeswitch/2016/09/23/495013420/black-white-wage-gap-racial-disparity-discrimination
Published on September 23, 2016, this article discusses how the wage gap has been actually increasing to current times. From 1979 to 2016, the wage gap has increased by 8.6 percent. Currently, blacks earn 26.7 percent lower than whites. It is unbelievably shocking that racial discrimination, especially when it comes to wages, still exists in today’s time period. This relates to the article because it proves how white superiority can still exist in our society.
In the The Fire Next Time by James Baldwin, many different themes are present in the letter (Letter to my Nephew). One of the themes that got my attention was the theme that he keeps telling him to be careful, and to love. Even at the he tells him “Godspeed” meaning good luck. I feel like he meant good luck in today’s(during that times period) society. In addition, he says that people are stuck in the way of history and that they have yet to accept the social dynamic. That he loves him and to never forget that; that his family showed him love so that he could be strong in a loveless world. That its his job to not worry about being accepted society but to accept society for the way it is. Now in days, you hear to many African American men dying because the police get to gun happy and always feel like their lives are in danger when it comes to a white man. In Charlotte, North Carolina 2 African American men are dying from police shootings. So many instances where people want to take their chance to kill the police and many of them have acted on them by acting the police force but what are people learning by shooting the oppressors so that now you become an oppressor too. The link below shows how many people were killed in and information about each one. It makes you realize that he had all the right to tell him nephew Godspeed because it is no longer safe to be here. It bothers me on how often people get killed because it tells you that the police force is filled with the people who are dishonest and racist (some not all).
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/charlotte-police-shootings_us_57e30728e4b0e80b1ba02bf7?utm_hp_ref=black-lives-matter
In “The Fire Next Time,” written by the author James Baldwin, two very commonly touched on themes are race, and religion and how that plays a role in racial prejudice. “The Fire Next Time” is pieced together by two parts; My Dungeon Shook, and Down at the Cross. The narrative is told on behalf of the author’s perspective as Baldwin describes this world of inequality through his eyes.
In the relatively short letter to his nephew James, Baldwin warns James of the dangerous world they lived in and of how the society restrains them because of their identity. He told James to love and accept white people for “these innocent people have no other hope. They are, in effect, still trapped in a history which they do not understand; and until they understand it, they cannot be released from it” (8). People are advocating integration and acceptance in the society we live in today however it is seemingly impossible to entirely get rid of racial discrimination.
Growing up, Baldwin was fond of Christianity and have always found joy attending the Church. However, as Baldwin grew older, he started to find flaws in this religion, to God. Baldwin began to question, “if He loved all His children, why were we, the blacks, cast down so far?” (31). Religion is another theme I found in Baldwin’s narrative. Baldwin mentions how after he abandon the church, he found freedom. The type of freedom to be who he really is and not have to be pretentious.
http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2016/09/21/494900984/black-men-may-have-cause-to-run-from-police-massachusetts-high-court-says
As many of you know, police brutality is very common in all parts of the world. There has been too many cases where police strucks down or kill innocent black people. Recently, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court ruled that it is appropriate for a black person to run away from the police if they were called upon. This unprecedented court ruling proved to us the seriousness of racial discrimination. It is a matter of life and death.
One of the themes that is present in James Baldwin’s “The Fire Next Time” is the problem of inequality between blacks and whites in America. For as long as America has been a country black people have always been seen as inferior to white people. In the letter to his nephew Baldwin says “you were born into a society which spelled out that you were a worthless human being. You were not expected to aspire to excellence: you were expected to make peace with mediocrity.” In “The Fire Next Time” Baldwin explains how as a black person his nephew was expected to just accept the fact that his place in society would never be higher than that of a white person.
Today Baldwin’s words still hold true to some degree. In today’s society black people are not expected to be as successful as white people. White and black people today live in different neighborhoods, go to different schools and work different jobs.
