Disillusioned Liberalism In Coates's Between The World And Me
It would be very easy to frame Ta-Nehisi Coates, author of Between The World and Me, as a
Black Nationalist using Michael C. Dawson’s classifications of Political Black Thought. His
experiences growing up in Baltimore, Maryland, watching his father who himself was a Black
Nationalist, and his realization of the true worth of African Americans in America would lead
one to believe that Coates would be a Black Nationalist. But to box him in to one category
would be unfair. His experiences translated through his writing also embraces elements of
Disillusioned Liberalism, and Black Feminism. Between The World and Me is an brilliantly
written letter from Coates to his son Samori giving him a historical perspective of what it meant
to be black …show more content…
Black Liberalism encompasses Radical Egalitarianism,
Disillusioned Liberalism, and Conservatism. The form that Coates closely identifies with is
Disillusioned Liberalism. A Disillusioned Liberal believes that there is no redemption for
America’s racism and the need to build political and economic power in black communities. It
would be safe to say, Coates did not grow up in a home that embraced Liberal thoughts and
traditions. In one instance, he talked about escaping into the Dream, “to fold my country over
my head like a blanket.” He quickly realizes that he could never be a part of that Dream, he
says the “Dream rest on our backs, the bedding made from our bodies.” (Coates 2015, 11) This
shows he is disillusioned and racism is woven into the fiber of America.
One of the few underlying themes that links all the classifications except for Black
Conservatism in Dawson’s framework for Political Black Thought is inclusion of spirituality on
some levels. One would think that Coates being an atheist would not or could not identify with
the spirituality embedded in the classifications. This is not the case, because his writing is
inclusive of the Christian values many African Americans have assimilated with since
Black Nationalist using Michael C. Dawson’s classifications of Political Black Thought. His
experiences growing up in Baltimore, Maryland, watching his father who himself was a Black
Nationalist, and his realization of the true worth of African Americans in America would lead
one to believe that Coates would be a Black Nationalist. But to box him in to one category
would be unfair. His experiences translated through his writing also embraces elements of
Disillusioned Liberalism, and Black Feminism. Between The World and Me is an brilliantly
written letter from Coates to his son Samori giving him a historical perspective of what it meant
to be black …show more content…
Black Liberalism encompasses Radical Egalitarianism,
Disillusioned Liberalism, and Conservatism. The form that Coates closely identifies with is
Disillusioned Liberalism. A Disillusioned Liberal believes that there is no redemption for
America’s racism and the need to build political and economic power in black communities. It
would be safe to say, Coates did not grow up in a home that embraced Liberal thoughts and
traditions. In one instance, he talked about escaping into the Dream, “to fold my country over
my head like a blanket.” He quickly realizes that he could never be a part of that Dream, he
says the “Dream rest on our backs, the bedding made from our bodies.” (Coates 2015, 11) This
shows he is disillusioned and racism is woven into the fiber of America.
One of the few underlying themes that links all the classifications except for Black
Conservatism in Dawson’s framework for Political Black Thought is inclusion of spirituality on
some levels. One would think that Coates being an atheist would not or could not identify with
the spirituality embedded in the classifications. This is not the case, because his writing is
inclusive of the Christian values many African Americans have assimilated with since