5 Sentences of the Big Picture
In Chapters 5-8 of Race Matters, West address the importance of affirmative action and how it has helped promote redistributive measures to minorities but has not completely healed the racial divide in America. He also discusses the Black and Jewish relations on how to respond to xenophobia and racism among these people. West also tries to discuss the myths of black sexuality and encourages blacks to love their own bodies. In the final chapter, West discusses Malcolm X and his efforts to empower African Americans to rise against injustices. The chapter didn’t quite seem fitting for the book, but it left a feeling of empowerment.
4 Key Passages
Chapter Five page 96
“Affirmative action is not the most important issue for black progress in America, but it is part of a redistributive chain that must be strengthened if we are to confront and eliminate black poverty. If there were social democratic redistributive measures that wiped out black poverty, and if racial and sexual discrimination could be abated through the good will and meritorious judgments of those in power, affirmative action would unnecessary.”
Chapter Six page 109
“The present impasse in black-Jewish relations will be overcome only when self-critical exchanges take place within and across black and Jewish communities not simply about their own group interest but also, and more importantly, about what being black or Jewish means in ethical terms. This kind of reflection should take us to a higher moral ground where serious discussions about democracy and justice determine how we define ourselves and our policies and help us formulate strategies and tactics to sidestep the traps of tribalism and chauvinism.”
Chapter Seven page 125
“Black sexuality is a taboo subject in America principally because it is a form of black power over which whites have little control over-yet its visible manifestations evoke the most visceral of white responses, be it one of seductive obsession or downright disgust. On the one hand, black sexuality among blacks simply does not include whites, nor does it make them a central point of reference. It proceeds as if whites do not exist, as if whites are invisible and simply don’t matter. This form of black sexuality puts black agency center stage with no white presence at all. This can uncomfortable for white people accustomed to being custodians of power.”
Chapter Eight page 136
“Malcolm X was the prophet of black rage primarily because of his great love was neither abstract nor ephemeral. Rather, it was a concrete connection with a degraded and devalued people in need of psychic conversion. This is why Malcolm X’s articulation of black rage was not directed first and foremost at white America. Rather Malcolm believed that if black people felt the love that motivated that rage, the love would produce a psychic conversion in black people; they would affirm themselves as human beings, no longer viewing their bodies, minds, and souls through white lenses, and believing themselves capable of taking control of their own destinies.”
3 Key Terms
Page 104: anti-Semitism - is prejudice against or hostility towards Jews, often rooted in hatred of their ethnic background, culture, or religion.
Page 124: miscegenation-The mixing or blending of race in marriage or breeding, interracial marriage; A mixing or blending, especially one which is considered to be inappropriate
Page 136: psychic conversion- the altering of one’s mindset through affirmation and overcoming biases, discrimination, and being valued
2 Connections
1. When discussing black sexuality with females they are often viewed as video vixens. Sex sell in the music industry and I don’t agree with the images of half nude black girls and the lyrics in rap songs with such lyrics referring to them as “bitches and hoes.” This devalues them and makes black women look promiscuous. Men will only view these women as sexual tools. Watch the following video….
2. I don’t know how I got into Baylor. Whether it was based on my academics or to meet a quota of minorities to attend the school; however, I will say that affirmative action is really beneficial in the education to allow minorities to attend schools so many few are accepted it. Affirmative action is also beneficial for white Americans. I have a white friend who wanted to attend an HBCU and he received minority scholarships.
1 Question Remaining
Which had the better philosophy of empowering black Americans? Martin Luther King Jr. or Malcolm X?
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