Wednesday, March 16, 2016

The Warmth of Other Suns: (285 – 363)

[The Warmth of Other Suns]

"In the receiving cities of the North and West, the newcomers like Ida Mae had to worry about acceptance or rejection not only from whites they encountered but from the colored people who arrived ahead of them, who could at times be the most sneeringly judgmental of all.
The northern-born colored people and the long-standing migrants, who were still trying to keep their footing in the New World, often resented the arrival of the unwashed masses pouring in from the very places some of the old-timers had left. As often happens with immigrant groups, some of the old-timers would have preferred to shut the door after they got there to protect their own uncertain standing" (287). Isabel Wilkerson
Based on the reading for this week, what did you think about the kinds of challenges that new migrants had to face when they arrived? That is, what challenge discussed in the chapter was particularly notable to you? Why? Provide page citations. 

35 comments:

Jessica D said...

The new migrants had new challenges to face when they arrived.The challenges they faced didnt really surprise me. I knew they were going to still face some discrimination because the only thing that change was their location. They still looked, dressed,and acted the same. The challenge that was notable to me was when Robert went to buy a new Cadillac and was directed to used cars. (Page 300) After writing his letter to General Motors and explaining that he was a physician with enough money to buy the Cadillac, they contacted him immediately to come pick out the car of his dreams. This shows that the dealership judged him based off of his skin color.

Unknown said...

The most relatable challenge in this chapter is on page 287, when Wilkerson states that "newcomers like Ida Mae had to worry about acceptance or rejection not only from whites they encountered but from the colored people... who could be the most judgmental of all." That issue exists today, whenever a Black person or family tries something new often time that is seen as something a white person would do, they receive so much resentment. But the worst part is receiving it from your own people, people you expect to be the ones to support you. Many people let the allowed privileges that they receive to get to their ego and they begin to think they are better than everyone else. Ignorance is truly bliss.

Mikaela S said...

A challenge discussed in the chapter that was particularly notable to me can be found on page 386. Wilkerson states, "The unequal living conditions produced the expected unequal results: blacks working long hours for overpriced flats, their children left unsupervised and open to gangs, the resulting rise in crime and drugs..." (Wilkerson 386). While this does not surprise me given the time frame that these things took place, it amazes me that people had no concern for the black children. How can a community rise above crime and negative things if children are being exposed to those things at young ages? I know it was not their parents fault, because they had to work to support their families, but if they were not put in such hard situations (one being the overpriced living spaces), they would not have to be gone for as long as they did, leaving their children unsupervised.

Erica King said...

The challenges didn't quite surprise me given the time era, it makes me think of our generation due to the fact that blacks are the first to judge blacks or females are the first to point out something bad about another female. The challenge that was notable to me was on page 300 when Robert went to buy a Cadillac and was taking immediately to the used cars, like did the dealership even listen to what he said when he specifically said he wanted a new carhe or did he just see his skin color and went with that.

Olivia S. said...

"Newcomers like Ida Mae had to worry about acceptance or rejection" (287); immigrants have always been under scrutiny and persecution. This quote emulates the role in society that immigrants from all over the world experience when migrating. Perhaps the most noteworthy part of the chapter was an actual situation that embodies this idea of rejection and preemptive judgement based on minority status. Robert's experience when attempting to buy a brand new Cadillac, which was within his budget, was rejected. He was given the suggestion of the used car lot because it seemed more suitable for his status (300). This is yet another reinforcing idea that the minority population, whether it be native born minorities or immigrants, often experience injustice and are under scrutiny because societal preconceived notions.

Shervonti N. said...

None of the challenges particularly surprised me, but it bothered me that fellow colored people had to worry about acceptance from others that faced similar challenges. I guess it could be that the colored people that had already migrated felt that they had earned their spot up North and West. (Expanding on the quote from page 287, "In the receiving cities of the North and West, the newcomers like Ida Mae had to worry about acceptance or rejection not only from whites they encountered but from the colored people who arrived ahead of them..."). Furthermore, the colored people that were born in the area probably felt that they were where they belong and the newcomers were not but it still bothered me. This particular challenge could even be applied today though. Fellow people not coming together to help their brothers or judging because they are not in the same "place" as themselves.

Brianna R. said...

