Struggle for Human Connection

Coates’ central message about living in a black body revolves around the idea that “in America it is traditional to destroy the black body- it is heritage” as Coates’ says, and he emphasizes this in his letter to make sure his son understands. It is important to him that he tells his son about the fear that black bodies hold and the constant struggle they must endure and fight for so that his son may be aware, may be cautious of the decisions he makes, and so that he acknowledges the differences between the superior and inferior in society. More specifically, he relates this to the history of the black body and how this history isn’t taught justly and only further portrays black people as inferior, rarely speaking of the “heroes” of black history as is so common in the white western history that makes up the majority of education when we learn about America’s history in school. Coates’ says, “The beauty of the black body was never celebrated in movies, on television shows, or in the textbooks I’d seen as a child,” explaining how the education system is corrupt, specifically in terms of the way history is taught, and gives a false portrayal of the value and beauty of the black body, further imprinting a misrepresentation of these people and further engraining a sense of superiority in white students and white people in general. Additionally, Coates’ brings up the idea of the “Dream” or what is most commonly seen in the way of life for white people. He states, “When the journalist asked me about my body, it was like she was asking me to awaken her from the most gorgeous dream. I have seen that dream all my life. It is perfect houses with nice lawns. It is Memorial Day cookouts, block associations, and driveways. The Dream is tree houses and the Cub Scouts. And for so long I have wanted to escape into the Dream, to fold my country over my head like a blanket. But this has never been an option, because the Dream rests on our backs, the bedding made from our bodies.” This statement is so significant because it displays the way American history has shaped the way society is organized and the ways in the which the people of society interact. No one can fully understand the struggle of being black in America unless you are living it. He says, “Never forget that we were enslaved in this country longer than we have been free,” further signifying the idea that America and American people for all those years saw the black body as “the greatest material interest of the world,” “the soul was the body that fed the tobacco, and the spirit was the blood that watered the cotton” for so long they were seen as animals and objects used for profit, stolen. The white superiority from that time has unfortunately never fully gotten out of the minds of many white Americans, giving reason to why black people still live in constant fear, still live with “rules” they follow so they can avoid issues with white men and women. Coates’ writes about an incident with some white people after his child had bumped into a white woman and reflects that he, “…had forgotten the rules, an error as dangerous on the Upper West Side of Manhattan as on the West Side of Baltimore,” when he acted out. He wants his son to be aware of these things. Aware that the “police departments have been endowed with the authority to destroy [the black] body” and aware of his history, aware of his heroes, and aware of his body and all its beauty. Coates’ writes to his son, “I would not have you descend into your own dream. I would have you be a conscious citizen of this terrible and beautiful world.” So in this way, through the critical consciousness he carries throughout his daily life, this may be helpful in his liberation of the restricting and fearful society around him.

This can connect in some way to Rauch’s story and what he experienced in his childhood and why he cares for small critters so much. Rauch had a hard time with people, they were always “a source of pain” for him, so he didn’t trust anyone. I think Coates’ desire to share the truths he did with his son was out of unconditional love and protection of his son, just as Rauch receives from the animals, or “critters” as he calls them, that come into his life. Rauch finds it much easier to communicate and learn from these critters than it is with people, “they teach me what I can’t learn from people.” I think the biggest part about his connection with animals is how they love unconditionally, they will always be by his side. I think this reflects and says a lot about our shared human condition and suffering. There is so much suffering in society and the world at large because of the lack of civil human interaction and shared experience/connection with others.

These topics brought up in the reading as well as the audio can relate to the experience of students at my community partner site. Next Generation Scholars targets underprivileged students of low income families, which primarily consist of Latinos and African Americans. The issues Coates’ brings up, such as history taught in schools, the police, and just general living in constant fear, have all been experienced at some point by the people at my community partner site. I think a letter a parent fearing deportation might write to their children would sound similar to that of Coates’ letter to his son and would include something similar to what Coates’ said, that “this is your world, that this is your body, and you must find some way to live within the all of it,” talking of the constant struggle. I think we can all, myself included, try to include the idea of connection throughout more of our daily lives, encouraging human interaction and embracing opportunity for companionship with others. I think this also involves maybe being okay with being uncomfortable, because not everyone is comfortable with putting themselves out there and taking that step of interaction especially if they are living in constant fear as Coates spoke about. I think it is also the responsibility of white people and white America in general to open the way for interaction with others, even if it isn’t comfortable because of the preconceived ideas we all carry for people of different races and identities. I think ultimately the bottom line is that we need to encourage openness within ourselves and make ourselves available to those around us.