Wednesday, February 16, 2022

Haley Scholars (Group 3) Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah's "The Finkelstein 5"

[Haley Reading Groups Spring 2022]

Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah's "The Finkelstein 5" is one of the most powerful, inventive, and scary short stories we've read for our online reading group.

The tale focuses on the outcome of a brutal and terrible racist situation where a white man was found not guilty, though he admitted killing black children. In response, groups of African Americans begin killing random white people in crazed acts of anger and vengeance.    

There's so much to consider with this story. The racist killing of black children. The violent acts of revenge. The racial profiling. The ways the main character considers levels of blackness. And more. 

What did you find most intriguing, surprising, or unsettling about this story? And why?

64 comments:

Jasmine Johnson said...

what I found surprising was how the system let the white man be found guilty even though he innocently killed 5 black kids when he could have easily avoided the situation and got in the car or even walk away, anything but that. Also, another thing is how the two black boys went about the situation of how they got revenge on an innocent couple just because they were white and how the other boy turned on his friend and hit him with the bat. One more thing it was "interesting" how they were rating the level of blackness and how they put a 10 for after all the things he did to the couple and friend when the police arrived and stuff,

Anaya Jones said...

it was unsettling but not surprising to hear about the white man killing black children. I don't feel that it was right for them to retaliate against the white man and start killing white kids because it's never good to fight fire with fire but at that moment they were left with no choice.

Kemry H said...

The fact that a white man was killing black children was particularly unsettling to me. It's even worse because he admitted to it and was still found not guilty. There could have been a better solution to the problem, but unfortunately that's how the system works.

Damya Evans said...

It was unsettling reading that George Wilson Dunn had gotten acquitted after just 28 minutes of deliberation. It was alleged that this white man cut off the heads of 5 black children, not only was the verdict unsettling but the fact that this man beheaded five children is highly unsettling. Not one but five children, in order to do such a thing you must be a very sick crazy person that does not deserve to be acquitted.
-Damya Evans

David Gaines said...

David Gaines

The fact that a white man gets away with cold-blooded murder honestly doesn't even surprise me at this point it only puts a feeling of unsettlement in my stomach. In the world that we live in today, we have all seen this happen a few more times than we would probably have liked to. The man in the story admits to killing the children and still is found not guilty.

Indya Howard said...

What I found remarkable was that black people were being graded on a 10-point scale for their blackness, and if it was high for any reason, they were labeled criminals. I wasn't shocked that William wasn't found guilty of the children's murders, but Emmanuel hitting Boogie with the bat was a shocking twist. What disturbed me was the gruesome manner in which the children died and how the system justified their deaths at the hands of an adult father who could have just walked away but saw an opportunity to "protect his children." Another thing that bothered me was how the tale ended for Emmanuel.It was bittersweet since he died at the hands of the police, but it was beautiful to watch him see the children thanking him and telling him they loved him in his final moments.

Ivan Johnson said...

I found the fact that the white man got away with cold-blooded murder as unsettling. I say this because in the time of today, Black American men are often given more severe sentencing than white man even if it's the same crime. Also, the fact that the white man confessed to beheading five children and still not be found guilty is unsettling to me because if a black man did the same thing he probably would be sentenced to death.

Udochukwu Chikere said...

One of the many things that caught my attention while completing the reading was the violence and brutality shown towards the children. Shows how truly corrupt the justice system is, in what sense can someone who beheaded children ever be found not guilty. Race being the final determinator once again.
- Udochukwu Chikere

Z'Kya Dixon said...

I can't say I'm not surprised at how things went down, but I am disappointed. The anger the want for revenge that makes since but to just kill random whi te people. That's were I draw a line, now I'm not going to lie if they were killing racist angry white people who killed innocent black kids like George Dunn, I could see that. But like my mom and many others say " two wrongs don't make a right." These angry black groups of people are turning into the thing they hate, and that never ends well. Hate brings on hate, violence is violence no matter who did it. But if they had charged Dunn the way he should've been charged, a lot if this death could have been avoided. Maybe both parties will learn something from it.

Tashauri Fuller said...

what I found unsettling is the fact that a white man was found guilty of killing 5 black children. The justice system didn't do their job and let the man walk away without any type of punishment after he admitted to the crime. it made me think about the things that happen in the world today with our justice system.

Emoni Hallman said...

What I found most intriguing about this story was the little black boy had to change how he acts around certain people. And he was basically being graded on a 10-point scale when it came to his blackness. If it hits a certain number they would've labeled the black people as criminals but the white man can kill five children and walk away. The unsettling but not surprising part for me was how they let the white man get away with murder after he admitted to killing the black children. This story had me feeling some type of way but really not surprised at all. It made me look back at how things are going on in the real world and how most white people get away with things they shouldn't get away with.