This news article from the New York Times talks about how where you live in today’s society can affect your whole life
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/19/us/housing-bias-and-the-roots-of-segregation.html?rref=collection%2Ftimestopic%2FRace%20and%20Ethnicity&action=click&contentCollection=timestopics®ion=stream&module=stream_unit&version=latest&contentPlacement=7&pgtype=collection&_r=0
In the article the author, Clyde Haberman, talks about how where one lives and grows up affects them and how society views them. A black person who grows up in the projects will not have high expectations set on them by society versus a white person who grows up in the suburbs.
James Baldwin, in his letter to his nephew, constantly alludes to a theme of unity versus division. Baldwin writes to his nephew that he was born where he was born and faced the future that he faced, “because [he was] black and for no other reason” (7). This alludes to the division between white and black people, and the discrimination against African Americans (or even in general, people of color). This can be related back to Claudia Rankine’s essay, “The Condition of Black Life is One of Mourning,” where she also includes this concept of division that exists in the United States. What Rankine does not mention, that Baldwin does, is unity. While Rankine calls for unity among African Americans, she fails to call upon the unity of black people with white people to make America better than it is. Solely uniting black people continues the division of whites and blacks; however, Baldwin urges his nephew to fight against those who choose to remain quiet on these issues and unite with those who will fight alongside him to make “America what America must become” (10). To make America a better version of itself, Baldwin’s nephew must choose to help everyone understand the right of African Americans to be as equal as the Caucasians.
This theme was significant in the past and still continues to be in present day. President Barack Obama told African Americans that they should vote for Hilary Clinton, because “[his] name may not be on the ballot, but [their] progress is” (Chozick, David 2016). This leads to the idea that black and white people can unite, after much division between the two, in order to make America a better place. Already, we have many people joining this cause, such as Kaepernick and others taking a knee during the National Anthem, and white people banding together with those being targeted to fight for the Black Lives Matter Movement.
Link: http://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/19/us/politics/obama-trump-clinton.html?ref=todayspaper
A major theme of this letter is the value of a human being. James Baldwin is discussing the idea that white people in America have made it very clear with symbols and laws, that the value of a black person is lower than that of a white person. He claims this is apparent because of the existence of ghettos. Black people are born in ghettos simply because of their skin color, and therefore are expected to live a life of mediocrity. He uses Harlem as an example of such a ghetto. Another theme Baldwin discusses is the theme of “white innocence”. Black people live in a very different world in America(the ghettos), yet there is apparently nobody to blame; all white people are “innocent”. A lot of the time thought, it’s these white people that get angry anytime black people try to make a change in their circumstance.
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/27/us/kerr-putney-charlotte-police-chief.html?rref=collection%2Fsectioncollection%2Fus&action=click&contentCollection=us®ion=rank&module=package&version=highlights&contentPlacement=2&pgtype=sectionfront&_r=0
This article discusses the relationship between police officers and Black Americans. This goes into the first theme I mentioned because many Black Americans feel that they are getting shot by police because their lives aren’t seen as of the same value as that of White Americans, and because of other racial prejudices.
One major theme prevalent throughout James Baldwin’s “Letter to My Nephew” is racial discrimination in America. Baldwin’s letter touches upon many things that feed into the discrimination against African Americans that still exist despite 100 years passing after emancipation. One aspect of this racial discrimination Baldwin mentions is the insecurities black men and women develop because of what they hear white people call them. He specifically talks about his father, who became holy because he believed what white people said about him, and his brother, who sheds invisible tears that can be heard in his laughter and his speech. “I accuse my country and my countrymen … that they have destroyed and are destroying hundreds of thousands of lives and do not know it and do not want to know it” (5). This powerful lines brings up the invisibility of racial discrimination in which ignorance plays an even bigger role in constituting the ruin of black lives in America. We think that emancipation fixed everything, that it can wipe away all those years of slavery, but instead it brought about another form of chains that can be seen in the economic and social plight of African Americans. “This innocent country set you down in a ghetto, in which, in fact, it intended that you should perish … You were born where you were born and faced the future that you faced because you were black and for no other reason” (7). Baldwin’s anger and frustration and anger can clearly be seen in these lines, that outright say how they system works against black people. Yet, despite this anger , Baldwin ends his letter by saying, “We, with love, shall force our brothers to see themselves as they are, to cease fleeing from reality and change it” (10). This line brings up another theme of acceptance, in which Baldwin refers to white people as his brothers that have gone astray, bringing a hopeful note into the letter that despite racial discrimination, there is still a unity amongst blacks and whites that is hidden underneath ignorance.
