1 English 1110 Secondary Source Integration Although, “400 Years” appears to solely be a poem about Black folks’ suffering at the hands of white people for the past four hundred years, it is actually about the deep division among Black and white Americans in our society and how this division can be simply be explained by the symbolism each group attributes the American flag. Comment by LRC: Don’t forget your name. “400 Years” is a poem written by 22-year-ld Micaiah Wheeler. It was published on December 23, 2016 on HelloPoetry.com. It is a 40 line, 8 stanza poem. The poem paints a picture of Black American’s struggles for freedom over the past four centuries. The first stanza introduces the problem the poem seeks to address – that (white) America has consistently promised freedom to Black Americans, but “just for a small fee.” The poem continues on about how Black Americans have been paying the fee through blood, sweat, and tears; they have had to watch their people bleed and die. The speaker does not feel that the American flag represents him nor does he feel that he and his people have ever been considered equal to white Americans. It has been 400 years, Black Americans have fought for the United States, but white America still does not recognize their rights. The sixth stanza functions as the speaker’s own call to action, he will not be told how to act and he will fight for his freedom until the grave. The speaker then calls out white America for pleading ignorance to the problems at hand, he lists the names of Emmit Till, Trayvon Martin, and Freddie Gray. He criticizes white America for first taking their lives and then for trying to forget about the past. But, the Black American community cannot forget about the past, they carry with them the scars of those who came centuries before them. The speaker ends the poem by explaining that freedom is not given out freely, but he still believes that he will one day be able to see all races and nations in harmony with one another. Comment by LRC: Clear introduction of the poem. Comment by LRC: if you’re going to say it … say it. Don’t put it in parentheses. Comment by LRC: What’s your evidence of that from the poem? Comment by LRC: This sounds like you are making this statement but I think you are saying that’s what the poem says. Comment by LRC: Again, this sounds like your voice and not the poem’s. Comment by LRC: You do a very effective job of laying out the feeling and arguments of the poem in this paragraph, however, you have very little “evidence” in this paragraph. Can you add quotes from the poem to these sentences so you show us (in addition to telling us) that the poem makes these claims? The speaker, who is presumably a Black American because of details referring to slavery and a black mother, has chosen second person for the poem’s point of view. He refers to America as “you” and then uses first person singular pronouns, such as “I” and “me,” to apply to himself and first person p ...

1. 1
English 1110 Secondary Source Integration
Although, “400 Years” appears to solely be a poem about
Black folks’ suffering at the hands of white people for the past
four hundred years, it is actually about the deep division among
Black and white Americans in our society and how this division
can be simply be explained by the symbolism each group
attributes the American flag. Comment by LRC: Don’t forget
your name.
“400 Years” is a poem written by 22-year-ld Micaiah Wheeler.
It was published on December 23, 2016 on HelloPoetry.com. It
is a 40 line, 8 stanza poem. The poem paints a picture of Black
American’s struggles for freedom over the past four centuries.
The first stanza introduces the problem the poem seeks to
address – that (white) America has consistently promised
freedom to Black Americans, but “just for a small fee.” The
poem continues on about how Black Americans have been
paying the fee through blood, sweat, and tears; they have had to
watch their people bleed and die. The speaker does not feel that
the American flag represents him nor does he feel that he and
his people have ever been considered equal to white Americans.
It has been 400 years, Black Americans have fought for the
United States, but white America still does not recognize their
rights. The sixth stanza functions as the speaker’s own call to
action, he will not be told how to act and he will fight for his
freedom until the grave. The speaker then calls out white
America for pleading ignorance to the problems at hand, he lists
the names of Emmit Till, Trayvon Martin, and Freddie Gray. He
criticizes white America for first taking their lives and then for
trying to forget about the past. But, the Black American
community cannot forget about the past, they carry with them
the scars of those who came centuries before them. The speaker

