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Zusammenfassung von This Is the Fire

Name: This Is the Fire
Rating: 4 (28 reviews)
Author: Don Lemon

Don Lemon

What I Say to My Friends About Racism

4 (28 Bewertungen)

19 Min.

Kurz zusammengefasst

This Is the Fire by Don Lemon is a powerful memoir that explores the devastating impact of racism in America. With honesty and vulnerability, Lemon reflects on his own experiences and calls on readers to confront racial inequality head-on.

Themen

Black Lives Matter Rassismus Politik der USA

Inhaltsübersicht

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What’s in it for me? Learn about the roots of America’s racism, and how it can be remedied.

The year 2020 was an unprecedented one for the United States. Not only did the country battle a raging virus that disproportionately affected Black people, but the murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Ahmaud Arbery sparked the biggest protests in the country’s history.

For some, these events finally exposed the depths of America’s racism, while others found themselves fighting for their humanity yet again. These blinks examine how the country got to this point, and what can be done to carve a better path forward.

A note before we begin, disturbing scenes of racial violence are described in the first four blinks.

In these blinks, you’ll learn

what James Baldwin predicted for America;
why defunding the police isn’t the answer to police brutality; and
what money has to do with racism.

George Floyd’s murder and the mass protests that followed marked a shift for America.

During the summer of 2020, while America grappled with COVID-19, a horrific video went viral on social media and instigated almost 5,000 protests across the country. The video showed a white police officer kneeling on the neck of an African American man named George Floyd for over eight minutes. The 46-year-old slowly, and painfully, lost his life.

Millions of people, Black and white, took to the streets in response to the video. These weren’t the first Black Lives Matter protests, but they were the biggest, and most intense. The visuals of George Floyd’s murder highlighted the disregard for Black lives in a way that few could deny. And in the author’s opinion, this was a turning point for the country.

The key message here is: George Floyd’s murder and the mass protests that followed marked a shift for America.

For the author, the murder of George Floyd and the Black Lives Matter protests were evidence of a moment predicted by the African American writer and activist James Baldwin. Writing about racial injustice in his 1963 book, The Fire Next Time, Baldwin stated that if American society didn’t change, it would eventually face a fire – apocalyptic destruction.

The author believes that America is now in the midst of this fire, thanks in large part to former president Donald Trump’s racist 2018 election campaign and his careless leadership. While many felt that the country needed a better president, especially during the turbulence of 2020, the author saw Trump’s presidency as necessary. In the same way that symptoms bring attention to a disease, the election of a white supremacist into power forced people to acknowledge America’s racism problem.

The combination of an ineffective, racist leader and millions of people demonstrating in the streets inspired hope. Like many people, the author sensed the potential for radical change. He describes the moment as “nothing less than the death throes of White supremacy in concert with the birth pangs of racial renaissance.”

But change is impossible without action. And the author puts forward that people have to make room for ideas they disagree with or find uncomfortable. Different marginalized groups should put aside racism, misogyny, and homophobia to form powerful coalitions. Black people shouldn’t forget the past, but they must be willing to forgive. While white people should educate themselves on the issues at hand. If this doesn’t happen, racism in America will continue to fester.

America’s racist system was created deliberately.

According to records at the Whitney Plantation, a Louisiana museum dedicated to the history of enslavement, there were ten enslaved people in the state in 1712. By the close of the century, that number had grown to 20,000. The sole purpose of the enslaved people was to provide free labor on Louisiana’s plantations and create wealth for the owners.

Violence such as flogging and branding was used to keep enslaved people submissive and at work. And when some dared to rebel, they were savagely punished. In one horrific example, Charles Deslondes, who led Louisiana’s 1812 German Coast Uprising, had his hands cut off and was shot in both legs so that he couldn’t run. All this before being burned alive. This violence demonstrates a very clear intent.

There’s always been a lack of empathy when it comes to the deaths of Black people.

As the pandemic wreaked havoc around the world, many countries adopted measures to reduce the spread of the virus. These included social distancing and wearing face masks in public spaces. But in America, people argued over wearing masks, while Donald Trump promoted an unproven drug, and claimed that the pandemic was under control.

It was not under control. Over a thousand people were dying every day. Yet, when presented with these alarming stats during an interview, Trump responded with, “It is what it is.” These astounding words reflected something that existed long before the COVID-19 pandemic.

The solution to police brutality isn’t defunding the police, it’s changing the justice system.

Consider this fact: Black people make up about 13 percent of America’s population but they’re disproportionately killed by the police.

Thirty-two percent of people killed in interactions with police are Black. There are countless instances of officers using excessive force against Black people. There’s the death of Eric Garner for example. Eric was put in a lethal chokehold while being arrested for selling illegal cigarettes. In contrast, when white supremacist Dylann Roof was arrested for killing nine Black people, he was calmly led to the car.

Narratives in American culture contain myths of white supremacy.

When apartheid ended in South Africa, newly elected President Nelson Mandela had the overwhelming mission of uniting a country divided by violent racism.

To achieve this, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission was established. It allowed Black South Africans to tell their stories in televised hearings, ensuring that the country’s history, however terrible, was recorded accurately. Another of the commission’s aims was to promote empathy and forgiveness that would help the country move forward.

Racism in America can be traced back to money, and money can also help combat it.

One morning, the author noticed some impressive chopping boards in a store window. Interested, he stepped inside, only to be told that customers weren’t allowed in due to COVID-19 regulations. This wasn’t a problem for him, and he left intending to return later to purchase the items from the doorway.

But while paying for the chopping boards, the author noticed a white woman shopping inside. The store clerk said that she was a staff member training, but it didn’t look like it. Afterward, the author went over the unsettling experience repeatedly and even discussed it with friends. Eventually, he decided to return the chopping boards and get his money back. He wasn’t going to support a business that discriminated against Black customers.

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Worum geht es in This Is the Fire?

This is the Fire (2021) highlights the current moment as a turning point for the fight against racism in the United States. Touching on the Trump presidency, police brutality, and the global pandemic, it explores the racist history, structures, and ideas that have long plagued America, and proposes ways of using this moment to create positive change.

Bestes Zitat aus This Is the Fire

This time, our objective has to be bigger than curbing police conduct. This time, it has to be about creating a culture of justice.

—Don Lemon

Wer This Is the Fire lesen sollte

People who want to understand racism in America
Those interested in social justice
White people looking to become better allies

Über den Autor

Don Lemon is an award-winning journalist and CNN prime-time anchor. He’s covered presidential elections, moderated political town halls, and was a leading voice during the 2020 Black Lives Matter protests. Lemon is also an adjunct professor at New York’s Brooklyn College and the author of the 2011 memoir Transparent.

Kategorien mit This Is the Fire

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