What has changed since the last five plays were written? Do African-Americans still face racism in the military or on the job? Are African-American’s still treated with disdain when they speak Black English? What about the search for identity that Bibi faced in “Letters”? Are there persons of color who face similar challenges today? If so, who are they?
I feel much has changed or at least is taking us in the right directions since the since the last 5 plays were written. I feel throughout the United States there is a greater understanding and it seems that people are more accepting of people of different races than ever before. It seems there is less discrimination and racism today than there ever has been. The plays were written to hopefully change the way that people think and help others understand what people are going through.
I feel that African-Americans still do face racism in the military and on the job. Although less common than when the play Black Eagles I feel this is still a problem to all citizens of different minorities. Although I would have to say that having the Barack Obama as the first African American president and the Commander In Chief of the military is a truly monumental step to correct this issue. Although I don’t feel that it will ever fully go away I would say that racism in jobs and military will continue to decline until reaching almost zero in my lifetime. This is the goal to strive for in the United States and even in the rest of the world.
African Americans still are treated with disdain when the speak Black English but another subject that also would be looked down upon would be speaking with incorrect grammar or pronunciation. In the professional it is often not accepted to speak in slang and/or speak incorrectly in other respects. African Americans may often use so called “Black English” during job interviews or while talking to someone and often people that are qualified for a job would likely get very little consideration for a job. Any way of speaking that is different than our own is looked upon differently such as people from different parts of the United States.
Bibi’s search for identity is a very common one for people of different ethnicities. It seems that she is almost has herself being pulled in two different directions, one that is in the direction that the traditional people of her culture and one as a citizen of the United States.
Although maybe more difficult for people of different ethnicities I would say that all people go through the phase where you want to find out who you really want to be and how you want to go about becoming that person. All people will go through the phase where they are just looking for a sense of identity and are in need of that force to help them figure out who they are. As a student that is graduating after completion of this class I find myself on this quest. Where do I want to live? Where do I want to work? All questions to think about that I haven’t fully figured out yet. With time I will answer all of these questions but you can’t really force yourself to figure out.
