Henry Louis Gates Jr. And Racism

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A Henry Louis Gates Jr. and Racism Henry Louis Gates Jr. is currently the director of the W.E.B of Du Bois Institute for African American Research at Harvard. He is best known as a social critic whose novels and articles, exploring a wide variety of issues, focusing on race and culture. In Gates’ essay, “What’s in a Name”, he talks about a painful childhood experience that occurred in the 1950’s when he was about five or six. His childhood experience might have contributed to his reaction with his 2009 incident. In Gates’ “What’s in a Name” essay, he recalls an incident that happened while he was a young child. While he was walking home with his father, they stopped at a drug store to get some ice cream. No black person was allowed in this store but his father, mainly because of his financial security. While inside purchasing ice cream, a quiet man named Mr. Wilson walked passed and his father greeted him. Mr. Wilson’s reply was “Hello, George”. A young Gates was confused because that wasn’t his father’s name. He asked his father to tell Mr. Wilson that that wasn’t his name , but his father simply replied that he knows his name but calls all colored people “George”. The name “George” was used as a derogatory term towards African Americans. It was “ one of those things” as his mom would say and at that early age, he felt a painful moment of silence. One of those things that would scar him. Fast forwarding to 2009, Gates is now in his late fifties, and director of the W.E.B Du Bois Institute for African American Research at Harvard. On July 16th,2009, Gates was headed home from the airport to his home in Cambridge, Massachusetts. When he arrived at home, he tried to put his key in the door, but the door was damaged. He then went through his back door , turned off the alarm, and tried again.
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