Slavery in Britain and the United States was abolished in the early 19th century. African Americans were permitted to apply for jobs, buy a house, and for the first time in centuries they could develop themselves without having to rely on anyone else. Yet, while this freedom was permitted legally, it was not permitted socially. African Americans could not apply for jobs because businesses would favor whites over African Americans; African Americans could not buy a house because no one would give them loans or they would be threatened by the communities in which they wished to live. Essentially, they had to rely on themselves without the resources to establish themselves. This was the aftermath of legalizing equality: a more covert inequality. For centuries after their freedom was granted, the lives of African Americans would remain restricted by the racist past of Western society. Naturally, many books have been published outlining the struggle of African Americans during this post-racial society. Addressing England’s racist society, Shakespeare’s Othello follows the life of an African American man Othello who is constantly marginalized because of his race. The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks and Invisible Man both acknowledge the wrongdoing of America’s racist society. Henrietta Lacks is a non-fiction novel that discusses Henrietta Lacks and the abuse of her rights, and her family. Through the narration of a nameless character, Ralph Ellison’s Invisible Man proves the severe invisibility that is inflicted on African Americans despite the imperative role they play in the development of the country. Thus, together the works prove that due to the racist history of Western civilization, whites often inflict invisibility onto African Americans which diminishes their identity, making their struggle for value in their society increasingly difficult, and inhibits them and their families from fully living up to their potential.

As aforementioned, race heavily influences the lives of African Americans as whites continuously promote their inferiority and invisibility. In essence, “there simply is no social issue in American life more driven by ulterior forces than race” (Wrestling with Stigma 118). Steele notes the “ulterior”, selfish motives that whites have in using race as a means of acquiring power. With the concept of race, the established superiority that follows it allows whites to more easily manipulate African Americans since society depicts them as inferior. In Invisible Man, Ellison notes that African Americans, while they “might even be said to possess a mind” are all invisible “simply because people refuse to see me” (Ellison 3). Ellison utilization of synecdoche to represent his humanity and his sarcastic tone call for individuals to see not his outside appearance but his identity, his character. Ellison’s abstract diction with the word “refuse” proves the harsh reality of the time, that whites would not see African Americans by their own choice. People refuse to see him because they cannot manipulate him if they acknowledge his humanity.

In the same way that IM’s life is driven by the forces of race, so is Henrietta’s. In The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, Skloot notes that Henrietta lived in an age “when African American people showed up at white-only hospitals, the staff was likely to send them away, even if it meant they might die in the parking lot” (Skloot 15). While the hospital treats Henrietta’s health condition, Skloot mentions the racism to stress to the reader the severity of segregation at the time, so that one does not attempt to erase racism as a motive for the injustices committed against Henrietta. Thus, with this acknowledgment Skloot proves the racism that led to Henrietta’s mistreatment. Both Ellison and Skloot, although the former is fiction and the latter is nonfiction, write in a time of the highest segregation in American society. IM and Henrietta were not slaves, but they were slaves to a system that worked against them. It was not until IM isolates himself from society to find his identity, and in the same way Deborah, Henrietta’s daughter stops researching about her mother in order to find peace. African Americans were invisible beings whose humanity was disregarded, and their value subjected to the manipulation of whites which resulted in their lack of personal identity and stability.

While Shakespeare did not write Othello during 20th century American society, Othello is a clear example of the racist tendencies of Western civilization. Shakespeare wrote during the 16th century where there were few African Americans in Britain which made African Americans even more prone to subjugation. Many African Americans who passed through Britain were slaves, and the ones who stayed were most likely third-class citizens working for whites. In fact, the North Africans had actually begun to control many parts of Europe a century before Shakespeare wrote Othello, so it can be inferred that he picked up on much of this tension and hatred against Africans. When Iago says, “Rouse him, make after him, poison [Barbantio’s] delight,” shows Iago’s jealousy for Othello (Shakespeare 11). As clear through Iago’s dark diction, Iago wants to essentially destroy what Othello loved most. Despite his success in achieving a higher position, he is still envied, mocked, and made invisible as a result of a post-racial society.

