Racial discrimination continues to bedevil the
American nation. Race has been defined by Encyclopaedia Britannica as the
idea that humans are divided into distinct groups based on inherited physical
and behavioral differences. Racism, on the other hand, is any action, practice,
or belief that reflects the worldview that humans are divided into a separate and
exclusive group of races. It is a belief that there is a link between physical
and personality traits and other cultural and behavioral features, and that one
race is superior to others (Smedley). Racial discrimination is discrimination,
unfair treatment, or bias against someone or a group of people based on their
race (Dictionary). According to David White, racial discrimination is the
practice of treating someone differently, or poorly, because of the color of
his or her skin (White). Racial discrimination is still a prevalent issue in
the United States of America, specifically against black Americans. The Short
and Tragic Life of Robert Peace is a true story of discrimination faced by a
black American in his life. It is written by Jeff Hobbs, who was his friend at
Yale University.
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In his book The Wretched of the Earth,
Frantz Fanon states, "Because it is a systematic negation of the other
person and a furious determination to deny the other person all attributes of
humanity, colonialism forces the people it dominates to ask themselves the question constantly: "In reality, who am I?" The defensive attitudes
created by this violent bringing together of the colonized man and the colonial
system form themselves into a structure which then reveals the colonized
personality. This 'sensitivity' is easily understood if we simply study and are
alive to the number and depth of the injuries inflicted upon a native during a
single day spent amidst the colonial regime" (Fanon).
This is what happened in the case of Robert Peace. He was born in 1980 in Newark, New Jersey, to his unmarried mother, Jackie Peace. He was a sharp boy, however, to fit in with his fellows he learns to hide his intelligence over the years. When he was growing up, the relationship of black people with the police was highly antagonistic. When Robert was very young, his father was arrested and convicted of two murders. The major discrimination that was faced by Robert was in the case of his father. His father was convicted of two murders and the investigation of the murders progressed very slowly. Thomas Lechliter, the prosecutor, also showed prejudiced behavior.
He did not proceed with the case like a good lawyer and instead of working forward from facts to judgment, he immediately believed that Skeet is guilty and proceeded accordingly. Robert also faced discrimination at Yale University. Instead of bringing different kinds of people together, the students were segregated automatically in the university. Moreover, they made less or no effort to learn more about each other (Hobbs). The overall atmosphere of Yale was flooding with white and upper-class. Although there was a significant number of students who were neither white nor affluent, yet they were marginalized on the campus. Robert's claims of racial discrimination were further confirmed when his acts of drug selling were not taken into question. Yale's administration would not expel Robert as they never wanted to get involved in any controversy regarding blacks. He also believed that his father was a victim of a system designed to prosecute black men. He was angry at white culture and white society in general. In his eyes, the white community is actively waging war on black people. Racial discrimination runs deep into the history and culture of American history. It is also at the core of America's political culture.
The current discourse of racial ideology is no different
from its past ideology. Robert was a smart and intelligent boy. Due to the
discrimination, he faced throughout his life, first in the case of his father
and secondly at Yale University, he learned to hide his talents. He became an
under-achiever and even after getting a degree from a prestigious institution
like Yale, he preferred to go back to his community of Newark because there he
felt more comfortable and at home. Thus, although Robert Peace was a victim of
his faults and choices, yet he was also a victim of a society that shows racial
discrimination against African Americans. The question exists in modern
American society that whether the blacks are African Americans or after all
these years they are still Africans in America.
This article is written by Saba Alam, one of the contributors at the School of Literature.
