Coates's Epiphany In The United States

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As a young black boy living in Baltimore, Coates is faced with violence all around him. He mentions that one day in the parking lot of a 7- eleven, a boy points a gun at someone near him. This is the day he realizes that the black body can be taken away quickly. He learns that the black body does not actually belong to themselves; rather it is the slave for the people around him. This epiphany lead to his interests of history in college and his search to all the questions that he asks. During his time, black men and women were in danger every second of their lives. They never knew when the police was going to stop them or when someone would shoot them. While some people sustain slavery, others like Coates are out looking for the way to liberate …show more content…

By now we are used to the fact people are being murdered based on what they look like, because it is a part of America’s tradition. It hit Coates close to home when someone he went to college with was murdered by the Prince George police, in Virginia. He believes that Prince Jones, the man that was murdered, was hunted downed. He sees the corruption not only in the Prince George Police but also in the nation. The police officer who killed Prince Jones was known for being untruthful and having no need to kill Prince Jones. This police officer was not charge and he returned to his job. Coates recognized that “Prince was not killed by a single officer as much as he was murdered by his country” (Coates 78). During this time the police system and judiciary system were extremely corrupted and unfortunately that has not changed today. Police shootings were common and they still are common today. Not much has changed since the time he grew up in. In the past few years some police brutality has been televised. Everyone waits for the final verdict, only to discover the police officer is not guilty of his crime, like if were some kind of accident. Because the jury represent to nation, it is astonishing to know that the nation would allow any man to die because of the color of his skin. It is not okay to kill our future, and not have any

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