Maya Angelou: Resistance To Racism

Resistance to Racism Resistance to racism is the refusal to accept or comply with prejudice or discrimination based on someone’s race. African Americans have experienced displacement and racism since 1619, when slavery first began in America (History.com). In the book “I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings” by Maya Angelou, an African American women who grew up alongside her family whom throughout their lives have experienced displacement in society in America. After reading this book it led me to question, To what extent does the racial displacement of African Americans in America still exist today? Maya Angelou has been through thick and thin to find a balance in society and still to this day there is a need for resistance to racism. That means

Segregation and discrimination made it hard for African Americans to see white people as anything other than “powhitetrash”. Maya Angelou felt throughout life that it was hard to show and give so much respect to a white person who show you so little. Maya got a job as a maid and that maid didn’t even have the respect to remember her name. She kept calling her Mary and each time she did that it only made Maya angier and angier, “her name’s Margaret, goddamn it, her name’s Margaret” (Angelou 183). The women she worked for, Mrs. Cullinan forgot her name to show power over Maya, to show superiority of races; Mrs. Cullinan was white and Maya was African American. Throughout life Maya always found the courage to stand up and show resistance against racism, this was how she found her inner strength and this is how she found her place in society. Maya never stopped no matter the decrease of racism in society, there will always be someone, that one person who is still a racist. To prevent from furthering this issue and to keep it contained and well managed America needs people to continue to resist and stand up against