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Date of Event
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1920
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Title
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Afrofuturistic Predictions: Will Equality Be Achieved in One Hundred Years?
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Brief Description
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For centuries, there has been a divide between people, created by the people. This divide has been used to classify people by the color of their skin, somehow translating into their worth as members of society. This divide is the "color line." Author W.E.B. DuBois pondered this over one hundred years ago in his afrofuturistic work, ”The Comet." Unfortunately, the problem has yet to be resolved.
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Extended Description
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For centuries, there has been a divide between people, created by the people. This divide has been used to classify people by the color of their skin, somehow translating into their worth as members of society. This divide has been used to define nations instead of the quality and beliefs of their people. This divide is the “color line.” The color line creates a barrier between races of people, mistakenly associated with good or bad. In the last one hundred years, many have worked to erase this line in order to create an even playing field for all people. Despite this work, the color line still persists today. This poses difficulties in the lives of the people who stand on one side of it, constantly wondering about their future and their children’s future in regards to if the color line will ever be erased once and for all.
Author W.E.B. DuBois pondered this over one hundred years ago, and the problem has yet to be solved. In his afrofuturistic work,” The Comet”, the main character, a Black man named Jim, lives in a world overcome by an apocalypse, and believes himself to be one of the last people on earth, along with a White woman named Julia. Being a low level bank worker, working in the basement of the building, ironically saved Jim’s life when the comet collided with Earth. As he explored his new life without the weight of racism holding him back from every day to day motion, Jim was able to reach all of life’s possibilities. For the first time in his life, Jim was able to view New York City from the top of the skyscraper, gazing at the White man’s perspective of daily life.
As Jim and Julia prepare to take responsibility to repopulate the human race, they discover other survivors. When two White men discover Jim and Julia together, they threaten to lynch Jim, despite Julia admitting that Jim saved her life. In this situation, a hero is viewed as a villain solely based upon what side of the color line he falls on, not the content of his actions. This is a common misconception that should have been abolished as the human race evolved in the last one hundred years since this piece was written. Now, the human race should be embarrassed that this has not been achieved.
DuBois’ fear over one hundred years ago was that the human race will never get past the color line. This fear is still a concern in today’s world. Today’s present is W.E.B. DuBois’ future. His fear that the Black community will never receive the equality they deserve has become a reality. Black folks work harder to achieve the same levels of success as their white counterparts. DuBois’ message and fears continue to resonate today. A Denver, Colorado news station reported an incident that occurred in March 2019 in which a police officer confronted a Black college student picking up trash outside of his university residence hall. The student was berated by the police officer, and eventually the police officer called for reinforcements when he considered the student to be noncompliant. The student was never noncompliant with the officer, and he was viewed in the right, but only after several officers subjected the student to being held with weapons drawn on him. This interaction was taken under a citizen’s review soon after.
It is likely that the student in this situation would not have been approached by the officer if he resided on the same side of the color line. The life of the African American man was threatened while he engaged in an activity that benefitted the community in which he, and the officer, both lived in. He was not judged based upon the quality of his actions, but instead based upon the color of his skin, as if a greater melanin content correlates to a greater community risk. The human race has come a long way in creating equality for all, but there is still work to be done. The remnants of the color line need to be erased for good. Soon, the descendants of Jim - and his white counterparts - will stand at the top of the skyscraper together, gazing at the same view, knowing that they all put in the same amount of effort to get to where they are. Knowing that fears from a century ago continue to resonate in today’s society is proof that the human race failed to evolve in ways necessary for progressions of life. These fears need to be put to rest in order for society to progress.
Even though on paper all people are viewed as equals, in the real world, all people are not treated as equals. The color line today is not as impenetrable as it was one hundred years ago, but it still has not been erased completely. In the next one hundred years, activists and people of all races will work to fully erase the color line, but are we capable of this? With people unwilling to accept others that fail to share their skin tone, this will be a hard task to accomplish. But, if the masses work to make equality the norm, the tables will turn, forcing provincial people out of seats in power. Eventually, all people will be treated as equals, instead of this being just a speculative thought.
Sources:
Thomas, Sheree R. Dark Matter: A Century of Speculative Fiction from the African Diaspora. Warner, 2001. Print.
9newsdenver. “RAW: Bodycam Video Shows Police Confront Man Picking up TrashOutside Building.” YouTube, YouTube, 16 May 2019, www.youtube.com/watch?v=tYachnFjylA.
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Location
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New York, New York, United States of America
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Student creator name(s)
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Emily Langlois
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Abstract
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The color line has divided people for centuries. It is more penetrable than it once was, but when will it be completely erased?
