“Here is what I would like for you to know: In America, it is traditional to destroy the black body — it is heritage.”
Between The World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates is inspired by James Baldwin’s The Fire Next Time as Coates writes to his son, just as Baldwin wrote to his nephew in 1963.
Coates not only writes to his son, but he intentionally writes to Black youth to inform them about the truth and danger of America’s attack on the Black body. Ta-Nehisi makes it clear how he feels about the “dream” and White people’s need to be white. Coates urges his son to find his own internal power and to struggle in ways to ensure his growth as opposed to going to the dreamers and and expect change. He notes their need for change has to come from within.
Coates’ perspective is colored by his battles in Baltimore, Maryland. Growing up, he had to dodge the institutional traps of mass incineration and the even worse outcome that so many young Black males fall victim to — death. Poverty and violence hovered over Baltimore while Coates was forced to navigate the “plunder.”
Coate’s search for answers grew more intense after the death of his friend Prince Jones, who was shot by a police officer in Prince Geroges County, a county during that time that was notorious for police misconduct. Jones was murdered by a Black cop, which confused the curious mind of Coates even more. Coates and Jones attended Coate’s personal “mecca”—Howard University—where Coate’s pursuit for answers arguably began.
Ta-Nehisi Coates poetically tackles the dynamics of racial plight in America. Reminiscent of James Baldwin’s crafty lines and strong literary devices, Coates authentically articulates the war on the Black body.
by Isaiah J. Reese
