Brent Staples' essay "Black Men and Public Space" describes his personal experiences as a black man and how his presence caused fear in others in public spaces. He recounts how merely walking toward a woman at night caused her to clutch her purse more tightly out of fear. His essay highlights how black men were viewed with suspicion and fear in public during the 1980s due to racial stereotypes. Through telling his own stories, Staples draws attention to the cultural issues facing African Americans at that time regarding identity and treatment in society.