After viewing this debate, it does not shock me that James Baldwin successfully won the debate, “Is the American dream at the expense of the American Nigro?” Baldwin was able to eloquently describe his points that were, especially at the time, controversial topics of race to a room of around six hundred white men. His stature and confidence in his presentation was impressive. His argument was that in order to understand how the American dream hinders the American Nigro, perspective of an individual can greatly affect how the question is answered. If someone does not have experience from the perspective of an African American, then it becomes extremely difficult to understand the setbacks that are present. Baldwin states:
“The reaction to that question has to depend on an affect, an affect on where you find yourself in the world. What your sense of reality is, what your system of reality is. That is, it depends on assumptions which we hold so deeply as to be scarcely aware of them.”
This is a significant point in his argument because it allows him to next explain the American dream in the eyes of an Africans American man. By emphasizing that there truly is a gap that divides black and white peoples’ experience, Baldwin captures the audience’s attention, an effective transition in his setting.
Baldwin explains to the audience that as a child, African Americans are raised thinking that they are white, truly equal, until about the age 8. Reality turns the world upside down, and by the age of 30 nothing has changed, despite all the efforts. The idea of being raised to value a society that does not value you is incredibly difficult to comprehend. Today, most people are told to make a name for themselves, to make a space in society that is significant to them. It is staggering that this notion is still applicable today. The effort of true equality can only start on an individual level, and across every household and in every group. The only way to change the outlook on groups of minority is to change the way we teach about them. As Baldwin suggests, history and the way it is taught must be made more diverse.
E367: Writing and Diversity 