Abstract
This paper examines the falsification of equal opportunity for people of color in the United States and looks at how systemic racism affects black lives today. In explicating Ralph Ellison’s 1947 novel, Invisible Man, and comparing the fictional protagonist’s life to the non-fictional lives of McIlwain’s 2020, Black Software, I point out the flaws in the ‘potential’ acquisition of equality due to white’s implementation of systemic, racial barriers. As seen recently in towns like Atlanta and Minneapolis, systemic racism, especially from positions of power, has not provided Black individuals access to an equal system despite the apparent success of The Civil Rights Movement. By looking at these two pieces of literature, despite being written half a century apart, I compare and contrast the lives of the individuals within them. I look at the systems of (white) power put into place as a means of perpetually holding back people of color so their white counterparts do not have to willingly (and most times knowingly) give up their positions within the dominant, white, hegemonic system that governs the United States. Shedding light on these systemic, racial issues through the use of fictional and non-fictional characters and texts, will allow readers to realize the seemingly unbreakable barriers of racial identity that hold back black Americans in the United States from ever gaining a fully equal existence. The future of our society depends heavily on the way we positively utilize various forms of technology to drive, not hinder, equality.
Presenters
Andrew VandalStudent, Seeking MA in English Studies, University of Colorado, Denver, United States
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
KEYWORDS
RACISM, TECHNOLOGY, EDUCATION
