Racism in ‘One Friday Morning’ by Langston Hughes

The story of Nancy Lee is one that helps to show the elements of racism in the American society. Her story helps to shed light on the extent to which racial discrimination is openly practised on even innocent children who do not even understand what racism really is. Nancy Lee as she is described in the story is a young person who all her life has aspirations to become an artist and her dream was to major in art in college. Racism however crushed her dreams when she was denied an art award which would have been her ticket to making her dreams come true.

Nancy, though black has grown up in a society that has never made her feel different and she never at one point encountered any form of racism with her classmates. Hughes on page (8) indicates, ‘Nancy Lee sometimes forgot she was colored herself’, She had never looked at herself as someone that is different from the other students in her school because of her colour. Her dream is to achieve her goals of becoming artists in America, and she works so hard knowing that she would shine just everyone else.

Unfortunately, this does not happen for her because her skin colour works against her odds in the American society. Although she was talented, she was not awarded by the Art Club all because she was black. The art club was ready to give her the award before they knew that she was black which greatly helps show how racist the society is. The racist American society did not at one point consider how their actions would affect Nancy as a young person who was working hard to try and secure her future. The story of Nancy helps to show how egocentric policy makers are, though they people that are given the role of ensuring that everyone is treated equally; they help in encouraging discrimination on some people all because of their race.

At school, students were taught the importance of equality and fair treatment for all. The teachers treated all the students equally not at any one point making any of them feel inferior or superior to others because of their race. They understood the importance of teaching students as the future generation importance of equality for all. The students believed in equality and they treated one another with respect, ‘seldom did her high-school classmates think of her as colored’; they never judged one another on basis of skin colour (Hughes, 2). The story presents the students singing the national anthem with special respect for the flag which they believe symbolizes liberty and justice for all. This helps to show that the students believed and hoped that their society was just and fair to everyone, all because that is what they were made to believe while in school. The painting that was made of her African grandmother sitting on a park bench looking at the American flag on a beautiful sunny day is significant. It is a representation of the American society that she wanted, a place where everyone is treated equally without any form of discrimination. It was hence a very great disappointment for her when she was denied the award just because she was black, when her painting is all about equality

Nancy Lee felt betrayed by the policy makers and the entire American society that condoned discrimination based on race. Any person black or white can have a talent; this was supported by the fact that there were no restrictions on to who could join the art contest. The art society was biased in that it did not expect a coloured student to have an art talent, and actually win in the contest. This helps to illustrate the perception that the society had on black people as un-intelligent and incapable in excelling in anything. The letter clearly indicates that ‘there have never been any Negro students in the local art school, and the presence of one there might create difficulties for all concerned’ (Hughes, 8). Having Nancy who is black in the art school was perceived at as a threat in that it would change the already set white culture of the art society. A society where only the white people excel while the black people sit back and watch, the art club was ready to forego a talent all because the artists was black, which greatly help to illustrate the extent of racism in the society.

Miss O’Shay, Nancy’s teacher is equally disappointed with the Art Club and encourages Nancy not to give up with her dreams. She encouraged her to always fight for her dreams and uses her own story as a good example of how things will get better for Nancy. Miss O’Shay is in this story used as a racism abolitionist who helps to show that there is hope, that racism will end one day and people like Nancy will be able to achieve her American dream.

At the end of the story, Nancy even though disappointed and hurt by how things turned out for her felt encouraged. At the end of the story she was encouraged to fight against racism with the help people like Miss O’Shay, to ensure that it did not happen to other young girls like her (Hughes, 9). Having first-hand experience with racism helped her take up a new role of a revolutionist to try and make the American society a much better place, where everyone is treated equally regardless of their race.

This story by Hughes helps to shed light to many of the challenges and disappointments that people go through in life to help make them stronger and more responsible. This is a story that helps show discrimination at work and helps readers to come to terms with the fact that racial discrimination is a domineering issue in the society. Discrimination is something that happens all around the society, everyone has experienced it at one point in their life. What really matters is how one reacts to the discrimination and what they do about it. Nancy on her part did not let the discrimination define her; she did not just sit back and give up. She chose to fight back and ensure that what happened to her would never happen to anyone else. If the whole society came together and worked against any sort of discrimination without fear, the world would become a much better place. It would become one society where everyone fits because they know that their hard work is appreciated, irrespective of whether they are coloured or white.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

References

Hughes, L. (2013, May 03). One Friday Morning. Retrieved from

https://www.whatsoproudlywehail.org/curriculum/the-american-calendar/one-friday-morning