Playing it to the Bust

Jacob Sutton
Dr. Mirskin

"Don't be like us, be like them"

While reading this chapter, I was immediately drawn to this thought that Dennis's mom had... or should I say, the overarching and unsaid thought of the black community in America.  Through learning about Dennis's life growing up, we learn that our passages are determined by our environment, those who we are surrounded by, and sometimes just by others' preconceived notions of who we are.  Dennis's parents have the life experiences to know that the passages that they have faced are much more severe than that of a white person. Dennis's parents only want the best for their son, and to them, that means acting like a white person.  Many black people are criminalized for crimes that they did not commit, and put in jail from a young age.  While a young white man is out in the world getting a pristine education, a young black male sits in a jail cell, awaiting his trial.  While that same white man is going throughout the world, growing from certain setbacks, the same black man has to grow, all while learning that the American just system is morally and racially corrupt.  I am very lucky to have grown up in New York City, somewhere that is known for its racial diversity.  But in many states, families of color are forced to internally change their skin color, just to please others and make their passages a little lighter.

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