Author: adjeiduah.1

Final Project

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“A Small Place” by Jamaica Kincaid

The topic I found to be interesting that we read in this class is that of A Small Place by Jamaica Kincaid. Kincaid’s memoir was phenomenal. The tone used was quite strong, but I think it was necessary for get her readers attention.

I found A Small Place interesting in part that this class was mainly about finding subjects such as inequality, injustice, marginalization, oppression, and suffrage and comparing literature works from authors from various backgrounds. Some of whom according to their work shared similar works. I think A Small Place climaxed all that we have read. Kincaid was able to address concepts such Otherness of all the people from Antigua.

Antigua - Wikipedia HURRICANES: Slaves were given an island over 150 years ago. Then Irma struck -- Tuesday, February 27, 2018 -- www.eenews.net

A picture of Antigua slavery past.                             This picture shows modern Antiguans

During the interview with Jeffrey Brown, Acheba address how slavery and colonization around the world made readers of Things Fall Apart felt connected with his work (Week 5). The downfall of the Igbo culture in Nigeria, the death and struggles of their people under colonial rulers all have contributed to the inequalities around the world today. This is why Kincaid, an Antigua, felt to need to address the modern suffrage of oppressed nation to every reader.

Antigua and Barbuda Travel Information and Reviews - Antigua and Barbuda hotels, deals, vacations, flights and travel tips The inequalities as expressed by both Acheba and Kincaid has been perpetuated by commercials such as this. This picture of a beach shows how Antigua and Barbuda is the best place for vacation. Many a time, people who jump to ads such as this may have little or no knowledge of the ordinary citizen living on the Island. This is why I think Kincaid felt the need to use the such tone for her book.

Kincaid was able to address colonization as one of a barbaric system in human history. The oppression and pain that many other countries around the world has been through due to colonization. The troubles that the people on the Island, Antigua, have been through as slaves is something that we can all reflect on as we reflect on Hegel’s, Master and Slavery, or Acheba’s Things Fall Apart. I think that Kincaid did not mention audience because she was much aware of the long history of slavery around the world and that of United States. The devastated impacts that it has and continues to inflict on descendent of slaves. That the people have overlooked the post slavery impact to generations yet partake in many ways of worsening the effect of their victims.

Antigua & Barbuda: five ways to enjoy five days | Latitude Residency & Citizenship

A lovely picture of foreigners sitting on the cliff in Antigua on a vacation.

Desire is what transforms Being, reveal to itself by itself in true knowledge (Hegel 3). By the desire of many fortunate people around the world, especially from developed countries is what has propel many tourist to oppressed nations. Some of who go to help in the many ways which may include donations, providing good health, adopting children and others. There are many tourist who have been seen portraying adversities of oppressed people as a beautiful art or culture.

The link above shows the official tweeter account of Prince Charles, British Royal Family, visit to Antigua after the Island suffered from a hurricane. The power structure desire is an emptiness which only appears reality by negating action that satisfies desire in destroying, transforming… (Hegel 4). A visit of one of the most powerful families in the world to a nation that may have contributed to the British success presented clothes and toys to survivors of the hurricane. How far is person willing to go be maintain power? The people on the Island are only seen as other humans. When will that change that Acheba address during the interview? The moment of change, in which one culture was in contact, in conflict, in conversation with another culture (Acheba).

I think Kincaid’s work was interesting as well because she focused on the main themes of slavery, corruption and colonialism to make every reader aware that going to places for pleasure and vacation may have also contributed to the marginalization of already oppressed society. Every tourist is in part a player in making oppressed societies worse. Irrespective of our intentions of travelling to these places, Kincaid was straightforward to alert readers to be mindful of their surroundings.

Systemic Injustice in Drug Enforcement Agency

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black-dea-agents-say-bias-plagues-the-agency-decry-barrs-claim-that-there-is-no-systemic-racism-in-policingThere are too many injustices everywhere in America against Black people. These are very systemic in ways that discourage black people from joining security forces in this country.

