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Michael Hall
Professor Marie Lo
Race & Social Justice
November 11 2015

Playing in the Dark

In the reading Playing in the Dark the author, Toni Morrison tackles a very much
invisible and overlooked form of racism, that actually has just as deadly an effect on the
African race than any other form of racism. The form of racism Morison covers is just as
bad as any other form because it entails the same principles as the others. It involves
ignorance,fear,hate, and carelessness towards an entire group of people. The reason
why this deadly behavior has gone un noticed for so long is because it is not violent and
not very interesting to hear about. And that is what makes people today believe there is
only one form of racism, such as violent acts by the KKK, or other hate groups. When in
reality, it goes much deeper than violent acts. Because what fuels these violent acts,
and what fuels the hate and ignorance many Europeans or people of European descent
have towards the African race? Morison is trying to explain to the reader that the issue
involves how white people of this Country and European Countries are educated about
African people or people of African descent and their culture. It all boils down to the lack
of knowledge many people have about other groups of people other than their own,
leading to discrimination and turmoil between racial groups, if not between the same
racial group. As seen by African Americans in America today who seem to lack

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knowledge of their own culture. Creating racial uncertainties, ignorance, and hate within
the same racial group. All of these problems stemming from the same thing. The poor
education people of the world receive regarding race.
Ever since African people came in contact with Europeans, hostility between the
two groups has been very much a reality. Due to the dehumanization and acts of hate
towards the black race by Europeans in the beginning, racist propaganda has been
wired within European people for centuries in order to justify their horrible actions.
Examples of racist educational literature would be that of scientific studies done by
racist whites about the black race, artifacts written down about black behavior during
African enslavement, as well as the racial biases passed down from generation upon
generation. With many stories and accounts of coming in contact with the black race by
whites, with the natural urge people have to write events and stories down, and with
racism and the ignorance of race, this all constructs for a very ignorant view of the black
race. So if a young man grows up hearing/learning/seeing the dehumanization of black
people, it should be with no surprise that he treats black people like they are not human.
Take a look at how whites have learned about blacks overtime and than take a look at
how whites have treated blacks over that time and you will see a disgusting correlation.
Morrisons conclusion on the issue of United States and Europeanized literature
regarding black people is that we need to change what has been written down about
African people and their culture and refurbish the literature with more factual evidence
and absence of hate. White people and black people alike, must make it a point to learn
about the African race in order to end the mysteries and deadly misconceptions people

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have about the race. However it is most important that the people of African descent
regain the knowledge of self, culture, ancestry, customs, values, faith, and pride that
was stripped from them. Because being ignorant of self just leads to failure. And as a
race, African people are done failing! Especially Through the hands of others ignorance.