‘The Finkelstein’ by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah

In this excerpt, “The Finkelstein” by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah is about the fallout from a trial in which a white man, Wilson George Dunn, has been acquitted for the murders of five Black children. The facts of the case are undisputed by the prosecution and the defense alike: on the night in question, George Wilson Dunn exited a library in the company of his two children, Tiffany and Rodman. Outside the library, Dunn encountered five Black youths, in order to “protect” his children he decapitated all five young people with a chainsaw. Adjei-Brenyah questions the racial bias and prejudice that exists in the U.S. and the way we rationalize injustice in the name of freedom and protection. 

The protagonist, Emmanuel, is seen to be aware of his “blackness”, which is associated with the type of music he listens to, clothes he wears, and daily activities done, he then rates his “blackness” on a scale giving himself numbers for how “black” he is. For instance on page four, he is seen to be wearing an abandoned black hoodie and gray snapback cap as an act out of solidarity for the Frankenstein five, who were murdered, Emmanuel then rates himself as a “solid 7.6”. This description acts as a stereotype that has been formed around black individuals, as they seem to be associated with crimes and violence, society has created a stereotype around the type of clothing worn by black individuals. Emmanuel’s father further establishes being black with a negative connotation as he asserts that he wants Emmanuel to be safe and that he “gotta know how to move”, once Emmanuel’s “blackness” hit a close 7.0. Emmanuel’s father casts a sense of irony as black individuals are seen to be related to crime and violence, hence others are needed to protect themselves against black individuals, however, by having Emmanuel veil his “blackness” from others in order to protect himself, Adjei-Brenyah highlights an alternative perspective that many people are not aware of. In the society we live in today, certain ethnic groups have been associated to be seen as more superior to others, this hasn’t only formed through history, but also due to the stereotypes and prejudice that still exist and are being passed down generation after generation. An individual’s ethnic group makes a vital component of one’s own identity; however, by having his “blackness” to be seen as something that is needed to be concealed in order to protect themselves, this also emphasizes the inevitable consequences that come along with racial prejudice.

Furthermore, the court case associated with the death of five innocent children was defended as the judge argued that Wilson George Dunn had exercised his “God-given right” to protect himself and his children from what he perceived as an imminent threat. Adjei-Brenyah establishes the notion of white supremacy along with racial bias as despite the fact that five innocent children had been brutally murdered, the white man who used a chainsaw to slice off their heads, not to mention, the youngest of the five being a seven-year-old girl, was not granted any punishments. This reflects the discrimination in the judicial system today as a myriad of innocent black lives has been taken away without having given the murderer any punishment. I find it very hard to believe that such situations still occur in our society today, as racism and white supremacy have been significant topics that have been overlooked in the past years. Emmanuel’s friend, Boogie is a member of the Namers, who are a group of blacks that attacked and in some cases killed random white people as vengeance for an unjust verdict in the case of the Finkelstein Five. After committing each act of violence, they chant the name of one of the five children and carve the number 5, as the act of naming is significant in many African cultures and the repetition of the dead children’s names is at once a talisman and a way to pay respect to the innocent dead.

Ultimately, brings to light the inevitable consequences of racism and white supremacy in our society today, which not only leads to the restriction of freedom but inequitable consequences that are not able to be reversed.