Is living in America as a Black American a gothic experience? by John'Nise Peoples

 Is living in America as a Black American a gothic experience? Well, I guess it depends on perspective because some only see the black experience as one filled with culture and ambiance but to me it is one born out of trauma and necessity. I could focus this on our past in this country and Post Traumatic Slave Syndrome but instead I’m going to focus on the things we experience currently. 

Something that we experience right now that I find to be traumatic is black death. Of course, this stems from a past of hangings and beatings but currently it is sometimes more modernized. Whereas in the past these things were a see something, say something affair currently with technology and video footage, police officers' word is no longer law and there are many more witnesses than just those who are around at the time of an incident. Now whether this incident be one of street violence, police brutality or the actions of a prejudice vendetta access to an exact account of what happened is more readily available to everyone. This can be a gothic experience due to how traumatic it is to watch people who look like you die because they look like you, this inherently makes one think, ‘that could have been me or someone I love’. To have this be happening at the hands of those who are supposed to protect and serve or simply those who feel bold enough to do so is heart wrenching in itself and something that black people deal with on a daily basis.  

Next, we have the simple day-to-day treatment of us as Black Americans. In everyday life black people deal with microaggressions, prejudice, and an almost zoo-esce treatment by not only white Americans but other P.O.C. too. To experience life in this way is to live in a constant state of being the “other” or being “othered” which we know now is a theme consistent with the gothic description.  

To go along with this “othering” treatment we have things like the Kyle Rittenhouse trial where though he murdered two people and injured a third, he was given the verdict of not guilty. This is happening in the same justice system that sends black men and women away at an alarming rate for minor offenses. Forty-percent of people in jail are black but we only make up about 13% of the United States. Making the statement “Orange is the New Black” more than just the title of Netflix series. All in the name of mass incarceration therefore contributing to the Industrial Prison System while inherently letting us know that as black people we don’t have a right to a fair trial. We are fighting against a system, that was designed for us to fail. An almost futile fight that is being passed down generation to generation.  

Finally, I want to address the different way black people have to raise and monitor their children. For parents they know that as their child grows into adolescence, they will have to change their approach to parenting them and have the talk with them. Not the birds and the bees talk but the what to do in racially charged encounter talk because no matter how their child may feel in the moment it’s important to them for their child to live to see another day. So, they have to have a talk with them about the way the world works and the way people may view or treat them because of the color of their skin. This along with the restrictions they have to put on their childhood freedoms ex. (No staying out past street lights, No going anywhere alone, Not allowed to be the only black child or person going, etc.) for their safety when other children do not have to do the same. It is essentially having to destroy a part of your child’s innocence to ensure they make it past childhood; it is too much for anyone and simply sad.  

In conclusion, constant traumas and triggers contribute to the black experience alongside dealing with uncompassionate and almost ignorant fellow citizens. I do note though that due to time and progression it is not something we readily recognize anymore as something gothic or traumatic but simply as our way of life which I think speaks to our resilience and determination as a people. I recognize these things to be true but I do feel as if it's something that should be recognized not only by us but by everyone around us and respected as such. 

By: John'Nise Peoples