Dumas, 2018, pg. 34

According to Dumas (2018), when people address issues of racial exclusion and inequality in the United States, black suffering is often dismissed in the public discourse. In mainstream discourse, black suffering is still viewed as anachronistic and counterproductive, since it’s regarded as something from the past, that happened in the past, when black people were enslaved or were subjected to the harsh and repressive treatment of the Jim Crow laws (Dumas 2018). However, Dumas believes that this is far from true. Even after the emancipation of slaves in the late 19th century, the freedom of black people was still devalued. Until the 1960s, the Civil Rights Movement continued fighting for the full integration of black people into a white-dominated society; however, that didn’t change how American institutions such as schools and the police respected their rights and freedoms.

Black suffering is still happening today – black children are the subjects of physical and mental abuse in schools from either police officers or teachers. This ongoing abuse prevents their complete integration as equal citizens. Despite policy changes to integrate schools and black people as citizens, Dumas points out that black suffering remains in black students’ minds and that is present in their daily lives. In this respect, I agree with Dumas. A lack of understanding of black suffering – both its historical and current manifestations – blinds policy makers and teachers to help black students reach their full potential as fully integrated students.