2. ends the poem by explaining that freedom is not given out
freely, but he still believes that he will one day be able to see
all races and nations in harmony with one another. Comment by
LRC: Clear introduction of the poem. Comment by LRC: if
you’re going to say it … say it. Don’t put it in parentheses.
Comment by LRC: What’s your evidence of that from the
poem? Comment by LRC: This sounds like you are making
this statement but I think you are saying that’s what the poem
says. Comment by LRC: Again, this sounds like your voice and
not the poem’s.Comment by LRC: You do a very effective job
of laying out the feeling and arguments of the poem in this
paragraph, however, you have very little “evidence” in this
paragraph. Can you add quotes from the poem to these
sentences so you show us (in addition to telling us) that the
poem makes these claims?
The speaker, who is presumably a Black American because of
details referring to slavery and a black mother, has chosen
second person for the poem’s point of view. He refers to
America as “you” and then uses first person singular pronouns,
such as “I” and “me,” to apply to himself and first person plural
pronouns, such as “we” and “our,” to refer to the collective
group of Black Americans. This is significant because the
reader is aware that the speaker does not feel as if he is a part
of what the widely-accepted thought or view of America is. The
word “America” is freighted with meaning. In general,
“America” is associated with liberty, freedom, democracy,
equality, and rights. However, the speaker has chosen for the
word “America” to refer strictly to white Americans, white
Americans that have liberty, freedom, equality, and rights, who
have all of the things that “America” usually means. The
speaker, being Black, therefore, does not identify himself nor
the entire Black community as being a part of this America. In
the poem Wheeler says, “We carried your rifles, we lifted your
flag, and still you were snide,” making the central point that
although many Blacks have fought for the United States, they
still do not have all of the privileges and rights that should

3. come with being an American. The word “America” thus is
freighted with a meaning much different in the poem from that
which is commonly held true. Here, “America” is equated with
tyranny, oppression, slavery, and the caste system. This
contradistinction allows the text of the poem to work against the
current of the commonly accepted notion of “America” held by
white America. The speaker is able to challenge the white
America’s view by employing pathos. The rhetoric used
encourages the reader to feel sympathy for Black Americans by
implicitly stating that they are disconnected from “American”
society and their fundamental rights have been forgotten. The
usage of the pronoun “you” works to make a white reader feel
personally guilty for bringing on this disunited feeling even
though it has been the result of centuries of white supremacy
and injustice. Comment by LRC: I would say that the
“speaker,” or the voice of the poem, is definitely Black because
the speaker speaks in first person about what it is to be Black in
America. Consider changing to “The speaker, who we
understand is Black American because of details …”
Comment by LRC: Oh. Be careful here. It’s a slight
distinction, but the “speaker” is not the same as the “author”.
The speaker is the voice that narrates the poem, a voice the
author creates that is not necessarily himself. I would just take
out this part of the sentence and connect the rest with the
previous sentence “The speaker … refers to American as “you”
…” Comment by LRC: Very thoughtfully conceived.
Comment by LRC: And therefore are not included in
“America” Comment by LRC: It seems like you have
identified two ways the speaker uses “America”. One is the
white people who have all the freedoms that the work
“America” is supposed to imply. The other is tyranny etc. I
wonder if you could spell that out more implicitly and then see
what that double meaning implies. (Free white America is also
tyranny.”)Comment by LRC: The first part of this thesis
statement is well-formed and grounded in evidence. It’s not
completely clear to me if the part that follows the “even

