Czy można ufać dorosłym? Przemoc w czarnych społecznościach z perspektywy dziecka Pantery. The Beautiful Struggle autorstwa Ta-Nehisi Coatesa
Can Adults be Trusted? Violence in Black Communities from the Perspective of Black Panther’s Child The Beautiful Struggle by Ta-Nehisi Coates

Author(s): Aleksandra Hołubowicz
Subject(s): Language and Literature Studies
Published by: Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu Śląskiego
Keywords: Paul Coates; Black Panthers; violence against children; Afro-American culture;Bildungsroman;
Summary/Abstract: Black people in the United States, according to the mainstream racist story, are embroiled in violence. Pop culture, and in particular the influence of Hollywood productions, in its passive audience creates a perception that African-Americans are more likely than white people to be perpetrators of crime, and evidence is cited of higher criminal records of dark-skinned individuals (proportional to population). Gang wars, drug trafficking and participation in shootings are often mentioned in the discussion of black community problems. Poverty affecting families depicted as multi-children, in which the upbringing of offspring falls in many cases on a single mother, contributes to the criminal activity of this group of people and makes them vulnerable to domestic violence. Such stereotypes, although recognized by American liberals as untrue (after all, one can mention outstanding individuals involved in the civil rights movement, such as Martin Luther King, or artists, such as actor Morgan Freeman, or President Barack Obama, to whom people from various countries, including Western liberal democracies, have particular liking) – are at the root of the furious lyrics of rappers from Public Enemy. In his book, entitled The Beautiful Struggle. A Memoir Ta-Nehisi Coates, who grew up in the days when Public Enemy became famous, describes life in a patchwork family formed by the Black Panther activist, his wife, their common children, and the offspring of the father’s previous relationships. This brilliant prose written in the language of intelligent rap becomes the starting point for addressing the issue of violence as seen through the eyes of a child. The main issue discussed in the article is an attempt to answer the question to what extent minors can count on adults when they fall victim to unpleasant incidents. In the analysis, violence experienced by adolescent members of the community has been particularly taken into account.

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