http://money.cnn.com/2016/09/20/news/economy/black-white-wage-gap/index.html?iid=EL
This article talks about the economic divide between blacks and whites, a topic that was touched upon in Baldwin’s letter. It mentions how wage inequity between blacks and whites have carried over since the 1980s and how applicants with names like “Jamal” are less likely to be called back by employers. This unfair treatment in the work industry shows the theme of racial discrimination Baldwin talked about in his letter.
In The Fire This Time “Letter to my Nephew” by James Baldwin there are strong themes that relate to the world today. A very strong theme that I felt was constantly being brought up throughout the letter was the theme that a black person was defeated once he accepted what a white person considered them. This was recurring because James Baldwin talks a lot about how colored people are set up to fail in society by the white mam. That the oppressive nature of America’s laws attempts to prohibit black people. They are set up to segregate black people and make it so black people have a tougher time voting and that black people have a harder time getting out of the ghettos that their socioeconomic status puts them in. Baldwin explains that the education system and lack of restrictions on it attempt to make it so that black people cannot read and write. He also explains that while not forced to live in areas, certain neighborhoods are still segregated and kept out. One such neighborhood is Harlem where Baldwin and his nephew are from. Although Baldwin is clearly not blind and sees the world around him for what it is, he still shows that he is understanding and that he knows the way to fight this.
This brings us to our second theme, the theme that white people are not to be entirely attacked or blamed for the racism in America. He says that it’s not all peoples fault, it’s just that the rules and regulations have all been so inherently racist and have gone on for so long that it’s just what is known by white people. He compares it to something that is so concrete in our lives today, something like the sun which warms us and burns every day and is the center of everything. He says now imagine one day we discover there are more suns in our solar system we wouldn’t believe that because it goes against what we’ve known for so long. Like the discovery of the world being round and not flat. Although discovered it took much longer than the initial discovery date for people to believe this was true and absolute fact. So Baldwin says not to be angry or start a war, but to show white people that the things they think about black people are not true. He says to show them that everything they seem to know is untrue of black people and if enough of this happens then more and more people will realize that racism is just not true and overtime will deteriorate, which is such a forward thinking mentality that deserves the upmost respect.
http://www.chron.com/news/houston-texas/article/Black-Lives-Matter-protesters-square-off-against-9282398.php#photo-11016294
This article reflects what Baldwin was talking about in the second theme mentioned. Instead of taking the Malcolm X approach of taking up arms, these people exercised their first amendment right to freedom of assembly and protest. They did this peacefully for the most part, in a display of civil disobedience, making it known that issues exist and need to be handled.
The theme of racial inequality is explored thoroughly throughout James Baldwins’ “Letter To My Nephew”. The tone is set before you even begin reading the essay, when Baldwin tells us that he is writing the letter on the “100th anniversary of emancipation”. Obviously this is of significance not only in a historical sense, but also in terms of what Baldwin explores in his writing. As Baldwin says, black people are not expected to make any significant impact on American society , that they are second rate citizens, and that they are “expected to make piece with mediocrity”. Baldwin suggests that black people are ultimately destined for failure, no matter what their individual circumstances are – the mere fact that they are black sets them back so far that anything they do as individuals is not enough to make up for all the negatives that are loaded onto them at birth.
An article from WND on the recent Charlotte race riots explores this theme as well. The article suggests that although it is a contributing factor, recent injustice is not the cause of the protests – and that they have been “years in the making”. The article suggests that blacks are more angry about their general status in American society – the fact that they “live in de facto segregated neighborhoods”. One injustice is not able to cause the mass uprising that is occurring at present here in America. This is being fueled by years of small racist acts, of racial prejudices and by general intolerance of idea of black people being equal with white people. The anger of the Charlotte riots is being fueled by so many factors.