4. though” is your opinion, or if not, what it is claiming. It seems
to be saying that the white reader feels guilty but shouldn’t. Is
that what you mean? Does the white reader feel guilty but also
feel like they shouldn’t have to feel guilty because it’s not their
fault? Or … does the white reader feel guilty for being part of
the four hundred years of supremacy and injustice? (I’m not
saying there is a right or wrong interpretation, but I want to be
able to understand more clearly what you are claiming.
In his article written for The FADER, a New York-based music
magazine, on September 19, 2016, Kiese Laymon, a Black
American, discusses what the American flag symbolizes for
him. Laymon discusses how white supremacy and black
suffering are stitched into the fabric of each American flag. For
him and other Black Americans, the flag is a reminder of pain
and agony that Black people have experienced from white
Americans who have consistently and cowardly hid behind the
flag. In the beginning of the article, Laymon describes the flag
that hangs outside of his house in Oxford, Mississippi, “the blue
bleeds purple; the red fades pink; and the white wants
desperately to be the color of banana pudding,” he continues by
saying that there are two big rips at the top and another rip at
the bottom, and it barely blows in the wind (“What I Pledge”).
At the end he says that his flag looks like what every other
American flag should, “beat down, bleeding, fading, weak,
tearing apart, barely held together, absolutely stanky, and self-
aware” (“What I Pledge”) Laymon also claims that his
forefathers knew that they came to America to provide for the
economic wants of white folks. But, he then switches his
pronoun from “they” to “we” and further reveals, “We knew we
were not brought here to be equally protected under the law”
(“What I Pledge”). Comment by LRC: This should be
(Laymon) since the article has a known authorComment by
LRC: Nice selection of quotes to help show the author’s
argument. Comment by LRC: Same as above.
Laymon’s switch of pronouns supports my initial analysis from
“400 Years” on the division of America today as a result of

5. racial tensions. His ancestors were not equally protected in
white America, and still today, he himself does not equate
himself with white America just as the speaker of the poem.
However, in applying this article’s symbolism of the American
flag, the division presented in the poem can be looked at from a
new angle. The disunited feeling that is created by the use of
different pronouns to refer to “America” and the speaker and
the Black community, is supported throughout the poem by the
speaker providing specific details about the division, including
the line “The flags that represent you, makes you free. But the
same flags that represent you, doesn’t represent me. The flag
that represents words that say “all men are created equal”
considered me an animal and there seemed to never be a sequel”
(“400 Years”). Just as the word “America” is freighted with
meaning, the Flag of the United States is also freighted with
meaning. For many people, the American flag is a reminder of
what America’s forefathers fought for; it is a symbol of the
country’s strength and unity. But for many others the flag
represents injustice, discrimination, and domination of an
institution, the institution of white America, as the speaker of
the poem and Laymon’s article suggests. In our society today,
there is not strictly a division of feelings among Americans, but
a division that runs through everything in American society; it
is a division interwoven into the very flag that is supposed to
represent equality. Comment by LRC: Yes! Very interesting!
Comment by LRC: Typo? Comment by LRC: Yes. Well
done.
Dave Desilet’s article, “The American Flag Is a Symbol of
Patriotism and Unity” was viewed from Opposing Viewpoints in
Context. However, the article was originally published in June,
2002 in All Hands, the official magazine of the United States’
Navy. Desilet claims that the American flag symbolizes
freedom, valor, hope and unity. During moments when our
country faces hardship and adversity, the flag has been a sign of
hope and courage, a symbol of pride and democracy. The flag
has continually been “cried upon, sung to, prayed under and

6. embraced as the common emblem this melting pot of a country;”
the American flag is a symbol all Americans share and it is a
symbol that unites us all (“The American Flag”). Desliet also
states that during times of peace, we, as Americans, should we
become content and we most certainly should not let our
solidarity subside. Comment by LRC: Desilets’ Comment by
LRC: You can cut this part and just state the original
piblication. Comment by LRC: Do we know Desilets’ race
the way we do Laymon’s? (Also, his last name ends with an s.)
Comment by LRC: Make sure you charactarize this as the
author’s argument. Comment by LRC: Interesting that he refers
to “the melting pot.” Which is the metaphor for all the different
ethnicities that make up America. What do you make of that?
Can you add that to your already in depth analysis in the next
paragraph? Comment by LRC: (Desliets) Comment by
LRC: Does he say “we” in reference to American’s? If so, that
would be a great thing to analyze.
The claims that Desilet makes in his article, push back
against the speaker’s feelings in “400 Years”. All military
personnel are supposed to give the upmost respect for the
American flag. So, being first published in a military magazine,
this article is going to naturally be supportive of the flag and
attribute positive feelings, such as freedom and unity, to the
flag. However, this also allows for a new lens for which to look
at the poem. The feelings expressed by Desilet towards the flag
are most likely felt by many white Americans who have never
experienced oppression in their own country like Black
Americans. The poem brings up events from the past and
reveals how the majority of white Americans look at these
events and how Black Americans look at the same events very
differently. It states, “To you slavery was yesterday and we
should shout free at last?/To you the last police shooting was
last week, we shouldn’t riot, it’s in the past,/…but we can’t
shake the scars from centuries in a caste” (“400 Years”). The
text confronts white America for wanting to forget about events
and move forward without addressing them. The speaker of the

