![]() ![]() When institutions double down on this exclusion, it becomes a subtle, but pervasive kind of racism. My experiences watching TV and reading books is that the perspective of Black people has been callously denied or suppressed. A lack of representation in film, literature, and other media only exacerbates my feelings of self-loathing, restlessness, blame, and isolation. And when we don’t react, we’re not human enough, not educated enough, or worse, we’re hiding something.īeing Black in the United States of America is akin to living in a perpetual state of PTSD. Newsflash: we don’t! Reacting often gets us arrested, beaten, or killed. Well, my face hurts.īlack people (and Black characters) are expected to react to situations the way White people do. I’m usually braced for the worst in people, all while trying to keep that stiff upper lip and smile. ![]() Even as I write this essay, I’m bristling-worried about readers’ reactions to this post. But what parts and into which character and why… therein, folks, is the Big Idea.Īs a Black woman I carry my own unique baggage. ![]() ![]() Jackson is not different in her novel Forging a Nightmare. Authors often put a little bit of themselves into their characters. ![]()
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