Response To James's Letter

As the title suggests, this is a letter written by a man named James to his nephew, also called James, about life as a black person many years after emancipation. Since this letter came out one hundred years after emancipation, we assume that the year is 1963. During the 50s and 60s, the black community in the United States was still not granted the same rights as the whites and thus continued to experience discrimination and segregation. Although the fight to freedom started in the nineteenth century, the civil rights movement of the 60s was a mass social movement striving for racial equality throughout all aspects of life. The movement became so large that both black and white people joined in the effort. In the letter, James writes about the hardships that he and his family had endured under the hateful laws of oppression at the time. The tone of the letter is, however, hopeful. This letter appears to be written with the intent of sparking love and progressive action. James is inspiring and assures his nephew that he is more than what society claims him to be by saying, “please try to remember that what they believe, as well as
what they do and cause you to endure, does not testify to your inferiority, but to their inhumanity and fear” (p. 102). He tells his nephew to be strong and to not be consumed by the neocolonial ideologies that threaten to make him into someone that he is not. He writes of the importance of uplifting and joining forces with other black men and women, as they will find healing and strength with each other.
At the same time, he reminds his nephew about the importance of loving their oppressors (the whites) if they wish to see meaningful change occur.
James goes on to say, “you must accept them and accept them with love, for these innocent people have no other hope” (p. 102). This is a powerful statement. It comes from a man who believes that there is a way to liberation, and that the way to freedom can only be attained by meeting with the other side. James writes about how their oppressors are also trapped in the system of oppression since they have inherited a colonial mindset. The white person must see beyond Western ways of thinking and establish their own sense of identity- an identity that does not feed off from the exploitation of others. Healing must go both ways, as James writes “We cannot be free until they are free” (p.
103).
James’ voice is real and hopeful. He does not write about how violence is the key to liberation. Instead, he speaks of solidarity and love as effective tools to freedom. I find this to be an inspirational letter, one that is timeless. Love, connecting with others and having meaningful, progressive conversations with people is very much needed in a society where fear and hatred seem to come about frequently. It takes time to shift ways of thinking, especially neocolonial ways of thinking as they have ingrained into our mindsets from a young age. It’s going to take patience and understanding to radically transform society.