The Two Nations of Black America by H.L. Gates, Jr.

The Two Nations of Black America by H.L. Gates, Jr.

: The film “The Two Nations of Black America” by H.L. Gates, Jr. was an excellent film. It was very critical of the black community. The film discussed a few paradigms. Some were well known such Dubois talented tenth, while others took a more research to figure out such as the separation of the classes. The film enlightened me on many issues the black community is currently facing.

The 1960s showed drastic improvement for the black community. It was then that black for the first time began to “feel” themselves. By this I mean blacks were beginning to fight for an identity. We began to become proud of who and what we are. What sparked this revolution? The answer to that is unknown. But whatever it was, blacks all over the United States joined in.

Blacks began to be proud of their big hair, big lips and other cultural features. Features that for so long we deemed ugly and unattractive. Blacks began to unite against all the hatred and inequality they had experienced for so long. It was then that Stockly Carmichael coined the phrase “black power.” Black power wasn’t just a phrase, it was a movement; the empowerment of a race of people that had been oppressed for hundreds of years. But this was just the beginning.

Many people had tried to identify and fix the problems of the Black community. Dubois stated that “the problem of the twentieth century is the problem of the color line.” And this was true. Blacks were denied employment, decent housing, rights that were clearly outlined in our constitution. Blacks were still being treated as slaves though they had been free for almost a hundred years. The revolution brought about a well needed change in the black community. Blacks realized that they could only depend on themselves. The government wasn’t going to help. Blacks started organizing, and doing sit ins. The early actions taken were nonviolent and served to make a statement; we deserve equal rights.

Affirmative Action sparked a different problem. The film pointed out that due the movement in the 1960s, race is no longer was the issue at hand, the issue now was the separation of the classes. The black community was now separated by class. The poor and the rich no longer coincide. The poor live in the slums and ghettos while the middle class branch out and reside among themselves. Many believe the poor are poor because they don’t work, however over 1/3 of African Americans that work fulltime live below the poverty line. This means that even those who work hard everyday are still in poverty due to underemployment; Meaning they work but only make enough to survive. Unemployment and underemployment leads to gangs and crime. And with 45% of children in the DC area alone in poverty, its no mystery why we have the highest homicide rate and why we crowd the jails. So how do we fix this problem?

I argue that Dubois solution is not a feasible one. Dubois solution is a talented tenth to fix the problem. The talented tenth would go to college and excel and then return to help the others. It’s not feasible because how many people would actually go back? Success changes a lot! Also, why place all that responsibility