Wideman's "Free Papers"

The theme that I saw most commonly in Daniel Wideman's "Free Papers" was the word justice and how that correlated to the phrase just us. I posed a question toward the middle of the article that helped me to organize my thoughts, and brought up interesting points of discussion for me. I was forced to think critically about the fact that this word justice means so man different things to different people, and asked myself:

"What is justice really? Can it exist in today's America, where everyone expects to receive the same rights as everyone else?"

At the beginning of the article, I was confused as to why he so adamantly claims that, as on page 173, " 'Justice' out of anybody's mouth an irksome, tinkling bell; and though I can anticipate it, I can never quite suppress the smirk that rises to my lips. Whenever the word comes up in an ethnically mixed gathering, my eyes scan the room for color..." The word justice seems to inflict physical pain upon him when he hears it, but as I read on, I realized that he was writing for others who had felt this way before. Wideman's point wasn't to beat a dead horse, it was to make clear that this wasn't something that he just dealt with on an occasional basis. This was something that was a regular occurrence, and the fact that it was mentioned so often only served to show that it happened with a startling frequency.

Many of the points that Wideman makes in his article revolve around race or the fact the only people who are actually free are a part of the dominant culture:

• (p. 174) What constitutes "imprisoned space"? Does it extend beyond the bars and locks of prison walls, beyond institutional confinement? -- Even in a free land, there are people who can't freely be themselves. Those who are not a part of the dominant culture are still under pressures that force them to hide either parts of all of their true identities.
• (p. 174) If "justice" is the long arm of the law wielding the whip that cracks across "just out" backs, then if you been done wrong, you're family. -- The dominant culture (in this case, the white man)'s perception of justice is not equal to the black man's perspective. If it isn't the same for everyone, then white culture is constructing what justice is.

A couple other questions that I ask myself follow in the vein of whether or not America is the land of the free, and what it would mean if it wasn't. Overall, I find myself thinking more about the fact that I am unsure of where I stand in American society as an African-American, and where I stand knowing that I have to make a difference.

Until next time,

Tricia