Whites, in each text, oppress and dehumanize African Americans which causes them a lot of torment and opens them up to subjugation, thus inhibiting them from living their lives freely. “When we dehumanize people we don’t just think of them in terms of what they lack, we also think of them as creatures that are less than human” (Steps Towards a Theory of Dehumanization). Because whites consider the Invisible Man (IM) less than human he is subject to manipulation. IM narrates, “Half-consciously I followed the white line as I drove…” (Ellison 46). IM fulfills orders, Norton pulls the strings. Ellison’s diction, “half-consciously” and “followed”, prove that IM is not doing what he wants to do but rather what he is told. Because white dehumanized and and simplified IM to the extent of his abilities he follows “the white line”, which represents the strict rules that whites have placed on him. Similarly, Othello is manipulated by Iago when he says, “With a little a web as this will I ensnare as / great a fly” (Shakespeare II.i.183). While this quote most specifically references Cassio, it represents Iago’s manipulative nature that he implements on Othello. The idea of a spider web is something a fly gets caught in and is difficult to escape from. Henrietta experience the same manipulation as whites also consider her less human. One of Henrietta’s old relatives, Cootie says, “‘everything about Henrietta dead except them cells’” (Skloot 80). When Cootie says, “everything” he is referring to Henrietta’s humanity and livelihood. While it is the cancer that kills Henrietta, the scientists failure to acknowledge her humanity while also praising her cells dehumanizes Henrietta and makes her another tool for whites. Henrietta lives an unfulfilled life because she is never able to understand the value of her cells. Her humanity is disregarded and she is not even able to determine her own value. While it is not wrong for the scientists to value the cells, they disregard her humanity just as IM’s humanity is disregarded as he has become a tool for Mr. Norton. IM is simply a driver, and Henrietta is only her cancerous cells, a mere science project. IM, Henrietta, and Othello spend all of their time fulfilling someone else's duties, rather than fulfilling their own desires.

In order for whites to continue to keep African Americans from fulfilling their personal desires, they tell African Americans lies about their own skin in order to further manipulate them into beliefs that they are less than. Whites are “telling us lies about skin color…of their secret deviations…” (Killers of the Dream). IM grows up in a society where African Americans are not only second-class citizens but white they barely see them as human because of their skin color. In the prologue he ponders, “What did I do to be so black and blue?” (Ellison 12). Through Ellison’s color diction it is clear that blue and black have a negative connotation as he asks the question as if he has done something wrong. Thus, he does not understand why he is hated because of his skin. He begins to question his own being which later inhibits him from determining his own identity. All of these lies were necessary because racism “had to be philosophically and religiously tied to false ideas of white superiority and black inferiority” (Wallace 75). When African Americans think they are inferior they are more likely to question themselves, as IM does, and in turn, look to others for guidance ,which is ultimately what IM does the entire novel- search for identity, validation, and self-worth.

Similarly for Henrietta, the scientists do not take the time to teach Henrietta’s family about her cells because they are not considered worthy of their time and they are left to believe lies. Othello is also attacked for his skin color. While these lies are not directly stated in Othello, the play takes place in a time period when lighter skin was favored over darker skin. When Roderigo tells Brabantio about Desdemona and Othello’s relationship he says that “an old black ram is tupping your white ewe” (Shakespeare I.i.89). As clear in Roderigo’s derogatory diction, he paints Othello as a victim that is tamping purity. The color contrast Shakespeare depicts through Roderigo’s words purposefully emphasises his focus on Othello’s skin color, rather than his character. As aforementioned, when Othello’s skin is described it is done so in a disheartening and unpleasing manner, in contrast to the light and heavenly diction used to describe lighter skin. While Othello is not directly oppressed in the same way IM and Henrietta are, as it is Iago’s seemingly indirect manipulation that hurts him, he is definitely dehumanized by most of the characters in the novel. While in the cases of Henrietta and IM who are not in power positions, it is evident that even African Americans who are able to establish themselves are constantly being threatened by whites. Despite his success, whites see African Americans as inferior.

