I remember only a couple ofphysical ghts between black kids and white kids, but cruelty, frommostly white to black, was always only a comment away.
This line really stood out to me. Often times, cruel words can do more damage to a person than physically harming them.
Iunderstood your point, appreciated your candor, thought about it, andrealized you were right. I saw your response as an act of both courageand generosity.
Seeing and understanding other perspectives besides your own is so important and is a sign of maturity. It's a step in the right direction.
“Can’t you see that? Because if you can’t seerace, you can’t see racism
A simple and true message. It seems the man Claudia is speaking to is aware of racism, which is usually the first step to combat it.
“Idon’t see color.” This is a statement for well-meaning white peoplewhose privilege and blind desire catapult them into a time whenlittle black children and little white children are judged not “by thecolor of their skin but by the content of their character.”9 Thephrase “I don’t see color” pulled an emergency brake in my brain.
This is a phrase that people still use everyday and I think it's important that Claudia Rankine incorporated it in to the text. I love how she describes her take on it. The language she uses is so descriptive and really gets you thinking.
“No secret, my friend, you can get killed just for living in yourAmerican skin.” I knew those lyrics, but I didn’t start singing them.
These lyrics seemed to strike a nerve to Claudia Rankine. To her, they're more than words to a song because of the meaning behind them - something she knows quite well.