Comparison Between Ta-Nehisi Coates Between The World And Me

Between the World and Me , by Ta-Nehisi Coates is a letter that’s written to his fifteen year old son, Samori who witnessed the sudden deaths of Tamir Rice, Eric Garner, and John Crawford. This letter explains, through experience and historical findings how it is living in White America in a black body. Throughout Between the World and Me, Ta-Nehisi expresses his personal struggles on how it is being black in America. To him It was a constant struggle and at a young age he began to realize, via news and the societal changes around him, the unrealistic bar set by society for black people. That through his story on discrimination acts as a cornerstone of discussions for inequity. For Coates, in order to start the conversation about discrimination it has to start with the individual. From this novel, Coates hints towards the confines of intersectionality and pressure of being black in the U.S.
Living in Baltimore was like being “naked before the elements of the world, before all the guns, fists, knives, crack, rape, and disease” (17). Could you imagine being surrounded by nothing but violence in a distressing environment? It’s terrifying to know every day isn’t given. From an interview on Democracy Now with Amy Goodman,
He felt the administration valued compliance more than self-discovery. They cared nothing for the wellbeing and development of the minds for African American childrens because to them, blacks would forever be stuck in the endless cycle of failure alongside ignorance. Coates felt the school system, a place for learning and growth, were not in favor for blacks. The result of the poor education quality from schools led black children to be disengaged from schools on account of being unsuccessful and more involved with the criminal justice system , “Fully 60 percent of all young black men who drop out of school will go to jail” (Coates,