Black Like Me
Author:
Genres: Biographies & Memoirs, History, Literature & Fiction, Nonfiction, Law
Book Type: Paperback
Author:
Genres: Biographies & Memoirs, History, Literature & Fiction, Nonfiction, Law
Book Type: Paperback
R E K. (bigstone) - , reviewed on + 1436 more book reviews
On my TBR for years, I have just now finished ths book.. Why did I choose to read it now? Because I wanted to understand some of the impetus behind today's Black Lives Matter movement. I realize that the movement encompasses all people of color in our country.
Nevertheless, the experiences of this writer in his quest to learn more about the lives of black Americans during the 1960s is a reminder of two facts. First, that many strides have been made since that time and second, that one of the greatest limitations to black equality is still voter suppression. We saw that in both of the past presidential elections. For this one, postal drop boxes were removed and efforts to slow and disqualify absentee ballots was rampant.
The author quotes Plato on page 34: ââ¦it is by justice that we can authentically measure man's value or his nullityâ¦the absence of justice is the absence of what makes him a man.â Or, in other words he rephrases: âhe who is less than just is less than man.â Of course, this applies to women as well for they are making strides, both positive and negative, regarding our democratic way of life.
As I read this book, I thought of encounters I have had with others, both people of color and white. Where I went to college the only people of color I met were of Chinese descent. As I pursued other degrees, I met black Americans and attended a black fraternity dance where I was the only white person present. I was treated courteously but began to understand how a minority feels. As time went on I met students from India, Nigeria, and worked with Native Americans and others. I saw a white woman who employed a Native American to work her yard say, âHe should be glad to have a job.â I knew that woman would pay as little as she could, too.
Am I without prejudice? Probably not but I have great respect and admiration for people of color. As Griffith discovers, they have been belittled and held down in life in far too many ways. He experienced first hand when he colored his skin how white people of that time treated African Americans. The resulting media interviews and writings affected him and his family greatly. His parents were harassed tso much that they moved to Mexico. He and his family soon followed so his children could grow up without harassment. Now I can't help but ask: How much has our society changed? We have individuals who harass others so much that they fear for their lives. Some of them live next to us
Nevertheless, the experiences of this writer in his quest to learn more about the lives of black Americans during the 1960s is a reminder of two facts. First, that many strides have been made since that time and second, that one of the greatest limitations to black equality is still voter suppression. We saw that in both of the past presidential elections. For this one, postal drop boxes were removed and efforts to slow and disqualify absentee ballots was rampant.
The author quotes Plato on page 34: ââ¦it is by justice that we can authentically measure man's value or his nullityâ¦the absence of justice is the absence of what makes him a man.â Or, in other words he rephrases: âhe who is less than just is less than man.â Of course, this applies to women as well for they are making strides, both positive and negative, regarding our democratic way of life.
As I read this book, I thought of encounters I have had with others, both people of color and white. Where I went to college the only people of color I met were of Chinese descent. As I pursued other degrees, I met black Americans and attended a black fraternity dance where I was the only white person present. I was treated courteously but began to understand how a minority feels. As time went on I met students from India, Nigeria, and worked with Native Americans and others. I saw a white woman who employed a Native American to work her yard say, âHe should be glad to have a job.â I knew that woman would pay as little as she could, too.
Am I without prejudice? Probably not but I have great respect and admiration for people of color. As Griffith discovers, they have been belittled and held down in life in far too many ways. He experienced first hand when he colored his skin how white people of that time treated African Americans. The resulting media interviews and writings affected him and his family greatly. His parents were harassed tso much that they moved to Mexico. He and his family soon followed so his children could grow up without harassment. Now I can't help but ask: How much has our society changed? We have individuals who harass others so much that they fear for their lives. Some of them live next to us
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