Although there were a variety of challenges that the migrants faced i found what I read on page 291 to be particularly memorable. On this page it listed "the do's and don'ts" for the newcomers that were published in the Chicago Defender "to guide the hand of a less experienced one, especially when one misstep weakens our chance for climbing" (291). To me this symbolized how we always try and make people act in ways we want despite the fact that it may strip them of their culture and their norms. The only concern we seem to have is to make the majority happy and to not upset or make anyone uncomfortable. The things that were listed as do's and don'ts almost made it seem like the migrants were animals that people were trying to train to act "properly" in their new society, because if they acted as themselves, how they had when they were home in the south, they would be jeopardizing the potential upward mobility of everyone else. Instead of being comforted by the presence of others with synonymous skin color it was as if they were facing more judgement than ever before.

Unknown said...

I think one of the main challenges that struck me was from page 386, when it said "The unequal living conditions produced the expected unequal results: blacks working long hours for overpriced flats, their children left unsupervised and open to gangs, the resulting rise in crime and drugs..." (Wilkerson 386). It just made me sad because they were coming there to escape the hell that they went through in the south to face even more challenges in the north. It's like they can't catch a break and they have to work twice as hard to make sure that their kids have better life and future generations can have a much better life than they came from.

Anitra B. said...

I don't think that I was surprised by the challenges because it's what I expected during this time period. I believe that I was more saddened than anything. Like others mentioned, one section that stood out to me the most was Ida's on page 287. The author wrote "She soon learned that the colored people who had gotten there before her and had assimilated to the city didn't look too kindly upon her innocent country ways". It's sad that she had to go through the judgement from other African Americans in the North that had gotten there before her. It seems like they would be empathetic to her since they'd been in the same situation before.

Unknown said...

I find that the hardest challenge wasn't receiving the freedom that should be afforded to people no matter what color, but the acceptance into a new society. I believe this because of the fact that the colored people who were born there somewhat resented the coloreds immigrating into their community. They were unintentionally upsetting the fragile balance everyone whether white or black was accustom to. Even with the increase toward the number of profiting black businesses and professions, the looming threat of a colored person losing their job to a sharecropper or someone who would work for smaller wages was still high. "The migrants brought new life... their sheer numbers, they pressed down upon the colored people already there."(289)

Joshua Jones said...

I think that one of the hardest challenges is finding one's place in the world. This specifically refers to page 287 where Wilkerson states that "the newcomers like Ida Mae had to worry about acceptance or rejection not only from whites they encountered but from the colored people who arrived ahead of them, who could at times be the most sneeringly judgmental of all" (287). This is common among blacks and whites today, which is also stated to be a factor in black on black crime. Despite all of the progress towards equality, humans still dislike each other for their seemingly ignorant or amazingly logical reasons, such as those in the novel.

-Joshua J.

Asher said...

As an immigrant myself, I very much related to this topic. On page 291, where it talked about the Do's and the Don'ts when immigrating to a different country and or moving to a different location in the same country. Moving from Ghana, Africa to Carbondale Illinois, was such a culture shock for not only me (I was 4), but for my parents, especially my mom. Things that we were used to were so much different from what people were used to, in Illinois. The lingo, the values, and just everything. It is challenging when moving to a different country. I think the most important thing is to not lose yourself, in trying to please and fit in. Yes, try to adjust to the culture, but don't forget your own heritage.

-Asher Denkyirah

Unknown said...

There were many challenges the immigrants had to face not only from the whites but from blacks as well. I think one of the hardest challenges in life is to be accepted by any race, gender, etc. It's sad that being accepted by their own people is hard but this is still prevalent in todays society. I think the biggest problem they faced was on page 291 where they were told the "Do's and Don'ts" of the new society. It was like the old-timers saw the new-comers as inexperienced dogs that needed to be trained to fit in. Everybody wanted the same thing, a better life, so nobody should look down, or belittle anybody back then and today.
Tayler G.

Kaine C. said...

What was notable for me is how they were treated. Even though they were capable of taking care of themselves, people still looked down upon them. They were still being discriminated against, it was them against the world at that point.

Unknown said...

The most difficult challenge noted by me was also one of the most obvious. I think that the sheer difficulty that came from the adjustment to a change of lifestyle was the hardest obstacle that the migraters had to face. They had to obtain new jobs in a foreign land in order to survive. "A good portion were in the servant class." This shows that despite their recent freedom, African Americans were still forced to take jobs similar to the enslavement that they previously overcame.