7. poem suggests that Black America however does not easily
forget, for them the past is part of their very being. It is not as
easy for Black Americans to just pick up the flag with a sense
of unity, as Desilet suggests in his article, as it is for the other
America who has not experienced its injustice. Comment by
LRC: Yes. I think it would be very interesting to look at the
pronouns Desilets uses (if any) in place of America. If he uses
“we” what does that mean? Does he mean “white” America? Or
all “all” America? If he means “all” what assumptions is he
making about who feels included in that “we” and how does that
relate to the quote you use in this paragraph showing different
points of view? (This is a great paragraph, by the way. Very
strong. I’m just asking you to see if you can take your analysis
of pronouns a little further.) Comment by LRC: Yes. Well
done.
These two articles push back against each other. Laymon’s
article clearly articulates that there is a problem in our society
today, that can be explained by looking at the American flag.
He makes the point of saying that the flag represents the
oppression that Black Americans have suffered from at the
hands of whites, since they first came to America, supporting
the claims made by Wheeler in “400 Years”. Although Desilet
would probably be willing to agree with Laymon and Wheeler
that white oppression has been a major problem in American
history, he would probably disagree with the idea that the
American flag in our society today is or should be a symbol of
white domination and supremacy. Instead, he would point to all
of the Black Americans that have bravely fought for our
country, risking or sacrificing their lives, so that we could have
the rights and freedoms that America’s founding fathers worked
for. These two articles also push back against each other over
the idea of disunity in America. Although it is true that
currently American society is very divided today like Laymon
and Wheeler explain, Desilet also makes an equally valid point
that in order to fight tyranny and terrorism around the world we
must present a united front. Comment by LRC: Nice work in

8. this paragraph. Comment by LRC: Does Desilets discuss this? If
not, I would take it out. Comment by LRC: yes Comment by
LRC: In this sentence you say the first claim is “true” and the
second claim is “equally valid”. How are you measuring the
truth and validity here? If you aren’t sure, then just take those
words out. “Laymon and Wheeler describe a very divided …
while Desilets argues that …”
Our nation’s symbols are very important and prominent in our
American society today. And the meaning for many of these
symbols lies in the eyes of the beholder. Thus, the symbolism
one attributes to the American flag depends on who is looking
at it as well. The flag itself is not a language, rather Americans
use language to devote meaning to the flag. For those who have
never directly experienced America’s racism or oppression, the
sight of the flag as a sign of unity, hope, and freedom. But for
those who have had to deal with institutional white America’s
dominance and racism, the American flag represents the
complete opposite, it is a symbol of discord, hate and
inequality. Comment by LRC: Yes. Excellent point and well
communicated. Comment by LRC: Is? Or can be seen as?
Comment by LRC: Yes. Also very clearly stated. I wonder
if you can look at the effect of the divergent points in these last
two sentences. I feel like there is something really powerful
here that relates to how for the oppressed, the flag can come to
symbolize the way the dominant group is unaware of the fact
that they are oppressors.
In times when our nation faces immense adversity or terrorism,
such as the 9/11 attacks, the American flag can be found flying
or draped over almost anything. So why is it that in times when
the United States faces terrorism or adversity from foreign
nations, we are taught to look to the flag for hope and unity,
when in our country in this very moment, the flag is the very
symbol that is dividing us? It is clear, that members of the
Black American community are victims of state violence within
our own nation. It has been communicated through their
movement that they do not feel that they have the same rights as

