Race and Equality

There was a time when the color of your skin defined who you were. There was a time when a whole day's work (12 hours plus more) caring for the prim and proper homes of  whites or the tail end jobs of the city only got you fifty cents richer day by day. There was a time when the mindsets of the outcast folk knew nothing more than fear and survival. There was a time when race and equality never breed racial equality because it was non existent.
I decided to start today's discussion off  with a snippet of my thoughts, quite appropriate for the first order of business which is the main similarity in outlook that these authors shared. You see it obvious to me that what McKay, Hurston, Hughes, and Cullen all had in common was the challenge of being colored in an era when segregation, discrimination and ignorance was at its highest peak. This peak of course, spanning for decades cast these authors in a world where they were constantly reminded that their skin tone was different and were often times made to believe that they themselves were different. In Claude McKay's poems he expresses the feelings and changes America has put him through, as in the poem "America" but then he also gives a glimpse of hope and perseverance in the poem "If We Must Die". In "America" he shows us that hatred and equality was common when he stated, "Giving me strength erect against her hate, / Her bigness sweeps my being like a flood".(6-7). In Hurston's "How it feels to Be Colored Me" she shows us her observation of  inequality when she states, "In my heart as well as in the mirror, I became a fast brownwarranted not to rub nor run". Although    Eatonville did not show the true colors of racial difference, Jacksonville made her analyze the world around her. Langston Hughes points out racial inequalities in both of his poems entitled "Mother to Son" and "Theme for English B". In "Theme for English B" he points out his troubles when he states, "Sometimes perhaps you don’t want to be a part of me. / Nor do I often want to be a part of you". Finally in Cullen's poem he shows his encounter with being black when he stated, "And so I smiled, but he poked out / His tongue, and called me, “Nigger.”". All of these Authors show that they have witnessed and experienced bouts of inequalities because of their race and it is evident in all of their works.
The main difference in these authors' outlook on racial inequality is that they all have different perspectives on it through different social and living environments. Each one of the authors give their unique account of struggles with racial inequality with some even offering a voice to overcoming opposition and being proud of your race. They all show race and equality in a different light and mindset from one another.
In Claude McKay's poems he sees the fight for equality through the eyes of someone who was not born in America but has to endure the hardships of being black all the same. He knew that America at this time was cold and harsh to those of African descent because in his poem "America" he states, "Although she feeds me bread of bitterness, / And sinks into my throat her tiger's tooth, / Stealing my breath of life..." (1-3). He also shows his will to resist from breaking under pressure as times prove to be trying for the colored at this time. In  "If We Must Die" McKay makes the statement, "Like men we’ll face the murderous, cowardly pack, / Pressed to the wall, dying, but fighting back!" This shows that he was optimistic in the fight against inequality and gave hope to those who felt defeated.
Zora Neal Hurston took on another face of colored's at that time. Her story is one of a determined and very confident black girl, who although was highly disregarded and look at as inferior, she questioned why someone of  another race felt as though they could not come in to contact with her. She showed her carefree outlook on inequality when she stated, "BUT I AM NOT tragically colored. There is no great sorrow dammed up in my soul, nor lurking behind my eyes. I do not mind at all. I do not belong to the sobbing school of Negrohood who hold that nature somehow has given them a lowdown dirty deal and whose feelings are all but about it." Hurston's idea of race and equality was that it does exist, but it exists in a manner that she refused to let destruct or sadden her. 
Langston Hughes was one of the most influential writers of his era and to this he had his own unique share of experiences and interpretations of race and equality. Unlike Hurston who saw discrimination down south Hughes spent his life in the North which gave a different atmosphere and tone to how whites treated blacks. In "Theme for English B" he states, "I guess being colored doesn’t make me not like / the same things other folks like who are other races. / So will my page be colored that I write?" which implies that he notices the differences among blacks and white, but he often time questions how it affects him. 
Countee Cullen had a very rude encounters in his experiences. He pointed out in "Yet Do I Marvel" that, "If merely brute caprice dooms Sisyphus / To struggle up a never-ending stair." This shows his continuous struggle towards racial equality. He also uses God and his doings as he questions his role in life. 
I see Zora Neal Hurston most closely aligning to the authors we looked at yesterday because she shows a lot of the same opinions and interpretations that they had. In her story you can plainly see that she knows racial equality is still a big issue, but not only does she stand above it, she also gives reasons why she does so. She stated, "  Even in the helter skelter skirmish that is my life, I have seer that the world is to the strong regardless of a little pigmentation more of less. No, I do not weep at the world!! I am too busy sharpening my oyster knife". This showed that she was determined to succeed no matter how much troubles she went through in her life. 
The connection that I made to today's readings were to the readings from yesterday. I think because the themes were so closely related it made me think about how they influenced each other as well as how each one of them  played a different role in shaping America.  I could relate a lot today with the readings. I live in a town where there is a huge racial divide. the west side of town is all white and the east side of town is all black. There are even two different schools in our little town of 2500 people. There is the private school that only whites attend and there is the public school in which all the blacks attend. To this day it still shocks me how divided my town is.  


Is there a racial divide in your hometown? If so how do you deal with it and do any of the readings for today mirror what you have experienced?