In his piece, “Who gets to Be Afraid in America”, Ibrahim X Kendi writes a gripping piece based on the events of Ahmaud Arbery’s tragic death. He aims to bring Arbery’s death down to reality and show how his story could just as well have been any other black man. He uses the story of Arbery to focus on a larger point of prejudice towards African American men.
Kendi starts his piece with a personal take on current events in his life. Kendi sets the scene in a typical suburban area, familiarizing a large portion of his audience. He uses this introduction to relate his life with that of Arbery’s. Thus, allowing the audience to connect the life of a typical black man with that of Arbery’s. This initial establishment of a connection to Arbery intertwines Kendi’s feelings and story with that of Arbery’s. Arbery’s final thoughts are shrouded in mystery, subject to racist interpretation. His murderers – Gregory and Travis McMichael – paint the picture that Arbery was a criminal who had been “hauling ass from the scene of a crime”. Kendi’s linkage to Arbery undermines these racist interpretations as he looks to not only end biases surrounding black men but also educate the audience to be more aware of prejudice. This text helps to display how racism is very much present in society; it has come to the point where a black man being “curious” has resulted in him being shot. Personally, I do feel that Arbery’s story underscores a harsher, overarching truth in our society: people are pessimists. It is truly disheartening to see how individuals are quick to jump to nasty conclusions, “don’t see their own innocence in me. they see only their own guilt in me—their villainous fear…”. However, this bias does not translate into punishment. Part of the reason that protests erupted this summer is that minorities feel that the legal system benefits whites. Laws such as the “Stand your ground law” seen as “divinely human in white men, but bestial in the rest of us”.
Kendi also uses a range of literary techniques to draw in multiple perspectives. His seamless transition from his own perspective to Arbery’s allows for the audience to better sympathize with Arbery. Even when speaking from Arbery’s perspective, Kendi constantly relates Arbery back to himself, “peered into a half-built home, as I did”. Kendi also alludes to the imbalance of power in the United States. He criticizes how many white people “Think they know me [Kendi]” just based on his skin color. Kendi also brings up Gregory McMichael’s perspective to show how unjust it is that he is subject to different standards of treatment by the ‘system’. McMichael was only arrested 74 days after the killing and his defense was primarily focused on the unfounded claim that Arbery “had his hands down his pants (indicating a gun)”. The fact that such evidence was tolerated shows how there is a double standard in America’s justice system.
Kendi’s use of a connection between himself and the subject was a common technique used by authors and artists during the Harlem Renaissance. Likewise, the company Procter and Gamble has released several short videos (i.e. “The Look”) to show the difference in the treatment of blacks in society; they also used perspectives to allow the audience to better connect with the subject’s predicament. Kendi’s ability to connect with the audience gives greater clarity on the unjust labeling of blacks in America.