9. white Americans. Thus, it should not be expected that they
honor a piece of fabric that they feel does not represent their
freedom and rights. At various Black Lives Matter rallies,
American flags have been burned by protestors, illustrating that,
to them, the American flag does not represent equality and
rights, but domination and white supremacy. Athletes have also
demonstrated this, as well as their support for the Black Lives
Matter Movement, by refusing to stand for the National Anthem
and honor the flag. Many times, these demonstrations are met
with scorn from the media and many from the general public.
These conflicting emotions that are felt among members of our
society today are causing a division, especially a division
among races. But, how people look at this division depends
solely on how much significance they place on the flag.
Comment by LRC: Interesting question that seems to be at
the core of the rift between your two secondary sources. I
wonder if you can find an answer in your artifact? Comment by
LRC: How is it clear? You don’t have to go into lots of
statistics or anything, but just state on what grounds you base
this claim. Comment by LRC: Make active voice.
Comment by LRC: Make active voice Comment by
LRC: Make active voice Comment by LRC: Make active voice
Comment by LRC: Hmmm, really? Our view of the flag
determines how we look at the division? It seems like your
paper is arguing that our understanding of the division is what
determines our view of the flag. Or that our view of the flag
reveals what we can and cannot see about the divisions in the
country. Comment by LRC: You are adding your own critical
voice to the conversation. That’s great. Now you need to add
your artifact back into picture. What do your claims here reveal
about the poem, or how does the poem explore those claims?
Grace,
You have set yourself up well for the rest of the semester with
this thorough secondary source analysis. You have started with

10. a thoughtful analysis of your artifact, added highly detailed
descriptions of your secondary source’s arguments, did some
effective work applying those arguments to your analysis of the
artifact, and then begun a very interesting analytical move by
looking at how the meaning of the flag is in the eye of the
beholder. As you move forward to address with your rough
draft, I suggest you focus on the following:
· Adding evidence (quotes) from the poem to your opening
description.
· Teasing out clarification around some of the questions I pose
in the margins.
· Bringing your “meaning is in the eye of the beholder” analysis
at the end, back around to how it affects you analysis of the
artifact.
We can talk more about these things in your conference. Nice
work here!
You earned an A (100) on your Secondary Source Integration,
plus 3 points extra credit for formulating and identifying 3
evolving thesis statements about your artifact. (I will add your 3
points to a previous assignment because Carmen won’t let me
give you a 103!)
Works Cited
Desilets, Dave. "The American Flag Is a Symbol of Patriotism
and Unity." Is It Unpatriotic to
Criticize One's Country?, edited by Mary E. Williams,
Greenhaven Press, 2005. At Issue.
Opposing Viewpoints in Context,
link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/EJ3010354207/OVIC?u=colu4433
2&xid=d792c9cf.
Accessed 7 Mar. 2017. Originally published as "Does Your Flag

11. Still Wave?" All Hands,
June 2002, p. 48.
Laymon, Kiese. “What I Pledge Allegiance To.” The FADER,
The FADER, 19 Sept. 2016,
www.thefader.com/2016/09/19/my-mississippi-pledge-kiese-
laymon. Accessed 3 Mar.
2017.
Wheeler, Micaiah. “400 Years.” HelloPoetry.com, Hello Poetry,
28 Dec. 2016,
hellopoetry.com/poem/1840196/400-years/. Accessed 22 Jan.
2017.
ARP Step 3: Secondary Source Integration Instruction
The Secondary Source Integration asks you to revisit your work
in the Primary Source Analysis and the Annotated Bibliography.
You will extend or rethink your original analytical claims and
integrate secondary evidence seamlessly and effectively into
your own writing.
Below you will find a list of objectives for the assignment. Be
sure to follow the directions outlined in Getting
Started carefully as you seek to extend the work completed in
STEP 1: Primary Source Analysis.
Your work should be 4-5 pages, double-spaced, typed in 12-
point font, and set to 1” margins.
Objectives:
· Identify two (2) timely, useful, credible, and relevant
secondary sources from Step 2: Annotated Bibliography. Your
work with these sources should help you revise and extend the
work you completed in Step 1: Primary Source Analysis
· Demonstrate the ability to comprehend the central arguments
of these sources
· Perform meaningful, thoughtful analysis of these secondary
sources
· Assert and maintain your own critical voice rather than letting
the secondary evidence speak for you
· Develop an evolving thesis to orient your analysis and source

