African Americans, Women, and Current Events

http://far-above-rubies-and-pearls.blogspot.com/2011/12/interracial-couple-banned-from-kentucky.html

Nella Larson would laugh, and then she would cry if she knew some of the things that happened today, both with the struggles of women and the struggles of blacks. Media depicts people as they “should” be. Whenever there’s a movie with a gang banger or a violent act is committed, it’s always a big, black man playing the actors part. That’s because society today views black people as violent. Another example is that black people more frequently get pulled over by the cops. If Nella Larsen were alive today, she would want to make a difference in how African Americans are viewed. She would ne astounded by this and would like African Americans be portrayed in a more positive light.

Secondly, it is common knowledge that men make more money than women. If someone were to compare a man and a woman with equal experience and education, men generally make more money. Nella Larsen wouldn’t accept this, being an educated woman herself. Being a man doesn’t enable one to do a better job at something. Rather, it’s experience, education, and skills that do. Larsen is the perfect image of a woman who can stand up for herself because she has education. Knowledge is power, so I firmly believe that if Nella Larsen were alive today, she would work to enable women.

            However, though there may be a lot of negativity in the world regarding blacks, women, and black women, there’s still beauty. Interracial relationships are more accepted now than ever before. These relationships result in mixed children, so Nella Larsen would have not struggled with self identity as much because there are more people to relate to. I believe if Nella Larsen were to rewrite “Quicksand,” Helga Crane wouldn’t have experienced such dissatisfaction with the world. She would have “found herself,” sooner rather than later. Back in Nella Larsen’s time, interracial relationships were frowned upon. The children resulting from these relationships, like Helga and Nella, weren’t accepted in white societies and sometimes (like Nella) didn’t even fit in with their own families. Nella would have appreciated the growing acceptance of interracial relationships today.

Image Citation:

Interracial couples banned from Kentucky Church. By Alisha De Freitas. N.p.: Far Above Rubies, 2009. Web. 25 Mar. 2012.

http://far-above-rubies-and-pearls.blogspot.com/2011/12/interracial-couple-banned-from-kentucky.html