Racial Formations
These two pieces relate quite distinctly to one another, and RichardWright seems to be often echoing the same message as Omi and Winant arewriting about. Omi and Winant attempt to define just what "race" is, andmention repeatedly that race, and how it is defined, has "variedtremendously over time and between different societies" (Omi and Winant13). Wright discusses his own personal experiences, and they quiteremarkably echo just what Omi and Winant wrote about so academically.Wright does not have to define race, his entire story is about race, andthe constant differences blacks faced in a white society. As he notesearly in his account, "It was all right to throw cinders. The greatestharm a cinder could do was leave a bruise. But broken bottles weredangerous; they left you cut, bleeding, and helpless" (Wright 21). The"sociohistoric concept" of race in Wright's life was to change, just as Omiand Winant noted it would, but before it could change, Wright would have toface blatant discrimination and prejudice in his life, from his first job,to his education and eventual career as a writer. He learned very quickly,"When you are working for white folks, they said, you got to
Everything he(and other blacks) gained in the 1960s and beyond was a direct result oftheir political struggles. "The expropriation ofproperty, the denial of political rights, the introduction of slavery andother forms of coercive labor, as well as outright extermination, allpresupposed a worldview which distinguished Europeans - children of God,human beings, etc. I learned to play that dual role which every Negro must play ifhe wants to eat and live" (Wright 28). The "sociohistoric concept" of Wright's life was filled withrules on how to deal with whites in just about any situation so black wouldnot offend them, and with a steady increase in black civil rights andfreedoms. "There were black churches and black preachers; therewere black schools and black teachers; black groceries and black clerks. Wright's work is a living example of how race relations havechanged over time, and Omi and Winant believe ultimately that raceformation comes from change and activism. They fought hard to be free, and to becomeaccepted in society, and from Wright's account, it is easy to see why. Both pieces see race as a "sociohistorical concept," and Wright'slife is a walking illustration of the history of black subjugation inAmerica. Omi and Winant explain how society looksat different races, but until you read accounts such as Wright's, the realmeaning is not understood or appreciated. They note, "Without a racial identity, one is indanger of having no identity" (Omi and Winant 14). Fortunately, the Civil Rights movement forged new relations betweenmost races. Because they were treated so poorly, they were more thanready to give up their racial identity to live a better life. Omi and Winant explain the mechanics of racialformation, and Wright lives it.
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Acceptance Essays
