Rich in a Different Way

According to the Oxford dictionary, empathy is defined as “the ability to understand and share the feelings of another.” In the book Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates, expresses the importance of empathy, how it has impacted his life. He went through so much discrimination and segregation in his life that he has had to cope in a certain way. In the book, there were many ‘do’s and don'ts’ written in a letter by his dad at the beginning of the book, all of which was to help his son get along in life. Coates writes, that, “you have been cast into a race which the wind is always at your face... the difference is that you do not have the privilege of living in ignorance of this essential fact.” (107). When you are born as a certain race, you have to grow up with a certain mindset, so that you do not get into trouble. You are born to a race where you have to work harder for what you want and that means that you have to build relationships. You are pushed aside and though of a minority, that you deserve less than another race. All because of your skin color. You don't get to be ignorant of what’s going on in the world or in your community. When you are born into more of a disadvantaged family, you know what it feels like to not get what you always wanted and understand others situations more. You can develop more meaningful relationships because you get to socialize with the person more, without having to think about the other person's social status or what they have, 

On top of that, when we have a lot of material things, we would possibly choose to play with all of our toys and devices. When you don't have as much, you would be willing to go out and hang in the streets with your friends. You get to understand how to interact with others and be able to understand others, all because you have more of a face to face interaction. You make lasting relationships in a meaningful way. “I had friends who would leap in front of a bus for me.”(p. 88). He made good friends that would do anything for him and all because he didn’t worry about material things. He made connections in a meaningful way, by going out and doing things, by meeting people. Once you meet someone and you’ve met them in a good way, not worrying about the things you have, you can make and keep relationships. When you have less material things, you have more opportunities to be able to interact with people. You can understand what it feels like to be raised without much material stuff. When you go through things like that, you get more experience and more of an ability to empathize with others. When you don't have the experience of getting everything you want, you are more able to empathize with others. 

Coates was raised as believing he was African- American in West Philadelphia, so he has gone through so many challenges as an African-American, along with the African American community. On November 11th, 2019, Steven Reed, an African American male, was sworn into office as Mayor of Montgomery, Alabama. As the first Africa American mayor of Montgomery, he talked about how in our history, African Americans fought for so much and have gone through so much. . He wants the city to move forward to a better future for everyone. “In Reed's first 100 days in office, he wants to focus on public education and restoring trust between the police…” (CNN). The city of Montgomery has had a lot of issues with segregation and one of the things that he, as the new mayor, wants to do is improve the relationship between everyone. He doesn’t want African-Americans to be feared or feel fear. Reed may feel more empathy than others because he, as an African-American male,  could have experienced more injustice than other people. Especially if he grew up in the south, where African-Americans aren’t as liked as other places. He knows what it feels like to be a minority. Both Coates and Reed have gone through so much injustices in their lives because of their race and both really want to improve the ways that other races perceive them.