Because of the torment that whites inflict on African Americans, there is a lot of anger and resentment both in the African American community, and in the white community. The inflicted invisibility creates a lot of anger within the African American community and they are penalized for that anger. “There’s an anger, there’s a bitterness, an overwhelming disillusionment. You see broken families… there’s a numbness,...” (Bennett 381). IM is very confused because he does not have a grasp of his identity. He becomes angry by the stereotypes that people inflict on him. He complains, “You can’t give [responsibility] to me. He bumped me, he insulted me” (Ellison 14). His emphasis on himself as the victim, and his accusatory tone portrayed by the use of second person, demonstrate his anger towards society. Similarly in Henrietta Lacks, Zachariah, Henrietta’s son, lives a life filled with anger and disillusionment as he lives in home where he is constantly beaten and does not receive the proper advice to sufficiently develop. The family notes that “Joe grew into the meanest, angriest child any Lacks had ever known” (Skloot 112). Zakariyya channels his anger in unhealthy places: he shoots a stranger on the street, unnecessarily yells at soldiers during the war, and his father. He lives his life an unstable drunkard who cannot establish himself because he cannot hold a job.

Similarly in Othello, it is Iago’s victimization of Othello because of his race that leads Iago to attack Othello out of jealousy and entitlement. In a complaint to Iago in reference to Desdemona, Othello cries, “‘let her rot and perish and be damned tonight, / for she shall not live’” (Shakespeare IV.i.200-201). Othello’s dark diction such as “rot”, “perish”, and “damned”, shows the evil attitude that has manifested within himself as inflicted by Iago. This anger inhibits Othello from being able to think clearly as he is consumed by anger, and ultimately results in his demise. His diction after being influenced by Iago is heavily contrasted by his rational diction in the beginning of the play. For example, when Brabantio accuses Othello of hurting Desdemona, Othello rationally speaks to Brabantio and tells him that he “won his daughter” and tells them to ask her himself (Shakespeare I.iii.79). This proves Othello logical desire for evidence and his reasonable character. The process of “winning” something requires dedication and consistency, in contrast to stealing which is a more irrational behavior. So, Othello’s logical choice of diction proves his reasonable character. This is all to be contrasted later in the play when Iago beguiles Othello and leads him to an extremely irrational character. Othello has rather become the “‘assimilated savage’” who “predictably ‘relapses into primitivism under stress’” (Cartelli 123). Othello works to become part of a society that does not truly desire everything that he is, including his skin color, and thus he lashes out after the racist tendencies of others. Othello, Zachariah, and IM are clear examples of the anger and disillusionment that results from the infliction invisibly from whites that ultimately leads to their lack of peace and self-awareness.

Whites marginalize each character which takes away some of their freedom, so while they have jobs or are seemingly free, in truth, their racist society inhibits them. Most simply stated, “to be stigmatized… is also to lose some of one’s freedom…” (Being Black and Feeling Blue 120). IM does not even get to be himself for the majority of his life because “‘... the white folks, authority, the gods…” is “the force that pulls your strings” (Ellison 154). Othello lives his life being controlled by whites. Ellison’s variation of white’s power, describing them as “gods” and the “authority” emphasises the control that whites had on African Americans at the time. In Othello, while the state appreciates Othello for the work he does for his country, he is not fully taken seriously because of his skin color. For example, while Brabantio initially praises Othello and his work, when he finds out that Othello has married his daughter, he becomes furious and irrational. Brabantio cries that Othello, “Abused her delicate youth with drugs” (Shakespeare I.ii.93). He additionally uses negative diction like, “stolen” “corrupted” “spells” “medicines” to describe their relationship as forced by Othello rather than consensual. Brabantio's assumption that magic and evil are the driving forces of Othello’s actions prove his racist tendencies. Even though Othello does great work for the state, there is a line that he is not allowed to cross. In the same way, it is not until Henrietta’s children are much older and the racist thinkings diminished severely that society acknowledged Henrietta Lacks’s contribution to science. “Henrietta lay buried in unmarked grave” (Skloot 75) because society diminished her importance because of her skin color. The fact that her grave was “unmarked” proves her lack of importance in the science world beyond her enormous contribution for the community. Both Henrietta Lacks and Othello become angry, and the science field becomes disillusioned as to the source of HeLa cells.