In the letter ” fire this time” Baldwin displays many themes such as racism, acceptance,and love. Baldwin recognizes that racism still exists in society, even 100 years after freedom. Racism is in the roots of the government and it soci to is set up in a way that demotes blacks. He states ” you were born where you were born and faced the future that you faced” just because of your skin color. Racism was pre-determined in our society because it was set up this way. Black peoples future success is limited just because of their skin color. In the letter a strong barrier is shown between whites and blacks as the letter says “us” and “them.” He also states how the countrymen believe this notion of racism is exaggerated, as he says In the letter “countrymen believe.. You exaggerate.” This idea of racism is not seen clearly by all and definitely not recognized as much.
Baldwin also tells his nephew that once we start recognizing ourselves as what the whites perceive us as we are truly defeated. Towards the end of the article Baldwin promotes themes of love and acceptance. As he says you must accept them and accept them with love. He explains how they are not at fault, and they are stuck in historic times. So you cannot blame them, but you can accept them with peace and love. Durning the end he transitions into a more loving theme as he expresses the importance of acceptance.
This relates to current police brutality cases. Recently police officers have killed innocent black men, just because their skin color threatened the. But to be specific in Charlotte protestors and police officers shared hugs. This can tie into baldwins theme of acceptance. As Baldwin said you must accept them with peace.Black protestors hugged police officers to promote love and acceptance. This also recognized that not all our at fault .
http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2016/09/22/protesters-accost-black-man-as-he-hugs-charlotte-police-officers/
The change from familiarity into something new is such a prominent theme in “The Fire Next Time.” James Baldwin talks about how he grew up constantly protected by his parents. Unknowingly, his caretakers groom him for a world perpetually unforgiving to African Americans as they loom over him and keep him in a bubble. He isn’t allowed to wander off too far, and he is taught to act a certain way in the presence of white people. As he grows up, he transitions into the life that is set out for every other person just like him. He also realizes what it has done to his peers and what some of them become after leaving the innocence of their childhood. He comments about the women maturing as well, with “something deeper and more subtle in their eyes, their heat, their odor, and the inflection of their voices.”
“My friends began to drink and smoke,” he also writes, noting the negative turn their lives have taken in an attempt to comfort themselves. His people are no longer in their bubble anymore-now they have to face the real world, which operates around oppressing minorities and is built upon racism.
The alternative that Baldwin has taken contrary to his friends, however, is to go to church, which also ties into a theme in empowerment. He takes on a role of responsibility in his newfound community as a preacher to show his father that he can be independent. Although that did not work out entirely in his favor, what’s even more important is that he uses his relationship with God as a coping mechanism for his suffering as a black man. Another source of empowerment for him is his writing-in this letter, he is given a voice. He can express how he feels about his status in the world, and tell his nephew about the realities about how his life will be in a white man’s world.
An article I found that ties to these themes is about how Lewis Hamilton used his past as a way to make himself tougher. Even though he was an outcast in his community, he did not back down from the fact that he did not feel welcome as the only black person. Hamilton simply worked on facing the opposition thrown at him and that is what makes him a more empowered person today.
http://www.eurosport.com/formula-1/hamilton-i-had-a-lot-of-bullying-and-racism-at-school.-it-made-me-tougher_sto5873701/story.shtml
In “The Fire this Time,” James Baldwin included a letter that he wrote to his nephew. This letter had many different themes, such as the invisibility of the effect people have on other people, the need to survive racism in society, and staying true to yourself. These themes stood out to me because James Baldwin spoke about how his father and brother were unable to deal with the racism and began to believe everything that society was saying about them. He then goes on to tell his nephew to be different then them and be strong enough to not let it effect you. Baldwin tells his nephew to find a way to survive with the racism in society and try to live a normal life. He also advices his nephew to not try and fit in among the white people and to just be true to himself.
