gates
Henry Louis Gates, Jr, an African American, describes his encounters with racial segregation while growing up in his hometown in his memoir, Colored People. In his book, Gates tell us of his struggle towards liberty in his divided community. Set during a civil conflict in the United States, Henry Louis Gates, Jr, provides his audience with his own battle within his own town of Piedmont, Virginia. Gates believes that even though cultural diversity has many advantages; that integration is the only way to truly be apart of the American society. The strain of segregation had many negative effects on Gates and many other members of minority groups. Gates describes the condition in his hometown as separate, but certainty not equal. In his memoir, Gates remembers a restaurant that did not treat colored patrons the same as white patrons; " It was as if there was a permanent take away only sign for colored peopl
Although Gates does consider going back to segregation, he feels stronger about integration as the only way to live as truly free people. Segregation caused blacks to be intimated. In his book, Gates was disturbed to realize that even his family was plagued by intimidation. He provides an interesting illustration of his mother's side of the family, the Colmans, by stating, " They feared that world where so much humiliation had lain in wait, ambushing them blindsided, unawareness. And they hated that which made them fear" (Gates 65). This statement shows how blacks chose to separate themselves regardless of any segregation laws. However, Gates feels that this may have caused the lack of opportunity for Africans in Piedmont. However, Gates also feels that segregation has its advantages in keeping family ties strong. The choice that many of African Americans made to segregate themselves also formed a tightly knitted c
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Approximate Word count = 622
Approximate Pages = 2 (250 words per page double spaced)
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