Blog # 5

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?

When asked the question what has changed since the last five plays were written, I would have to respond quite simply that a lot has changed. These plays were written on times on the early to mid part of the century, and since then the way that we look at racism, stereotypes, and other types of grouping minorities has changed hopefully to a newer world. With new laws put in place and a full generation has passed since people were accustomed to the “old” ways of treating people, I feel we are on the right tract of treating people more fairly.

I would also have to take a stab that African Americans are treated more fairly in the military. Not coming from a military background, but have watched movies and here what it might be like to go through the training, I would have to say that at this point in time any African American would be treated the same as any white. Don’t get me wrong, I am sure somewhere there is always going to still is a little racism towards someone out there and that there are exceptions to the rules, but in general my way of thinking should hold true. I would hopefully not venture to see that things will turn around and change as they were pressed to do in the end of the play Black Eagles, where the Black Eagles were being asked to sign a document indicating that they would be treated separately that the white officers; even after the white officers stood up for them and were happy to be rooming with the black officers and celebrating their victories over the Jerries. Today I would also believe that there are several superior officers in the military that are of the African American race indicating that we have officially become non-segregated. The military in my opinion was one of the leading ways to have the nation follow us in desegregating ourselves by the implementation by Harry Truman to desegregate the military.

In regards to how African Americans speak Black English, I would have to say that it is still around today if not more than the past. The play Spunk at least reminds me of this. In today’s society we I see blacks using a different type of English when I turn on the television or listen to music. Again, it portrays back to stereotypes and how things are viewed at differently, but when you see it consistently, it becomes engrained in your mind that it is the natural way they speak. Sure the way African Americans speak Black English has changed to a greater way than historically thought of.

In Letters to a Student Revolutionary, Bibi seeks out her own self identity. She is different from Karen and does not act as a typical Chinese stereotyped child would. Even though Bibi often breaks these Chinese stereotypes, I can interpret that she was trying to fit into the American culture in a different way than others would. The play was unusual by using the Chorus and the wolf and cat imagery that was more apparent in China. Coming from a traditional past in China and having some of these kinds of symbols to distinguish themselves and now have the same types of symbols in the United States must be difficult. I would say with immigration being as high is it today, that anyone growing up in the US from a different country could relate to this story at least slightly in that everyone confronts changes to a different society.

These challenges that people of color are going through is evident today just as it was three quarters of a century ago. It may not be as evident, because the time period of change has past. Look at our present President that is one of the finest examples of how people of color are changing for the better. He has his challenges, but they are definitely different than they once were. Martin Luther King Jr. wanted to bring everyone together, and it happened. Now our president is not only trying to bring everyone together, but bring everything together associated with everyone together as well. This statement may sound confusing, but people’s changes of color are different today. Indians are trying to reclaim their lost land. For people on a general society level, there is still some racism out there; it is just not as publically accepted though. Not the people of color themselves are changing and if so are maybe becoming more self secured than before, but the perception of the public and their ability to accept differences that can enhance our society. The answer is yes that people of color are presented with challenges today, but they may not be the same types of challenges.