I found an article on Fox News that relates to the theme of the effect that people have on others. In this article, it states that the violence and death rate has increased according to the FBI. The article then breaks down some of the timeline where the violence and murder really increased. For example, the article states that in Baltimore the violence percentage increased by 14% the following year, which is believed to be caused by the death of Freddie Gray while he was in police custody. This shows the theme of survival in that people no longer feel safe after incidents such as the Freddie Gray incident so they start riots in order to get justice as well as to persuade the government to change something so that they can feel safe enough to live their lives.
http://www.foxnews.com/us/2016/09/26/fbi-violent-crime-across-us-spiked-in-2015-murders-up-nearly-11-percent.html
In the reading, “The Fire the Next Time”, the author James Baldwin presents various themes. One of the themes he presents is innocence. Baldwin talks about how the country calls themselves “innocent”, but their “innocence” is causing the crime. Meaning that back then, some countries saw slavery as a good thing and by them allowing slavery to happen they were doing nothing wrong , meaning that they were “innocent.” However Baldwin further explains that their “innocence” has caused others a life of despair. For example, in the reading he explains to his nephew that he was born in a place that was designed for him to suffer and not thrive. His ambitions were restrained and he lived in a society full of brutality.
In this article http://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/26/us/what-we-know-about-the-details-of-the-police-shooting-in-charlotte.html?_r=0 , the theme of “innocence” is relevant too. Keith Lamont Scott was killed by Charlotte police last Tuesday afternoon. He allegedly had a gun and possession of marijuana which is illegal in North Carolina. He was killed by police even though on the body and dashboard camera footage, there was no clear evidence of a gun and Scott’s arms were by his side and he was backing away from the vehicle when the the police approached him.
This article and the reading connect because both the country and the police officers see themselves as “innocent”even though they caused pain towards others. The country saw themselves as “innocent” because to them slavery was a benefit while to others slavery destroyed their lives. For the police officers they think that they are innocent because they saw Scott as an imminent physical threat towards themselves and others. However, his family is now grieving over him and there is no clear evidence to show he was in possession of a gun or an imminent physical threat.
Two major themes that I thought of from the book “The Fire Next Time” was racial inequality and racism. From the introduction part of the book, which is the “Letter To my Nephew”, James’s uncle told James about racism during that time, James’s uncle did not talk about anything specifically, he told James mainly what he should be expecting in his lifetime and what kind of attitude James should have towards racism. But one part of what James’s uncle said had a really huge impact on me, “ There is no reason for you to try to become like white people and there is no basic whatever for their impertinent assumption that they must accept you. The really…… They have had to believe for many years, and for innumerable reasons, that black men are inferior to white men.” (8-9). From these few sentences, I admire uncle’s attitude toward racism, he does not have hatred for the white men, because he believes that would make him no difference compared to the white, he believed that only love can help the white realize that they are wrong and therefore hoping for a change. This kind of attitude is hard to find among ordinary people, James’s uncle really looked at the the topic of racism differently, and he is teaching James the same, that he should treat the whites with a loving heart.
http://www.theroot.com/articles/news/2016/09/report-disabled-black-man-shot-dead-by-police-while-reading-in-the-car/
I found this article talking about an disabled African American was shot dead by police, the victim’s name was Keith Lamont Scott, and from the footage that was taken by his wife, Scott had no sign of being dangerously armed or whatsoever, but he was still fatally shot. From this article, I do not want to go deeper into the discuss, because I already heard of more than enough of African Americans being shot dead for no reason. And I believe other people in the United States feel the same as me, these events are happening so often nowadays that people already mentally paralyzed to it. I really wanted for a change, for not only African Americans but everyone who had been killed just because of their racial appearance. The society today has been influenced deeply by the appearance of people, and allowed these appearance to cause tremendous among of fear within them. And the society are keep judging a whole racial group just because of certain events, just like how some people believe all Muslims are terrorists after the 9/11 bombing. Racism continues to be a problem today in modern society, and there is no definite solution to this issue, because racism had been formed for decades and it already shaped people’s idea on race when everyone on earth is biologically the same.
