Race And Racism In Americanah By Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

Americanah Essay

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie mentioned critical points about race and racism in Americanah. Her perception and claims about these two concepts sparked my curiosity to know more. As I was reading Americanah, I came across Adichie’s explanation of race; she states; “…race is not a biology; race is a sociology. Race is not genotype; race is phenotype. Race matters because of racism” (Adichie 18). The last sentence, especially, stimulated questions. After I finished Americanah I deduced that there was an indisputable relationship between race and racism.

Race is a socially constructed identity based on the physical characteristics of a person. Although race is prevalent in people’s everyday life, it can be an uncomfortable topic to

Additionally, the social definition of the term “racist” limits who can be deemed a racist. Adichie claims, “Somebody has to be able to say that racists are not monsters” (Adichie 13). The term “racists” is seen as a way to dehumanize people. People who state they are color-blind and avoid speaking about race subject themselves to be unable to see the existence of the different kinds of racism. In Tatum’s novel, “Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria?”, she provides examples of six distinct types of racism, one of the which can be used to in regards to the relationship between race and racism. For instance, passive racism is more common in people’s lives. The danger of colorblindness makes it difficult for people to identify passive racism. In class we mentioned that passive racism can be in the form of a racist joke. Moreover, although the person telling the joke may not be intentionally trying insult a group of people, racism is the source of the joke. I have experienced passive racism. For example, my roommate and estimated how late our other roommate will arrive from the library; when my other roommate mentioned it to both of us, she said “It’s all her. (Then she looks directly at me) This wouldn’t be a problem if you were White.” I questioned on what she meant by it because there was an underlying assumption she had. Nevertheless, she continued to laugh and answered “It’s in your

In addition, race – whether we like it not – dictates our lives. Failure to acknowledge its impact leads people to use colorblindness as a justification to avoid being uncomfortable. Tatum provides the initial cause of colorblindness – children silenced for mentioning race. It is crucial for people to see the connection between race and racism through the term “colorblindness.” Moreover, colorblindness, invalidates a person’s identity, which undeniably contributes to racism. Furthermore, there is a relationship between race and racism, which must be