Black- The short straw
In America we often admire the innocence of a child. We find joy as we watch our children or little siblings play, completely immersed in their childhood and naive of the true horrors the world has to offer. However, in the black community, this innocence is short-lived. Ta-Nehise Coates writes this letter to his son, because his child, due to all of the systematic injustices that he will face based on the color of his skin, will never be considered innocent in his country. Coates’ piece demonstrates how the black boy in America is introduced to all of the systematic injustices that face him at a very young age, and thus is robbed of his innocence. Coates has done nothing intrinsically remarkable in writing this letter to his son because the things Coates tells his child are words that are echoed through every minority…show more content… There is no doubt that Coates is a strong man, and his behavior towards and on behalf his son further demonstrates this strength. However it is also clear that Coates is no different that any other father of a black boy in his fear. He fears for his son's safety and well-being in a society where he will be fervently targeted. Coates continually references the preservation of his son's “body”. Coates wants his son to preserve and protect this body against the injustices that he will face whether it be at the hands of “the policeman who cracks you with a nightstick” or the fundamental injustices he will face that are laid in the history of his country. Coates exercised his fatherly responsibility and informs and prepared his son for the plight that lies ahead of him also while shining a light in the dark alleys of the black American struggle. In publishing this letter to his son he also allows the average American to further understand the dynamic and fear of the black family for their black