In “My Mother’s Dreams for Her Son, and All Black Children,” Hilton Als says, “The world around us was not the one we had worked hard to achieve but the quiet, degraded world that our not-country said we deserved. We couldn’t keep nothing, the elders said, not even ourselves.” Here, Als is explaining that, for hundreds of years, many black people have fought hard to fight racial inequality, segregation, and discrimination. But the desired result of those efforts— racial equality, civil rights, equal freedoms and liberties— have yet to be truly realized. The minorities dream of an America where they are equal and allowed to prosper remains only a dream because the vast majority of minorities are still limited to live in ghettos, symbolizing white America’s lack of acceptance of them. Their dream remains only a dream and not a reality because they are still forced to live in fear that being in the wrong place at the wrong time will end in the loss of their home, their belongings, their loved ones, their freedom, or even their life. This quotation is significant to the overall narrative because it illustrates how the ongoing battle for guaranteed civil rights, freedoms, and liberties for all is nowhere near its end because America itself has yet to fully accept minorities as equal members of society.

Als says, “I don’t remember exactly how many times we moved; in those days, my focus was on trying to win people over, the better to protect my family, or— silently— trying to fend off homophobia, the better to protect myself. My being a ‘faggot’ was one way for other people to feel better about themselves. My being a ‘faggot’ let cops know what they weren’t.” Als attempts to “win people over” to protect his family because alliances assumably bettered his family’s chances of survival during particularly dangerous periods, such as protests and riots. Als’ mother taught him that silence is the key to survival because when you provoke someone you put yourself at risk to be scrutinized or harmed for your provocation. Als is suggesting that discriminatory and offensive labels, such as “faggot,” are used not only to make people feel better about themselves but to maintain the social hierarchy that exists in America. Titles and labels were created and are used so that the government officials and the public know what side they are on and who they are against. This is significant to the overall narrative because it explains why the separation of groups exists in everything, even on Hulu and in the liberal arts world as Als mentions. The tangible meanings of these titles and labels maintain the social divide so that everyone has a sense of where they stand, where they belong, what their purpose is (what behaviors are desired from/expected of them), and how they are perceived in this country.

A segment of Als’ piece that stood out to me is, “Shall I begin by showing the collaborators the wounds I’ve suffered on the auction block of gay and black life and culture? Or should I shut up and learn forgiveness on top of forgiveness?” The entire paragraph that this segment is a part of, where Als’ asks his mother and many famous black writers if their efforts were worth it and if they forgave their country or died screaming, really stood out to me. The paragraph stood out to me initially because my eyes were suddenly filled with tears while listening and reading along. I was not on the verge of crying, it came by surprise, nor was I aware of what precisely brought tears to my eyes, but it was evident that this part of the text had deeply moved me. This particular quotation stands out to me because it offers a perspective that is new to me. That perspective is that many companies, such as Hulu, are capitalizing on the stories and artistic expressions of the adversity faced by minorities. Als argues that the stories shared by people of color and members of the LGBTQ+ are treated as a commodity, not only for economic profit but for political benefits as well. I had never considered this, as I automatically assumed that people were inspired by the sharing of these stories. I automatically assumed that the sharing of these stories in mass media was a step in the right direction. I never thought to consider ulterior motives of the representation in the media of words directly from the members of groups that have faced discrimination. These ulterior motives have created a catch-22 where minority groups can either silence themselves and forgive, thus slowing the steps towards progress, or they can share their experiences and opinions, thus allowing their stories to be used for capital and political gain by the same groups they are trying to disrupt.