African Americans are constantly manipulated and they are never offered the opportunities to find their identities. Henrietta and IM become part of an “underclass… created by racism” (Robinson 47). Each character, with the exception of Othello, at the bottom of society because the effects of racism ultimately make them the effects of financial deprivation. Whites consider IM a disposable commodity to most of those he encounters, yet he is worth much more than what those see him as. These thoughts of unimportance confuse him so much so until he is finally forced to hide away from all the confusion and figure it out for himself. “To you he is a mark on the scorecard of your achievement, a thing and not a man; a child, or even less- a black amorphous thing” (Ellison 95). The use of vague diction to describe IM as “amorphous”, proves his various uses for whites to manipulate him. If something is amorphous, it does not have a definite shape, and can in turn, have many different jobs. IM is a reshapable object that can be repeatedly used. In the same way, whites see IM as an object, whites see Henrietta as just her cancerous cells. Telling Henrietta about her cells is an afterthought to the doctors because they do not fully seen her as human. They simply want to use her cells and do not pay any attention to her humanity. They do not tell her family because of their greed for power and wealth just as Othello is used for his knowledge and ability in war, but they do not see him as human. Othello is an amorphous thing to whites, just as IM is to whites. Othello is just a tool that fits where they need in times of a military crisis. Henrietta, IM, and Othello are all devices for someone else’s use, and they are never able to take the time to evaluate what they want in life.

African Americans do not receive jobs because of their character but rather how easily they are to be manipulated. In each text the main characters were given a job for the wrong reasons and their identities were diminished because of that. When African Americans are offered jobs they want to assume it because of their own capabilities, when in truth they are simply being manipulated by whites. However, “Exploitation depends on our willingness to accept the ‘names’ or ‘identities’ foisted upon us…” and since IM “couldn’t see beyond the hope and glamour suggested by those names” (Haugen 54) he became subject to manipulation. There are several times in Invisible Man, when IM accepts names from others. For example, he accepts the name from the Brotherhood and as a result he does everything the Brotherhood asks. “I am what they think I am…” (Ellison 379). Similarly, the cells of Henrietta Lacks are what the scientists want. She was purposefully given a false name in order to be used to the scientist’s benefit. Without the cell’s direct correlation to Henrietta the cells are manipulated without her knowledge. In Othello, everyone calls Othello “the Moor”. While whites acknowledge him for his achievements and consider him very virtuous in his community, people still diminish him to just his skin color. “Throughout the play, characters repeatedly call Othello ‘the Moor,’ making it impossible for him to forget that they see him as an outsider in terms of his race, religion, and ethnicity” (Shumaker). Even though Othello is an exception as he is a high ranking officer, individuals never reference him by his name and only call him the Moor. Shakespeare, Skloot, and Ellison stress the names as a representation of a greater injustice. Shakespeare emphasises that people only call Othello the Moor; Skloot emphasises that people only call Henrietta’s cells HeLa cells, and Ellison emphasises that African Americans are invisible by refusing to give the narrator a name.

Because african americans are already an oppressed group in American society, people can further abuse and manipulate whether it be a direct act or completely ignoring them all togeth. In Invisible Man, IM’s “invisibility has simply been exacerbated by his skin color” (51) because “Anyone who enters structure of power tends not be seen by those who wield that power” (Haugen 53). When Jack tells IM, “‘You were not hired to think’”, IM realizes, “He doesn’t even see me” (Ellison 469). Henrietta was poor, but because she was African American it gave those manipulating her further justification to do so, and gave them further justification to manipulate her family. It is clear from the testimonies of others that the Lack’s family was manipulated because of their low status in society. Roger, an interviewer for the Rolling Stone states, “‘It was so clear that they hadn’t been treated well’” because “‘they truly had no idea what was going on, and they really wanted to understand. But doctors just took blood samples without explaining anything and left the family worrying’” (Skloot 192). The Lacks family was already majorly uneducated; The family “wanted” to understand, yet because the scientists failed to sympathize with the family and explain it to them they were left in an insecure, unhealthy state of mind- worried about the life of Henrietta and their own. Othello wields power yet he is seen by first the limitations of his skin and not the endless possibilities of his character. Their lack of value as evident from the ignoring of white individuals leads to internal torment.

African Americans doubt themselves because they are manipulated and ignored as when they are given jobs it is usually for the benefits of white individuals and not their own. This belief is exemplified by, “The condition of being African American in America that makes the kind of hesitancy…. diminished his ambition” (Steele 38). IM does not do many things because he is worried about what the white man thinks. Ellison depicts this internal torment when IM says, “I felt that only these men could judge truly my ability… ” (Ellison 25). IM does not identify his own worth, but rather relies on the validation of white men. Since white men at the time are only interested in working with him for their personal benefit, IM fails to receive an objective viewpoint of his worth. On the same note, none of Henrietta’s children really amount to anything because they are so distraught about the chaos of finding knowledge about HeLa cells. For example, Deborah, Henrietta’s daughter, spends a majority of her lifetime in distress. Without the money they should have received on account of the profits that science made on her mother’s cells, Henrietta must work multiple jobs in order to provide for her family. All the while, she still tries to find out what she can about her mother’s cells. Deborah notes that “[Henrietta’s] the most important person in the world and her family living in poverty If our mother is so important to science, why can't we get health insurance?” (Skloot 97). Deborah mentions a paradoxical point in regards to the racially driven mistreatment by the white doctors. Many companies make millions from selling Henrietta’s cells yet the family profits nothing, not even health care.