12. integration
· Integrate secondary sources into your analysis by paraphrasing
and/or directly citing the writers’ language and ideas
· Include proper in-text citations of each source and an
appropriately formatted Works Cited page using MLA
guidelines
Getting Started:
Extending Your PSA
· Return to your Primary Source Analysis, look over my
comments, and decide which parts you plan to focus on in your
final paper. This will probably require expanding or deleting
parts of your initial analysis.
· Consider each secondary source’s main argument and how it
relates to, supports, complicates, or differs from the argument
you plan to make in your final paper.
· The Secondary Source Integration should not simply be added
onto the end of your Primary Source Analysis but rather woven
in and responding to specific elements of your own analysis. I
recommend that you open a new document when you begin your
Secondary Source Integration. You can cut and paste from your
Primary Source Analysis and Annotated Bibliography as
needed.
· Choose two sources that will allow you to engage in
conversation, not just sources that agree with or support your
main point.
· Use the secondary evidence to extend and revise the analysis
completed in Step 1: Primary Source Analysis. This is an
opportunity to add new sentences to existing paragraphs, to add
new paragraphs, and, in general, to revise the existing Primary
Source Analysis.
Developing Your SSI
In order to complete the extension and revision of your previous
work, consider the following steps:
1. Focus on your own analytical claims. Interaction with
secondary sources should allow for your Research Questions to
evolve and to take shape, enabling you to revise or extend

13. claims made in the previous assignment.
2. Focus on analyzing and integrating the secondary evidence
into the conversation. This step requires you to demonstrate
how to effectively use secondary sources.
3. Focus your evolving thesis around a compelling analytical
claim while also accounting for all relevant evidence.
You should especially focus on:
1. Making your Sources Speak by giving evidence (quotes or
paraphrases) from each article that shows the article does make
the claims you say it makes. You might ask yourself whether or
not you have explained the connection between your claims and
the secondary evidence completely and explicitly.
2. Putting your Sources into Conversation with One Another.
This move requires that you understand the arguments of the
secondary sources and are able to convey this understanding via
paraphrase and direct citation. As the title suggests, the
emphasis of this step is on you making the sources speak rather
than letting the words that you paraphrase or cite speak for
themselves or for you; instead, maintain your own critical voice
and make clear that the secondary evidence is one part of the
conversation, not the featured speaker.
3. Integrating Sources into your own writing by paraphrasing or
splicing quotations into your text.
4. Citing Sources in proper MLA Style (See “MLA Citation and
Style Guide”). You should end the assignment with correct
MLA Works Cited entries of the two secondary sources and
your primary source.
Secondary Source Integration Outline
Your Secondary Source Integration should include all of the
following components. You do not have to put them in this
order, but this is an outline that many students have found
successful in the past.

14. 1. A version of your "evolved thesis statement" (We will talk
about what this means later in the week).
2. Identification of your artifact/primary source (who created it,
where it was first published, and on what date).
3. A description of your primary source (so that the reader can
understand what you are analyzing without having to see or hear
it)
4. Your initial analysis of the artifact (you may cut and paste
some of this from your Primary Source Analysis but you should
also expand and edit parts of your analysis based on my
comments and feedback from your WEx peer reviews)
5. Introduce your first secondary source (Include the author,
title, publication source and date, and then summarize the
author's claims.)
6. Use the first secondary source to analyze your artifact (How
do the author's claims expand, change, complicate, or contradict
your initial analysis of the artifact?)
7. Introduce your second secondary source (Include the author,
title, publication source and date, and then summarize the
author's claims.)
8. Use the second secondary source to analyze your artifact
(How do the author's claims expand, change, complicate, or
contradict your initial analysis of the artifact?)
9. Put the secondary sources in conversation (Show how the two
secondary sources relate to each other or contradict each other)
10. Add yourself to the conversation (Use your own ideas to
add, expand, complicate, ask questions, or form new
conclusions based on the ways you have used your secondary
sources to develop your analysis.)
5
Secondary Source Integration

