Black Men and Public Space

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Black Men and Public Space

“Black Men and Public Space” details the experiences of the author as a black man in the United States. Staples begins by narrating the events surrounding his night walks, and how people, mainly women, were threatened by his mere presence. When he first arrived at the University of Chicago, he found himself unable to sleep and decided to take a walk. He says that his victim was a young white woman also walking in the deserted Hyde Park (Staples). Threatened by his presence and afraid to be mugged, raped or worse, she ran away. He soon found this to be the norm; people would feel uncomfortable when he was around. On the street, motorists would quickly lock their car doors. Despite the fact that the article was written more than sixty years ago, the same stereotypes regarding young black men persist to this day. It is common for people to judge others based solely on their appearance, without knowing who they are.

In Chicago, the author became familiar with the language of fear. Pedestrians would cross the road to the other side to avoid walking by him. People were afraid of whom he represented, without knowing the person he was. All they saw was a tall black young man with long hair and instantly assumed the worst. He says that experiences with cab drivers, door attendants and police officers were much worse. Growing up in Pennsylvania, he grew up with violence, gang fights and knifings all around him. He was a quiet boy, always on the background, and this might explain why he was unaware of how much fear he could arouse in people. He saw many young men his hometown locked away or killed and chose to remain timid to survive (Staples). Other black men fared much worse than him; one journalist was mistaken for a killer. The story is a heart wrenching one, but one that is all too familiar in the country we live in.

Stereotypes come in various forms, and I too, have been a victim of such stereotypes. As a college student, people usually assume that you are carefree, irresponsible and many other negative things. I once volunteered for a local charity as helping people is one of my passions. My supervisor gave me an assignment to write up due in a few days. It was a simple one, and I finished it within a day. As I went into his office to hand it in, he seemed surprised that it was all done and done perfectly too. I walked out very pleased with myself. I overheard his colleague say, “Shocking isn’t it that the report is finished ahead of time. With that purple hair, I assumed she is one of those crazy college kids.” For a moment, I was shocked. I dyed my hair purple for the summer, but it was just a passing thing. I failed to understand how my purple hair or my being in college indicated that I should be an irresponsible person. However, I took it as a lesson against stereotypes. I always give people the chance to show me who they are before making false assumptions and judgments.

Works Cited

Staples, Brent. “Black men and public space.” Life studies (1992): 20-32.