A recent publication on Atlanta Black Star reported the injustices that Black people who join the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) have to go through during the initial training of recruits. In the report, former Black Drug Enforcement Agency agents reported the horrific racial treatment they experienced. These agents recounted the maltreatments of the supervisors during training. Supervisors were calling a black man “monkey.” Not that the supervisors just called this trainee a monkey! They taunted this Black man by making a continuous nose using a loudspeaker and chanting monkey.. monkey…

The store surfaced when the Associated Press (AP) obtained the biased treatment of Black people in the Drug Enforcement Agency. It has become systemic in that the perpetrators are often left to go scot-free. Many of them even receive an early pension to go and enjoy life after doing so much harm to other human beings. Black people have been over the years been seen as the “other” American. Stories of this kind are very pathetic. Yet the officers found being racist many times receive a lively retirement package without any disciplinary actions.

This racial and biased behavior in the agency has existed since 1977. A Black DEA agent filed a civil rights lawsuit against the agency that he was denied promotion. His promotion did happen because of the color of his skin. After the agent won the case, the court ordered the department to review its operations and make necessary changes to prevent future occurrences. Nothing was done to protect Black people who join the agency. Many Black people have been deprived of their promotion through the use of systemic mechanisms that continues to put Black people in situations where it will make it impossible for them to grow or get promoted to higher ranks in the agency.

Reference:

Isheka N. Harrison. October 21, 2020. “The Monkey: Former DEA Recruits Say Agency Tolerates Culture of Open Racism at Training Academy. Atlanta Black Star.

‘The Monkey’: Former DEA Recruits Say Agency Tolerates Culture of Open Racism at Training Academy

SYSTEMIC INJUSTICE; WHITE SUPREMACY

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In America, every time Black people try to do something to uplift and support other Black people is characterized as a hate crime, bad, violence, or any negative term that has been assumed to befit Black culture. Many of these schemes have been established by white supremacists and enforced by white people with power. For a very long time as could be remembered Black people have been prevented from attaining power. Their oppressors have found many ways to describe Black activism and advocacy as having bad intentions. Many Black activists who began a resistance to white supremacy were killed or assassinated.

The term “Black power,” used by Stokely Carmichael, who was a leader and one of the activists for the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, was a slogan to champion a movement which arise after Malcolm X was assassinated. Malcolm X was killed all because he was against Black oppression and suffering. When Stokely and others rise and organized students to protest white supremacy by making Black people aware that the only way forward for Black people was to take forms of powers in political and business sectors. The goal was to create Black wealth in the process so Black people won’t have to depend on or work for white people to survive. The interesting thing is that white supremacists worked so hard to criticized and labeled these nonviolent protesters as violent activist groups. Black people were being lynched almost every day. People were using lynched postal stamps with pictures of dead Black people but that was seen as nothing was wrong.

These systemic injustices have continued into the 21st century. When Black people stood up to protest against police brutality and used the slogan “Black Lives Matter” many white supremacists continue to see these protestors as a violent group. Many Black people are been murdered every day in America and there seems to be nothing bad is happening. The sad part is that when other individuals can not take it any longer and takes the laws into their hands and murders a police officer then it becomes a national discourse. Thanks to the media, which managed and operated to favor one group at a time. Through their medium, they continue to provide mainly the bias reporting and misinformation that leads to the tension between Black folks and the rest.
Many a time, when a Black person chant “Black Lives Matter” many supremacists turns to protest against it by shouting: All Lives Matter.” All lives matter indeed but what is suffering at the moment? who is fighting every day for their presence to be acknowledged? Why do Black people reach the point that they can not stay home any longer and listen on the news to hear another Black person is shot at the back whiles running.

This is very unfortunate for a group of people to live in their country and always watching over their shoulders because they find themselves in a neighborhood of white people. Everything and every time Black people stand up against any actions and hatred they are told to shut up. Until when can we live in a country knowing well we are safe wherever we find ourselves. That our American folks are not misinterpreting our cry as violently motivated.

 

Reference

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Power_movement