In The Fire Next Time, James Baldwin describes the concerning mistreatment of black people,in his letter to his nephew. He describes the “innocents” as truly being seen to be the true perpetrators,because they undermine and ignore the hardship of Black people because they fear change. According to Baldwin, “well,the black man has functioned in the white man’s world as a fixed star, as an immovable pillar: and as he moves out of his place, heaven and earth are shaken to their foundations.” In this Baldwin is trying to say if there were ever any such thing as racial equality it would mean the end of time because at the time Blacks were just seen to be slaves in the eyes of white people. Baldwin uses the word innocent in an ironic way because he makes the definition be the opposite of what it actually means. Innocence is when someone is guilty of crime, but Baldwin makes it seem that what white people were doing they was justified and not a crime.Baldwin says that, “It is the innocence which constitutes the crime.” According to Baldwin , it is the so-called innocent white men that are destroying many of Black lives throughout the country because of the crimes they have committed. Such as the use of the word ‘nigger’ it brings down the value of the person to which is being told. As well as the idea that “that black men are inferior to white men.” Baldwin says that the white people will only see Black people living in ghettos and not being able to spell their name.
http://www.theblaze.com/contributions/smearing-the-south-with-false-charges-of-racism/
The article perceive that innocence black lives are still perceive to be more violent than white people. In this one can say that because of history white southerner still believe that blacks are inferior to them and believe that their actions are justified. In a way it doesn’t portray what African Americans are because there is usually a negative presumption on Black lives.
In “The fire next time,” by James Baldwin many different type of themes are present. Themes such as racial inequality, discrimination, social empowerment and the injustice of history in relation to how black people were treated and how they are treated now. In the “Letter to my nephew” he touches up on the fact that change cannot be enacted until people come to terms and accept the errors of there ancestors and actively try to be involved in fixing the problematic actions that cause so many colored people serious problems in society today. Rather than just acknowledging it and wondering why nothings changed. White America must take back the principles that they’ve tried to instill in their society in the past of white dominance and black inferiority. Another theme that is present in the letter is the teaching of Self-love contrary to self loathing which had plagued his father into thinking that the white man was right and they really weren’t as good as them. Which connects to the main view and purpose of the article which was to inform black people to care about themselves again, love themselves and realize they are not what America wants them to be. That Black Excellence is something white America is afraid of but in order to instill change, is a necessary step for the betterment of our country as a whole.
An article that I feel agrees with this theme is
http://newsactivist.com/en/news-summary/race-and-racism-group-545-fall-2015/what-black-excellence
This article deals with Claudia Rankine’s article ” The meaning of Serena Williams” and a response to the article about they never knew that even star athletes dealt with racial discrimination, and everyday lives are still being affected by things like this.
A re-occuring theme I found in “The Fire Next Time”, by James Baldwin was the theme of racial profiling. Charlotte, North Carolina is not a forward thinking place. They have anti LGBT laws, and are pretty racist there. The narrator of the text speaking to James is pretty clear that he will be treated very differently an negatively from white people for the sole reason of him being black. It’s a time of slavery and that’s how black people were treated: lesser than the average human. The narrator repeatedly said to prepare for the discrimination, to prepare for the lesser opportunities, and to accept all of the negativity.
I found an article in the New York Times about the recent shooting in Charlotte: http://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/26/us/what-we-know-about-the-details-of-the-police-shooting-in-charlotte.html?_r=0
It talks about how the police assumed Mr. Scotts was smoking a marijuana blunt and had a gun ready to shoot. The police then opened fire with their guns and killed Mr. Scotts. While this was going on, Mr. Scotts’ wife was recording what was going on and showed he didn’t have a gun. Just like in “The Fire Next Time,” black men are oppressed and so are black men today. There’s been so much shootings gong on between plosive officers and black men because they’re accused to having a gun or doing something wrong.