15. The first secondary source
The source “why black live matters” is a speech from James
Clapper. The source explores the discrimination of the black
people. Clapper as the director of national intelligence, United
States discussed the aspects of discrimination of the black
people in numerous ways. The useful role played by the black
people in the development especially in the US intelligence is
explained where the blacks are important in the political aspects
in the United States. The lives of the blacks seem to be
intertwined with politics in different ways with many people
willing to ensure change is implemented.
According to the article, there are many people who are willing
to listen to the blacks, but some challenges seem to arise. For
example, activists try to engage the political system they intend
to change but fail to capitalize and compromise. The article is
showing the efforts of the blacks to make sure that their voice is
heard in different parts to claim then rights of the blacks. The
blacks were discriminated in different ways despite their
immense contributions in the political environment in the
United States. The author of the article demonstrates the
intention of the blacks to ensure that the discrimination they
face is eliminated (Clapper, 55). The fight for the rights of
blacks to be free from discrimination was successful where the
integrity of the black people was to be restored.
The importance of the lives of the blacks is explored in the
article where the blacks feel that their rights are compromised.
The struggle for the rights of the black people has not been
easy, but the blacks seem to have been determined to achieve
their goals in the freedom fight. Through the eagerness of the
black Americans to achieve their freedom from discrimination,
many political changes are brought into action. The issues of
racial conflict are shown in the article as the blacks are treated
in a way that is not fair as compared to the other races. The
whites are considered as the superior race with the blacks being
ignored and their rights compromised (Clapper, 56). The author
explores how the black Americans are not willing to let their

16. rights to continue being compromised. As a result, the black
Americans are ready to make sure that they tirelessly fight for
their rights.
This article mainly demonstrates my central theme, which is
“Black Live Matter”, through presenting how the black fight for
their rights and freedom and how they try to gain equality. From
the real experience from Clapper, he proposes that the black is
supposed to enjoy same rights with the white.
Second secondary source
“I don’t see color” is a book that is talking about whiteness and
racism. Bergo and Tracey are the authors of the book where the
authors show the support to the black lives and the privileges of
the whiteness. The arguments of the authors show that the
contemporary conversations concerning the white privilege and
the white supremacy are very far from being finished (Bergo
and Tracey, 180). The book tries to bring together some
recognized voices in the process of presenting critical whiteness
studies. The authors offered creative multi-stylistic approach
through making use of their live examples. The racism aspects
in the book are being presented using conversations that can
help in influencing social changes.
According to the book, the contemporary conversation
concerning white privilege are based on the superiority of the
race. The white seems to be favored in different political and
social systems, unlike the black Americans. The white privilege
brings an aspiration that is different from the current American
reality. Failing to see color helps in criticizing the white studies
literature as it discourages racism in numerous ways. The
authors seem to examine the white privilege as distinguished
contributors in sociology and political science (Bergo and
Tracey, 210). The political aspects that are considered in the
book are ranging from incisive post-colonial to the intellectual
narratives concerning the aspects of racism in America.
The authors do not see color as an important resource for
reflecting on the white privilege and extension of critical

17. extensions of the whiteness studies. According to the author,
color is an essential multidisciplinary resource that can be used
in addressing racism. The book has used a braided narrative
approach that is compelling. The approach that the authors use
is a broad mix of the disciplinary perspectives providing better
insights concerning white privilege. As a result, the authors
made significant contributions towards theorizing white
privilege (Bergo and Tracey, 170). The authors of the book
communicate the way racism affects democracy where the
people democratic rights are influenced by the issue of race.
The racial diversity in the United States seems to have great
influence on the democracy environment.
According to the book, the political climate in the United States
has been affected by the racial issues. The ideas of different
scholars concerning marginalization in literature to examine the
whiteness idea. While considering the racial background in the
United States that is diverse, the authors provided their
theoretical insights that is critically informed based on their
narrative. Failing to recognize white and blacks can be a
strategy towards eliminating the aspects of racism where people
can be able to appreciate the differences. The authors seem to
be encouraging people to put aside the racial differences to
enhance democracy (Bergo and Tracey, 158). The political
climate seems to be greatly influenced by the way the political
systems perceive the different races.
Actually, this article helps me to support my thesis on the
opposite aspect. By talking about how white people possess
their privilege and the black have different treatment, the author
advocates that racism should be eliminated. Black live matters
the same with everyone else.