Unknown said...

a challenge that was notable to me was between pages 287-289. This passage talked about how the new black immigrants from the south were trying to find a place for themselves. It talked about how the black people who were already in the north welcomed the immigrants and their money but how the immigrants couldn't find a place that was truly comfortable for them, forcing them to create things apart from the already present blacks.

Samiya Barber said...

A challenge that stood out to me is located on page 290. It says, "It turned out that the old-timers were harder on the new people than most anyone else." This really surprised me because I did not expect the other colored people to judge the newcomers so harshly. If anything, I thought that the old-timers would be understanding since they had similar history.

Persephone C. said...

I thought it was terrible that the African Americans who already lived in the north treated the newcomers so bad. No one should be discriminated toward because of their skin color, but I really do not understand why people who shared the same skin color of the new migrants would be so rude. How could they think they were any better?
The part that really stood out to me was the list that "The Defender" made on page 290. The Chicago Defender wrote rules to try to "correct the country people," as if they were animals. Instead of having to abide by a list of do's and don'ts, which most of them probably could not read the new migrants should have been probably educated.

Unknown said...

The challenges that the newcomers had to face seemed like it was rude and very degrading the way it was presented but in a seemingly helpful way. On page 291, there was a list of rules for the newcomers to go by like "Get a job at once" or "Don't keep your children out of school". The community seem like they wanted to help guide the newcomers to having a better life for them and their families, but the way they went about it was wrong.

Shardai J-H. said...

On page 287, "In the receiving cities of the North and West, the newcomers like Ida Mae had to worry about acceptance or rejection not only from whites they encountered but from the colored people who arrived ahead of them," is the most notable quote that portrays the challenges immigrants faced during the Great Migration. Not only were they faced with more racism from which they were leaving, but they also were criticized by their peers who should have been more of a helping hand.

Unknown said...

I think the most notable thing about this chapter is how newcomers had to worry about acceptance from whites and blacks. The blacks of the North were not as accepting as one would think and they were more judgmental. On page 290 the author quoted a woman saying "Yes, some colored people are very disgusted, but as far as I'm concerned, the first thing I give them is getting out of the situation they were in...Maybe they don't know how to dress or comb their hair or anything, but their children will and THEIR children will." I think that the most challenging thing for the southerners coming to the north would be just to fit in physically and behave like a "northern" black.

-B. Nigeda

Unknown said...

The challenges they faced were not all that bad expect for Ida Mae who had the most challenges out of the three. Even then near then end of the section all of the challenges seemed to have resolved pretty easily but I wished Wilkerson had given more focus to Ida Mae. Around page 336 when things could have quickly gone south for her, the notion of her refusing to have sex with the employer/husband was the pretty much the apex of her struggles. It did show how black woman where at the bottom of the barrel and how people would bend over backwards so they wouldn't employ them. Her struggles didn't really stick with me how her challenges where fixed in about a page or two when she got her hospital job. Although I knew it was hard for Black woman to fine work and support themselves it really broke the immersion for me.

Kelsey W said...

I think the biggest challenge the migrants faced would be acquiring a job. Ida Mae and her husband were unskilled and migrants from the south and Ida Mae was a woman so that just made it that much harder. On page 315 it says how George was having trouble keeping a stable job. He was kind of bouncing around and making what he could. Ida Mae said time and time again she needed to find work if they wanted to keep their family afloat like on page 318.

Ashley Bass said...

The quote that you mentioned on page 287 was particularly notable to me. It is sad that the New Comers had to deal with sneering judgments from people who used to be just like them. It makes no sense that the 'originals' feel like they were better than the others because they were 'first'. That issue is still prevalent today. Many people do not want to help others out, they just want all the benefits to themselves.

Aliyah B. said...

The challenges that the immigrants faced shocked me. I've heard about some of the issues taking place from history classes I've taken, but it is different when you are hearing the story from a subjective view. Usually, in class, the perspective is analytical and objective. This gave us more insight on how much they went through on a personal level. One thing that stuck with me was on page 287. It talks about how some Northern African Americans would treat them poorly. I thought that this was shocking, because you would expect them to sympathize with them. I can't believe that they just disregarded their similar experiences.

Unknown said...

