On Yancy and DuBois
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In describing the young boy’s pointing as the “schematic foreshadowing of an accusation” (Yancy, 2-3), Yancy highlights the power the white body holds. The white body is born pure- a clean slate. The black body, on the other hand, has sinned the day it came into being, by virtue of being black, for “this is what it means to be a Negro- to have done something wrong” (Yancy, 2) This inevitable nature of the ‘dread’ that comes with being black reminded me of the concept of ‘the veil’ in DuBois’ ‘The Souls of Black Folk.
In his book, DuBois talks about a metaphorical veil, a force that separates him from the white world. The veil tints the way he sees the world in that he is consumed by the idea that things would be different if he were white. The veil could also be seen as having a biblical meaning where it is seen as a line between life and death– implying that the existence of this veil prevents black people from being fully alive.
The lack of this veil tainting the way they see the world, I think, is a bigger privilege than a white person could ever understand. The little boy in Fanon’s story is allowed to point his finger because he is afforded the privilege of being an ‘innocent child’ constructing his vision of the world around him at his own pace. But for a black person, the weight of their identity is placed on their shoulder the day they are born- a weight that will dictate their being for the rest of their life.