18. Reference
Bergo, Bettina and Tracey Nicholls. “I Don’t See Color”:
Personal and Critical Perspectives on White Privilege.Penn
State University Press. 2015
Clapper R. James, Why Black Lives Matter To U.S.
Intelligence, 2016
5
Black Live Matter
When talking about the theme, which is black live matter,
sometimes a picture could better explain the content than words.
This picture below demonstrates a black woman holding a plate,
which says “BLACK LIVES MATTER”. She is yelling and
fighting for her rights, because black Americans always have
low status in society. This source could perfectly accord with
my main theme because my theme is placed on importance of
black Americans’ life. The picture conveys that black
Americans are eager for safeguarding their rights. There are
many unsolved problems of black Americans. For example,
what should the government do to best assist black Americans
to support them?

19. The fact that the US is carrying some races is being used to
show lots of discrimination on people who are black. It is in
fact very clear that the white race is not going to accept to be
equal with the black or any other people of color, and especially
the black people. Injustices are shown to the black people from
all the angles, right from their places of residence, their
workplaces and even from the government. The efforts that the
black people are making in trying to get balanced are not
bearing any fruit, and instead, the efforts are making things
worse(Edwards & Bradford, 2016).
The police and the rest of the forces are also playing a major
role in discriminating the blacks. Such are the reasons why the
BML movement was formed to fight for the rights of the blacks.
When an analysis of the people who are in prisons was done, it
was found out that most of the youths who are in prison are
black males who have very long sentences over petty errors,
that can be given a few months according to the law or even
fined and the person is left to be free. Whatever the case, when
a black man is arrested, they are and must be sentenced, and the
sentences are in most cases very long and not like those given
to the white races(From #BlackLivesMatter to Black Liberation,
2016). Looking at the population in prisons, one may wonder
where all these white people who commit errors are kept, or
even try to think like; Is it only the black people who commit
errors in the US?
There are some protests that, have been arranged so that the
black people can claim their rights of equality, but almost all of
them have had the same effect. The people who are
demonstrating are beaten by the police who use strikers, canes,
tear gas and who even shooting especially when they are unable
to calm thesituation. This is a very wrong way to handle
demonstrators because there is the right to demonstrate and
while they do so in a peaceful way, they should not be
mishandled. Things are quite different when white people
demonstrate, because they are not mishandled in any way, and
the police may be following them only to make sure that they do

20. not go against the law.
The content of the picture that I chose accord with the theme,
which is “Black Lives Matter”.It could vividly demonstrate the
subject of the paper, which is a blackAmerican fighting for their
own rights. Because of the primary source, readers are able to
better understand meaning of my article and the pain of African
Americans will be delivered to others.
Even with the formation of the lack Lives Matter movement,
things are not improving. There are many other movements that
the blacks have formed which are aimed at fighting for their
rights. In the recent moments especially, there are rising a lone-
wolf people who are aiming to kill the blacks, and they attack
places where Africans are a majority. This is sending a lot of
fear to the blacks, but since they are in lives of searching for
work to have their lives sustained, there is nothing they can do.
The present government is an even representation of what true
discrimination is. Blacks are being deported back to their
countries even with the slightest provocation, which is a true
indication that the blacks are no longer welcome in the US, or
better still; the worse waits for them!
Reference
Edwards, & Bradford, S. (2016). Black Lives Matter. ABDO,
2016.
From #BlackLivesMatter to Black Liberation. (2016).
Haymarket Books, 2016.
Lebron, C. J. (2017). The Making of Black Lives Matter: A

21. Brief History of an Idea. Oxford University Press, 2017.