One of the surprising challenges that the immigrants faced was the fact that black immigrants were discriminated against by colored people in the North. On Page 287, it says “The small colony of colored people already in the New World had made a place for themselves as an almost invisible minority by the time the migration began.” This came as a surprise because colored immigrants would need the support of the Northerners. However, few colored men in the in the New World felt that the immigrants would hurt the image that they worked hard to achieve.

Unknown said...

I think the very first section is beginning on page 285 to the top of 287 is the perfect example because the biggest challenge when entering a new environment is the people and Ida Mae hadn't become accustomed to that quite yet. Ida Mae was used to the South when on every plantation everyone knew one another and they never had to worry about who their neighbor was. She had the same mindset when she finally made it up North to Chicago and met a woman who lived in the same place as her. While the woman gave her some helpful advice she also took advantage and gave her something she knew would affect Ida because she had never experienced wine before. In every situation that someone is put in they always say that people are the scariest thing because you never know how they are going to treat and how you are going to respond to them.

Jade H. said...

One of the most notable challenges to me was on page 386 when Wilkerson says, "The unequal living conditions produced the expected unequal results: blacks working long hours for overpriced flats, their children left unsupervised and open to gangs, the resulting rise in crime and drugs..." I was mainly baffled by the fact that the nobody really cared or paid attention to the children. A community cannot have a positive growth if the kids are exposed to such a malicious environment. And this just only made me feel so terrible that people were okay with that.

-Jade H.

Unknown said...

The attention to overall changes in lifestyle on page 285-287 were more surprising to me than the ones that you would come to expect of blacks moving from the south to the north. It was interesting that even though the south represented so much pain in the eyes of black people, they still had a hard time adjusting to the close-quartered city life of the north. There was always part of them that felt as if the south is where they were most comfortable.

-John H.

Xavier Morrison- Wallace said...

The main challenges of those settling down in the big city was the adjustment to a new society and different way of living. Ida Mae had to learn not to be so trusting of city folk(286) and Robert foster was being more exposed to other cultures. Foster needed to learn to come to a compromise with Alice, his wife, as far as the differences in their culinary tastes(298). Getting use to a different culture can be overwhelming at first.

Alexis Acoff said...

I'd say that one of the struggles that was difficult to get over was the fact that people were not going to accept the migrants right away and that rejection was almost expected everywhere they went, page 287. Sometimes white children in the cities that blacks migrated to had never seen a black person before and were taught from then on that we were inferior, stupid, disease-carrying creatures that were not and would never be on their level of importance in the world. I can relate to this because even though I am not in the situation they were in, I still want to feel accepted by the dominant race to feel some sort of belonging to this country. It is sad that I and many others feel this way.

Unknown said...

The most notable challenge new migrants had to face in my opinion is on page 287. The text states, "In the receiving cities of the North and West, the newcomers had to worry about acceptance or rejection not only from whites they encountered but from the colored people who arrived ahead of them, who could at times be the most sneeringly judgmental of all." I think the irony of it is so surreal, being worried about acceptance of others who not too long ago were in the same predicament as you in addition to already struggling to get acclimated to a place. If anything I would think they would want to help.

Tiera W.

Unknown said...

This section of the book talks about many different challenges but one that stood out to me was the fear that migrants held during their trips from the South to the North. They tried to make themselves seem more sophisticated as they acted as Northerners but it still wasn't enough to assimilate them into this new environment. From page 292-296 the author detailed how migrants had to leave a lot of their belongings behind because they simply couldn't take everything. I'm sure that must have been hard for them to leave everything that they once knew to start another life somewhere completely unfamiliar to them.

Tashawna Nash said...

One challenge that they faced that was really stood out for me was right in the beginning of the reading on page 286 about worrying about being accepted or rejected. This stood out for me because although it was nice of the woman to come and introduce herself to Ida and give her advice she also took advantage of her. She took advantage of her by giving her wine which Ida had never had before and by drinking the wine while she was home with her children, something could have happened that she may not have been able to handle.

Unknown said...

What touched me most was what was written about the children and the way that they were treated. On p. 386, Wilkerson writes "The unequal living conditions produced the expected unequal results: blacks working long hours for overpriced flats, their children left unsupervised and open to gangs.." It would be hard to adjust to a lifestyle or the ways of a community if your children are being treated unfairly. In my opinion, it would result in more deaths because if my child were being mistreated, I would not be okay with doing the job that was asked of me.