The Help by Kathryn Stockett is a novel and now a movie that takes place in the 1960s in Jackson, Mississippi. Skeeter, the white daughter of cotton plantation owners, returns home to find her old maid, Constantine, is no longer with them. She embarks on a journey that would empower black women, which are the maids in the book, to voice their stories. However, this splits the White and Black communities further apart because of unacceptance, racism, prejudice, and discrimination of the Black community.

There are many instances throughout this novel where these Black maids experience identity, power, and injustice problems. Aibileen is the current maid when Skeeter comes home. Skeeter finds a copy of Jim Crow Laws in the library and she starts to realize the oppressiveness of these Black maids, including Constantine and Aibileen. For example, Aibileen’s job is to obey her White superiors as this is the only way she can get by in a world full of racism. She has no power against the White community and has no voice. This novel represented the injustice against the Black community during this time period. Blacks were treated as less as they had no rights, were isolated because of their race, and were oppressed as a result just like the Black maids in the novel. Since this was uncomfortably normal in the 1960s, Aibileen struggles with her identity as she could not live a truthful and full life because of the power that Whites had over Blacks.

As the book continues, we start to see ideas that are parallel with what we learned in class. For instance, de Beauvoir’s theory of the Other is present in this novel. The Black maids and the Black community as a whole are oppressed, so this could be considered Otherness as they are looked down upon and treated differently. The White superiors are considered the One as they have complete power over the African American race. In addition to Otherness, Hegel’s master-slave theory also applies. The Blacks being the slaves in this novel to the White masters who are in charge of everything. The author wanted the world, today, to question whether this systemic injustice is still present by sharing these experiences in her fictional book. She wants to get society thinking about racial conflicts that still appear to affect the Black community when they should not, since we are far advanced from the 1960s. Stockett therefore, inspires conversations about identity, power, and injustice still happening in the African American race as she goes back in time during this dark part of history with stories of Constantine, Aibileen, Skeeter, and Skeeter’s family and friends.

Black Lives Matter is a big movement not only supported by Blacks. Many races, ethnicities, and cultures are participating in this movement. This movement warranted many protests that allowed individuals to voice their opinions and stand up for what they believe in. Blacks are still being discriminated against and racism is still prevalent in our society, today. This is sad considering how far we have come, yet it can’t seem to advance anymore.

Martin Luther King Jr.’s Letter from Birmingham Jail came to mind when I watched these protests on television. Martin Luther King Jr. states in his letter that people must put pressure on society in order for there to be a change. If a change does not occur from this pressure, action must be taken, such as peaceful protesting. As we see with these Black Lives Matter protests, Blacks and other individuals from different races, take action in order to be heard. Pressure has been put on society prior to these protests, but it did not seem to change much. Therefore, Blacks took it upon themselves to make their voices heard, which is important when wanting change.

I describe this movement as systemic injustice because the whole Black community is being affected during this time. Blacks are still mistreated for no reason and a change needs to be made to stop this. “Black Lives Matter” was made to impact society and make people start thinking and realizing what this movement really entails.

The Black community could be considered the “Other” of de Beauvoir’s theory in society because they are the minority when being compared to the majority group, such as the White community or the “One.” The Black community gets treated differently in ways more than one. For example, job discrimination still exists, housing inequality is still prevalent, and implicit and/or explicit biases towards the Black community is present. There has to come a point where society realizes it is better to stand up for each other instead of tearing each other down. We need to come together as a society and work together to make changes that will benefit not only the Black community but other minority groups as well.

This is a link to the Black Lives Matter Twitter page where they post videos, images, and paragraphs about the movement. They have many guest speakers who voice their opinions on the matter. They have over 900k followers and over 20k posts. https://twitter.com/Blklivesmatter?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor

This YouTube video from NBA supports the BLM movement and shows clips from protests where you can see the slogan on many signs and shirts. You can, also, see the many races participating in this movement and supporting the Black community. You will see sayings such as “Equality,” “Active Faith,” and “#BlackLivesMatter” that all tie into the BLM movement. Basketball players and society members gather together, protest, and march as they chant “Black Lives Matter.”

Here are additional sites and images to visit to learn more about the BLM movement:

https://hopbe.org/blog/?p=93&gclid=Cj0KCQjwuL_8BRCXARIsAGiC51CrsnuMxfAoxevtab8CNilWxP7chTXswKtuwLhlnFOYTfFvhuk8UPYaArbwEALw_wcB

https://www.astraeafoundation.org/stories/black-lives-matter-2020/?gclid=Cj0KCQjwuL_8BRCXARIsAGiC51Ao0t9a9YKe-NwWvOu3agUwbAmSbZwTsWCbFA2R0A6XwTY8UYkne8saAnGQEALw_wcB

https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2020/09/16/support-for-black-lives-matter-has-decreased-since-june-but-remains-strong-among-black-americans/

This week’s readings included a story by Toni Morrison from 1983 titled “Recitatif.” Although our society has eliminated some ways of discrimination, prejudice, and racism, it is still prevalent, today. Throughout the 1980s, racial minority groups, especially Blacks, were looked down on and treated differently even though there were equal rights between all races. As Toni Morrison describes the events in her story, it is almost like we are reading something of our own time.

Tony Morrison goes into detail about events occurring in that time period much like they were in real life in the 80s and, unfortunately, today. She focusses on the relationship between two people of different races and how certain events shape society and the relationship between races. As the two girls grow up, there are several encounters where racial stereotypes and inequality are present. For example, Whites refusing to shake Blacks hands just because they have a different skin color than them and think that they are superior (Morrison, pg. 4). Another example is assuming the social and economic classes of Whites and Blacks. Morrison automatically puts the White family into a higher social and economic class than the Blacks by describing the amount of food that was brought by the mothers of the two girls, assuming low income for the minority group (pg. 5).

As you consider these examples, you can see that these problems, stereotypes, and assumptions are still prevalent, today, in our society. Blacks are undoubtedly treated differently than Whites. Take job inequality for example. Blacks are less likely to get hired when competing with its White counterpart. Blacks, also, are more likely to work in the service sector rather than Whites “with compensation at $12 per hour, $9 of which was for wages” and no benefits added (PRB, 2001). Therefore, Blacks make less annual income, putting them in a lower social and economic class compared to most Whites. Additionally, Blacks are most likely to get arrested than any other race. Since Jim Crow Laws had been established, NAACP states, “Since then, African American communities have continued to be under surveillance and targeted by police, including, but not limited to, the era of War on Drugs and mass incarceration” (2020). Not all police single out Blacks, but it has been a common occurrence, today, like it had been in the late 1900s after the Jim Crow Laws had been passed.

All in all, racial inequality, stereotypes, and assumptions have not changed much since the 80s. We still see mass amounts of discrimination, prejudice, and racism. It seems like we are stuck in a society where they value people less because of the color of their skin, and it is extremely unfair and just plain wrong. There are many examples of Blacks and other minority groups being treated differently not only in America, but all around the world as well. We cannot seem to get out of this horrid cycle of repeating the past since the 80s…or well before the 80s.

Sources:

Criminal Justice Fact Sheet. (2020). Retrieved September 11, 2020, from https://www.naacp.org/criminal-justice-fact-sheet/

Morrison, Toni. (1983). Recitatif.

Racial Inequalities in Managerial and Professional Jobs. (2001, February 1). Retrieved September 11, 2020, from https://www.prb.org/racialinequalitiesinmanagerialandprofessionaljobs/