Notes of a Native Son

By Brian Schnettgoecke

As I read the passage “Many Thousands Gone” by James Baldwin I was struck by how baseless the image of the Negro really is in this country. Their struggle to gain a favorable image seems to be “impossible and fruitless because…it has nothing to do with reality” (25). The perception of the Negro always carries with it a distinct negative undertone and a sense of inferiority. Although he has made great progress within society (see link below) and “we know that the Negro is not biologically or mentally inferior,” he still is unable to “eat at our tables or live in our houses” (26). Regardless of his rapid advancement, America remains unwilling to accept him on equal footing and give him the respect that he deserves. Today, there really are no justifications for the image that he has acquired, and yet it is perpetuated because “no American has the knowledge or authority to contest it and no Negro has the voice” (41). The Negro is trapped in a vicious cycle that is essentially inescapable. He must not passively surrender to the image that has been unfairly created for him, but to contest and assert his identity will threaten others and give them reason to preserve the division of both peoples.

This stigmatization of the Negro is rooted in Americans’ ignorance and their inability to accept him as one of their own. The dehumanization they face is so profound and unwavering that any Negro who seems to violate the typical image is often suspected of “playing a part for our benefit” (25). That is, rather than altering the image they have of him, they immediately attribute the deviant behavior to an attempt to please others. An unattainable standard has been set, and the Negro will never be able to reach it so long as the tension exists. Baldwin depicts the Negro with very human qualities as he says, “It is the others, who smile, who go to church, who give no cause for complaint, whom we sometimes consider with amusement, with pity, even with affection…who make us uneasy,” (36) suggesting a sense of discomfort knowing that in some ways a Negro is like every other American and is in fact human. This sentence stood out to me because it seemed to say in disbelief, “No, they (Negroes) can’t be like us!” It is almost as if this small revelation of some of the Negro’s human characteristics invalidates the image that Americans had created, and this has made them uneasy.

Here are many examples of “Negroes” that have contributed immensely to American culture.

http://www.aawc.com/paa.html