Summary Of Black Men And Public Space By Brent Staples

In the article Black Men and Public Space written by Brent Staples, he shares his experience being a misconceived African American living in major cities Chicago and New York. Having generic traits of a “youngish black man- a broad six feet two inches with a beard and billowing hair” (Staples 520), he was often misunderstood for a thug; particularly when he roamed around the streets sundown. His first encounter being mistaken as a brute happened in Chicago. He turned around the corner into a rather quiet street in a neighborhood of the upper class, coincidentally walking behind a lady who was described by Staples as “white, well dressed, probably in her late twenties”. It was when she initially picked up her pace, and eventually fled on foot soon after realizing the presence of a seemingly suspicious man walking harmlessly behind her.

However in reality, he was merely an innocent young man who was suffering from insomnia; eventually arriving to mixed feelings all at once. Nevertheless, Staples understands that the fear from women as such do not surface out of nothing. It has become common to relate violence to young black men, and women are especially susceptible victims of such tyranny. In my opinion, this is an informative essay. In the three pages of context, the author shares his experiences and opinions on the topic of being a black man in the United States. He does not particularly stand on one side of the subject; he explains his understanding of the reason as to why women have reacted the way they did. Staples simply projects his thoughts, without asking the audience to pick a side. Plus, an action was not called to be taken, which would have been done if it was a persuasive