In the same way, Othello doubts himself so much that he goes from having exuberant confidence to none. In the beginning of the play, when Brabantio comes to Othello with accusations of hurting his daughter, Othello says “Let him do his spite: / My services which I have done the signiory / Shall out-tongue his complaints” (Shakespeare I.ii.17-19). He is confident about his worthiness to Desdemona, and about his character as he has done much for his country which should prove his good works in the military. However, after Iago’s manipulation towards the climax of the play, in Othello’s soliloquy he reveals his doubt when he says, "Haply [perhaps], for I am black / And have not those soft parts of conversation / That chamberers have, or for I am declined / Into the vale of years,--yet that's not much-- / She's gone" (Shakespeare III.iii.263-267). Othello believes that Desdemona leaves him because he does not have the "Soft parts of conversation” that other men have which would allow him to more suitably flatter a lady, and he is a military man. Additionally he notes that he is African American, and Othello sources this as a reason that Desdemona leaves him. It is clear from this confession that Othello has doubts about his abilities in his duty towards Desdemona rooted in the manipulation of whites. This inflicted self doubt leads Othello to ultimately kill himself because he no longer feels worthy of life. As Steele said, “the condition of being black… diminishes the identity”. It is clear that Othello’s blackness ultimately diminished his identity because that was a source of inflicted negativity towards him from society. In the way that IM sources his value from the validation of whites to the fact Deborah could not receive health insurance despite her mother being beneficial to science to the fact that Othello ultimately kills himself, is all proof that African Americans are not able to fully live out their lives because they are inhibited by their individual struggles that could be prevented with the resources of white individuals.

Western civilization left a trend of racist thinking which, despite the freedom of African Americans from slavery, still works to diminish the quality of life for African Americans and leads to their internal torment and lack of quality of life. In Invisible Man, IM ends up secluding himself from the world in order to find his identity due to the strong forces of whites that worked to manipulate him. The novel ends without the reader ever identifying his name because he has yet to find it. IM spends most of his young adult life trying to survive under the oppressive system. The same gruesome reality is true for the Lack’s family. Henrietta’s family, especially Deborah, suffers from never being able to find peace for the majority of her life. Her only wish is to get to know her mother, but she is rather hit with a bunch of excuses from a racist system that did not take the time to understand her mother. Othello is faced with the same reality in Britain. Whites in the play, while they may acknowledge Othello’s work, fail to see him as an honest human being, and as a result he is manipulated and ultimately kills those he loves and himself. The oppression of individuals whether that be through direct manipulation or just ignoring individuals leads to internal strife to the form of disillusionment, self doubt or anger. The individuals in each text fail to find peace and clarity within themselves and end up hurting those around them. This theme is common in each individual’s life; if one fails to find peace and a sense of identity for themselves they will cause themselves and everyone around them pain and torment. Thus, it is necessary for every individual to find a sense of self despite the oppression that one may face from others, because without peace one cannot live a life of happiness- and in the end, that is truly what every individual desires.

Works Cited

Bennett, Lerone, Jr. "Overview IV." Race: How Blacks and Whites Think and Feel about the American Obsession. By Studs Terkel. New York: New, 1992. 380-81. Print. This book provides various personal perspectives on race in America. This source was specifically used to provide insight on the angers of African Americans.

Cartelli, Thomas. "Chapter 6: ENSLAVING THE MOOR: OTHELLO, OROONOKO, AND THE RECUPERATION OF INTRACTABILITY." Repositioning Shakespeare. 123-146. N.p.: Taylor & Francis Ltd / Books, 1998. Literary Reference Center. Web. 12 Mar. 2016. Discusses the necessary assimilation of blacks into majorly white communities that can ultimately backfire as blacks feel uncomfortable and oppressed in these environments. Argues that this oppression ultimately leads to a backlash of "savagery". Aided in proving the uncomfortable and inhibiting state that blacks live in in attempts to establish themselves.

