Elle Williams

Simpson

COM 1350

Short Paper 3

In the article titled, Between the World and Me, Ta Nehisi Coates describes the

challenges African Americans face across the United States. Its bothersome to Coates to be a

father in America and not be able to protect his son from the institutional racism. He warns his

teenage son, Samori, of the extra precautions he must take to be safe in a society that

discriminates against him. Coates recounts stories from his childhood that illustrate the

difficulties of navigating a tricky world. He also highlights the dangers that come with being

black. Coates tell his son how getting out of the ghetto neighborhood he grew up in saved his

life. In doing so, he manages to encourage his son to find a place where he feels safe to express

himself. A place with a multicultural atmosphere, where a black person can be more than a tragic

news story. Through this letter, Coates illustrates with vivid intensity, the difference between the

white world and the world his son faces. In doing so he reveals a harsh reality and advises

Samori to create his own.

Coates describes various types of racism in the United States by using examples of black

people who have died under unjust circumstances. He talks of instances where people decide

that tactics intended for the ghetto should enjoy wider usage, when their armed society shoots

down our children. These cases show the deadly consequences of racial profiling, perpetuating

black stereotypes, and hate crimes. The cases he references include Michael Brown, whose
killers were found not guilty. Along with the cases of Eric Garner, Abner Louima, Anthony Baez,

and Sean Bell, which show the extent of police brutality. In the case of sodomized Abner

Louima, the hatred his assailants felt for him (based on race) is obvious. Other cases such as

Renisha McBrides, who was shot while seeking help, were the result of racial profiling. The

same goes for Tamir Rice, John Crawford, and Trayvon Martin. Even Coates friend was shot by

Prince Georges County Police. The officer in this case was black and the politicians, who put the

police in power, were also black. Coates states that the police departments of your country have

been endowed with the authority to destroy your body. The people who reported these victims,

or killed them, thought these individuals were out to harm others. These assumptions were based

on the color of their skin. Coates states that, The destroyers are merely men enforcing whims of

their country. Which shows he doesnt blame the individuals, he finds fault in a system that

perpetuates black stereotypes. He uses all these cases as a warning to his son of what could

happen to him if he does something seemingly suspicious.

Coates has become appalled that black lives have to end with such violent deaths. He

concedes that his son has been cast into a race in which the wind is always at your face and the

hounds are always at your heels. Meaning everything his son sets out to do will be met with

adversity and he will always feel like hes running away from some ominous force. Coates

attributes the injustice black people face to direct institutional discrimination. In his opinion, the

law protects his son with the club of injustice and has become an excuse for furthering

assault On the contrary, the law protects [non-black] people with a safety net of schools,

government backed home loans, and ancestral wealth. This juxtaposition exemplifies how the

law treats people differently according to their race. Not only does Coates give examples of

institutional racism, he also recounts a childhood story where he was subjected to small group
discrimination. He recalls how an older boy he encountered at a 7-11 had a gun and couldve

ended Coates life for not being a part of their neighborhood gang. Not having an affiliation with

certain groups can be dangerous depending on where you grow up. If you find yourself in the

outgroup, there are consequences. This is widely seen in American culture that those in the

outgroup, like Coates, feel threatened or powerless or pressure to conform.

According to Coates, Americas whole notion of race is wrong. He often uses phrases

like Americans who believe they are white or Those who must believe they are white

throughout the piece. He uses this phrasing to try and convey that the two great divisions of

society are black and white. According to Coates, a lot of the issue starts with the ethnocentrism

of white people that causes the discrimination of black people. Coates equates race to a concept

designed to put another group down. White America's progress was built on looting and

violence Coates from displays ingroup attribution bias when he tries to find reasons behind

black peoples conditions. He is not objective as he clearly has a negative opinion of white

people. Its not all white people, rather, the white people who use micro-aggressions to

perpetuate the exploitation theory. He believes the theory that people who have racial privilege

will use the proven tactics history has shown to stay in power. He judges those types of people

for their behaviors and attributes black behavior to how white culture has treated them, as lesser

than, not equal. We cannot forget how much they took from us which shows Coates still carries

resentment. Situational attributions are associated with negative events like the deaths of black

males in Baltimore. Coates believes these events are caused by a flawed system. Coates

compares his native world to the other world that is white. Not feeling safe in the streets of

your hometown along with not having a church to grant protection dramatically affected the way

Coates perceived the world around him. His experience at Howard University gave him security
by exposing him to all aspects of African American culture. As the black world expanded before

him, his negative feelings towards the white world intensified.

The overall message Coates delivers is not as hopeful. He is telling his son all the social

problems he is going to tackle as a young black male. Like his father, Samori will face racism,

discrimination, and unfair bias. This is due to the system put in place by a more dominate race. In

order to free himself of this system, Samori first needs to realize the brutality of his country.

Coates sees a potential for his son. Coates tells him, my wish for you is that you feel no need to

constrict yourself to make other people comfortable. This is what Samori must do to survive,

embrace his blackness and get out from under the influence of white America. Coates doesnt

fully understand why the world is the way it is, but he searches for the answers, citing the past

and present. I think there is a lot of truth to what Coates preaches. Systematically the black

community is put down in subtle ways. Often blacks are discouraged from seeking higher

education. Through historically black colleges, those who have had similar experiences to Coates

can find a place to be comfortable and thrive. Black culture has seen tremendous progress that is

comforting in comparison to the trends Coates warns his son about. As blacks strive to improve

their living conditions, often times they can be accused of trying to assimilate into white culture

rather than assert their own culture as equal. Black achievement can be celebrated on its own,

and has no capacity. Coates does a fantastic job of reiterating a need for a country to realize this.

Works Cited
 Coates, Ta-Nehisi. "Letter to My Son." The Atlantic. Atlantic Media Company, 04 July 2015.

Web. 2 Apr. 2017.