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Jonathan Moore
Professor Colvin
English 205
26 October 2015
Understanding Perpetual Inequality
In 2014 when Reverend Al Sharpton said, “Though racism may be less blatant now in
many cases, its existence is undeniable,” he brought attention to one of the most controversial
issues in modern America. It should be evident that racial equality is not a reality in our society
today as evidenced by both the progressive steps many black communities have made to improve
their quality of life in economically disadvantaged spaces, as well as horrifying hate crimes that
continue to saturate the media with racially charged headlines. Individuals like Natasha
Trethewey, who grew up a biracial woman in the Deep South during the Civil Rights Movement,
have turned to literature as an outlet for racial tension. Trethewey hit the nail on the head with
her publishing of Native Guard, a collection of poems that juxtaposes her deeply personal
experiences growing up as the child of an illegal interracial marriage, with the experience of an
African-American Union troop in the Civil War charged with guarding white Confederate
captives. Multiple poems are written on death and one of the most recurring themes in each piece
is the value of memory given that it is one of the most treasured modes of remembrance after
someone passes on. Trethewey specifically ties both experiences together in the poem Elegy for
the Native Guards, where she expounds upon the harsh reality that valiant African-American
soldiers who died were left without any commemoration of their service, while confederate
troops were given plaques of valor on their graves. Decades have passed since America
abolished slavery but this long-standing precedent of discrimination is still evident in the present.
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Although police brutality and the marginalization of African Americans still abound in modern,
American society, resolute demands for racial equality are gradually uprooting the fundamental
structures of injustice in our country.
As Natasha arrives at the dated civil war army fort, the reader experiences his/her first
encounter with racial inequality. Trethewey states, “What we see first is the fort, its roof of grass,
a lee / half reminder of the men who served there / a weathered monument to some of the dead”
(Line 4-7). The reader can sense an interaction occurring between the disparity of respect for
African American troops and the injustices that Natasha experiences in her own life journey. The
purposeful usage of the words some and half highlights the racial inequality that existed between
those who died. In the case of Natasha’s own life, this injustice hits home for her because one
half of her ethnicity is forgotten, as if it were not worthy of remembrance. Although it was
somewhat known that slaves fought in prior wars, The Civil War evolved into a proving ground
for African-Americans in the United States military. For the duration of the war, the military
obliged freed slaves to man the prisons housing captured confederate prisoners of war; this was
the group known as The Second Regiment of The Native Guard (Hollandsworth). Being biracial
and growing up in a social climate that openly downgrades Natasha’s black heritage while
praising her whiteness, shows a historical pattern of denigrating black lives in America. It is one
thing to be segregated while you’re living, but it is another altogether after having given the
ultimate sacrifice for one’s country. The Native Guard is still a symbol of segregation because
the only memories of them have either died with the passing of time or are whispered in
comparison to the outspoken, prevailing monuments of fallen, white confederate soldiers.
The denial of a formal memorial for the service of The Native Guards laid the foundation
for a cycle of historical oppression in African-American society that is manifested today in
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police brutality. The Elegy goes on to state, “Each confederate soldier’s name raised hard in
bronze, no names carved for the Native Guard” (15-16). Even after the war has been over for
centuries and racism and slavery had been outlawed in America, many fallen lives still went
without recognition while white lives received more attention and concern. Right now, Black
Men are twenty-one times more likely to be killed by policemen than white men (Starr). While
the past year has brought forth increased outcry for deaths and injury due to police brutality, this
is only the first step in rectifying centuries of injustice. The black community has considered it a
serious affront that while the deaths of police officers who have severely hurt their communities
are mourned nationally, the wrongful deaths of Black youths fall on deaf ears. Somehow,
however, in a recent pole, 52% of white Americans believe that police are treating black people
fairly (Starr). How can these numbers allow both claims to be true? The structural issue of police
brutality is difficult to alter because protecting bad cops is built into the fabric of police culture;
similar to how white soldiers of the confederacy looked out for their own. All of the recent cases
of police brutality that have resulted in loss of life have been met with no structural reform.
There is no justice being brought to the families that were destroyed. Similarly there has been no
significant outreach offered by the police or judicial system to the families who have lost
someone whom they loved. Instead there is
only hollow disappointment when we hear
how the media speaks disparagingly about
these victims. Disappointment when the jury
allows a murderer to go free.
Disappointment when we hear this
happening over and over again without
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change or progress.
As a result of systemic violence and a militarization of an at times prejudiced police
force, Black culture has embraced outlets like faith in the hopes that it might yield some higher
meaning. In The Elegy the author shares how, “Only the fort remains, near forty feet high, round,
unfinished, half open to the sky, the elements / wind, rain / God's deliberate eye” (23-24). The
wording Natasha utilizes in the last line is deliberate and cannot be over looked. In the early 19th
century, it was uncommon that on a plantation if any of the slaves were able to read. But while
attending church, slaves were able to recite and remember scriptures that they kept dear in their
hearts (Hollandsworth). One of the most commonly recited scriptures of the time was Proverbs
18:10 stating, “The name of the LORD is a strong tower; the righteous run to it and are safe”
(KJV). Although hope for a better tomorrow varied radically in form amongst slaves, there was a
somewhat universal belief that having faith in God would leave you a space in heaven;
essentially the only hopeful part of a slave’s existence that he or she could look forward to. This
devotion and strong belief in a higher power has permeated black culture today. Surveys claim
that 87% of African-Americans believe in some form of religion (Starr). This also shows why
hate crimes, like the shooting in Charleston, South Carolina at the Emanuel African Methodist
Episcopal Church, have the ability to rock the black community to its foundation. God has
historically served as a voice and a hope for those whose, “monuments are water-loss” (20).
Although we are far from achieving equality, continuing to speak out against injustice
can serve as monument to those who have been lost in the pursuit of justice and can
simultaneously serve as an inspiration for the next generation. In The Elegy the reader goes
through a process of learning about inequality and the sadness that comes with it but Trethewey
also educates the reader, informing him or her about The Native Guard and the historical
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oppression that they faced with courage and grace. As the great Langston Hughes said, “I tire so
of people saying let things take their course. Tomorrow is another day. I do not need my freedom
when I’m dead” (Hughes). This quotation demonstrates the necessity of being proactive in the
pursuit of justice and racial equality. Right now, at least thirteen states are reviewing bills that
will require police officers to wear body cameras and thousands of protestors around the nation
drawing ever more attention to the pernicious crisis of police abuse (Starr). While this is just one
form of inequality that black communities have felt for decades, it is progress nonetheless.
In the early 19th century, The Native Guards who fought for the union army were left
without any monument to their legacy. Although America has progressed substantially since that
time in terms of racial equality, racism is still alive and well in modern day society. It is now
commonly manifested in the form of police brutality and the systemic marginalization of black
lives and communities to the peripheries of society. However, the fight for equality lives on
through myriad outlets such as speaking up in local communities, through protest, and eventually
bringing the fight for racial equality to the forefront of national and global attention.
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Works Cited
Hollandsworth, James G. "Louisiana Native Guard in the Civil War." National Parks Service. U.S.
Department of the Interior, 7 June 2001. Web. 20 Oct. 2015.
Starr, Terrell Jermaine. "Why Police Brutality Is So Hard to End-And What It Will Take to Stop
It." Alternet. N.p., 01 May 2015. Web. 20 Oct. 2015.
Trethewey, Natasha D. "Elegy For The Native Guards." Native Guard. Boston: Houghton Mifflin,
2006. N. pag. Print.