Ellison, Ralph. Invisible Man. New York: Vintage International, 1995. Print. Analyzes the invisibility that racism inflicts on African Americans; its significance and prevalence to Africans Americans today. The book is one of the primary resources for the paper. The plot supports the thesis of the paper as it discusses the oppressiveness of racism. Evidence supporting the effects of racism is included in many instances in the book. Offered a unique perspective on the definition of the African American's in the United States.

Haugen, Hayley Mitchell. Race in Ralph Ellison's Invisible Man. Detroit: Greenhaven, 2012. Print. Unique source that focuses on the significance of names. Argues that the acceptance of names from others increases one's vulnerability and, in turn, exposes them to increased exploitation.

Robinson, James L. "Race or Class? A Classic Debate." Racism or Attitude?: The Ongoing Struggle for Black Liberation and Self-esteem. New York: Insight, 1995. 45-47. Print. Analyzes the lack of financial stability in the African American community due to the effects of racism. Acknowledges while blacks are no longer slaves, they remain at the bottom of the system socially and economically. Supports the claim as it acknowledges the bitter circumstances of blacks in a post-racial society.

Sheakespeare. Othello. Oxford: Balckwell, 1968. Print. This book is one of the primary sources for the paper. The plot depicts the life of Othello in the face of manipulative and racist characters. While the book focused more on the power of manipulation rather than the effects of racism, there are still clear examples of racism and the negative impacts it has on Othello. Shakespeare eloquently demonstrates Othello's acts and provides insight into his intentions, that aid in proving how race affects him.

Shumaker, Jeanette Roberts. "Othello." In Baker, William, and Kenneth Womack, Eds. The Facts On File Companion to Shakespeare. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2012. Bloom's Literature. Facts On File, Inc. Web. 24 Mar. 2016 . Discusses the significance of name-calling in Othello as the characters consistently call Othello the Moor, which is not only politically incorrect, but not even his ethnicity. Aids the thesis in proving the impact on racism on the lives of blacks that inhibit them from enjoying life beyond the confinements of their race.

Skloot, Rebecca. The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks. New York: Crown, 2010. Print. This book is one of the primary resources for the paper. The plot supports the thesis of the paper as it provides vivid examples of the effects of racism on individuals. This source was specifically used to support the long-term effects of racism on future generations of African Americans.

Smith, David Livingstone. "Steps Towards a Theory of Dehumanization." Less than Human: Why We Demean, Enslave, and Exterminate Others. New York: St.Martin's, 2011. 26-32. Print. Talks about how individuals dehumanize each other. Argues that in order to dehumanize individuals one must think of them in terms of "what they lack" because seeing them in what they additionally have or as equals, acknowledges their humanity. Clearly shows how one is able to oppress another group of people without feeling morally guilty. An additional interesting perspective as to the oppression of blacks.

Smith, Lilian. "Three Ghost Stories." Killers of the Dream. N.p.: n.p., 1950. 13-14. Print. Not very significant in the overall progression of the paper, however, necessary in proving the effects of racism on the self-esteem of blacks. Discusses the necessary implementation of lies about the inferiority of blacks in order to manipulate and oppress blacks.

Steele, Shelby. "Being Black and Feeling Blue: Black Hesitation on the Brink." The Content of Our Character: A New Vision of Race in America. New York: St. Martin's, 1990. 35-42. Print. This book was crucial to the development of the argument. It discussed the racial anxieties of African Americans that inhibit them from truly reaching their success.

Steele, Shelby. "Wrestling with Stigma." A Dream Deferred: The Second Betrayal of Black Freedom in America. New York, NY: Harper Collins Publishers, 1998. 110-30. Print. Notes that whites use race for many motives. Small yet Important point as it shows the relevance of racism in the lives of blacks at the time.

Wallis, Jim. America's Original Sin: Racism, White Privilege, and the Bridge to a New America. Ada: Baker Group, 2005. Print. Necessary in the progression of the paper as it discussed the reasoning behind promoting black inferiority. Logically argues that spreading beliefs of black inferiority and white superiority aid in the oppression of blacks as a lack of self makes individuals vulnerable and easier to manipulate.