-Emoni Hallman

Carmesha Johnson said...

Not only did he kill them he admitted to it but I'm not surprised that the white man was able to get away with murder but very unsettling. It shows how the justice system works in todays society as well. It only works for the people within the justice system and who benefits from it, instead of working in the favor of the people and actually allowing them to get justice the they deserved.
-Carmesha Johnson

Alexi J said...

What I found most surprising was that Emmanuel didn't actually kill that white couple. I thought for sure he was going to finish the job. I'm even more surprised that he hit Boogie with the bat! You would think that most people, filled with that much anger, wouldn't hesitate to take revenge. It's not like he didn't know what they were there to do. It was very interesting that he neglected to be/didn't do what others (read nonblack people) thought he WOULD do.

Alexi J.

Jenaya Gant said...

What I found unsettling is how the five children did not get any justice in the beginning. Even if the man felt in danger the way he murdered them did not seem like a case of self-defense. I also did not the Blackness scale at all because how can one measure blackness.
The most intriguing about this story was how the black boy had to make the change.

Tanija Ritchie said...

The part I found unsettling is the white man walking free after admitting and knowing he kilt five BLACK kids. Not that it makes it ok but these were Not adults they were kids that are very much innocent. This part of the story made me very uncomfortable knowing this is the life we blacks are living in. On the other hand, if this was a man of color there would have been no conversation he would have gone behind bars without any questioning.

Niylah Edwards said...

I found this story unsettling, because for one a white man was killing black children. It was not surprising at all because he got away with it while admitting to it, but still found not guilty. It is beyond crazy that there was a black scale determining if they were criminals or not. This shows how corrupt the justice system is, and still is to this day. I strongly believe that if it were a black man he would be sentenced to life or the death penalty. It is terribly disappointing that you would let a child killer walk free.

Unknown said...

What was most intriguing to me was how their "blackness" was rated on the I.O scale and how this affected how they were viewed in public as an induvial. I feel like this also stands in our times today; even though, we may not have numbers above our heads displaying the I.O number, the darkness in our skin tone still affects how we are perceived to the rest of the world.

-Tonia Estes

James Gladney said...

I found this story unsettling because the white man gets away with cold-blooded murder without any punishment. It was not surprising at all because he got away with it while admitting to it, but still found not guilty. It is beyond crazy that there was a black scale determining if they were criminals or not. This shows how corrupt the justice system is, and still is to this day. I strongly believe that if it were a black man he would be sentenced to life or the death penalty. It is terribly disappointing that you would let a child killer walk free.

Aminah A. Haynes said...

What I found the most unsettling from this story was How george wilson dunn got away for the murder of 5 black children and that he was trying to protect his children as an excuse and got away scott free. That brought me fustration and anger reading that part of the excerpt. It was also shocking how the story created a plot twist when Emmanual hit Boogie with an bat and then at the end of the story He got shot by an officer. This story was very sad in many different ways and what was even more shocking was when they rated blackness of characters on a scale of 10. But what I found the unsettling was how this story is very closely related to events that actually happens in real life.

Unknown said...

One thing I am not surprised about is how the white man got away with the murder. The system were made up with just white people in the room while we were in slavery, yes they are going to say it changed but the same ones are still there. That's why the system is unfair and bias there are many times cases where white man got away with murder, while they blame so many African American are in prison for things they are innocent for. But what was intriguing was that the black boy had to change and become violent but he was getting the heat more then white man who admitted of killing those five children.

Kennedy J said...

The most shocking part was the white man murdering the five black children. Then, him being free in public after confessing was sickening because if the roles were reversed that wouldn't happen. The racism however, wasn't too surprising because unfortunately that's the world we live in. Things that could be easily avoided happened in this reading which was really frustrating. The scale was also frustrating because it's so unfair to rate anybody but especially to rate them based on their color.

Brianna H said...

What I found unsettling but not surprising was the fact the white man confessed to the murders of five black innocent children and was still found not guilty. The situation could’ve been handled in so many different ways, but many people don’t like being the bigger person sometimes. Killing white kids didn’t make the situation any better, I feel as if it made the situation worse. This kind of relates back to what's still going on in the world.

Jonathan G said...

Jonathan G

The fact that a white man was found guilty of killing five black children disturbed me. After the white man confesses to killing the black children, they let him get away with murder. This story made me feel a certain way, but I wasn't terribly surprised. It made me reflect on how things are in the real world, and how the majority of whites get away with things they shouldn't.

Scott Freeman said...

What’s most intriguing about this passage is the parallels about how people feel about such atrocities. You will always have 2 sides. The grieving, empathetic people, and the people who really don’t give a shit, because it had nothing to do with them. In the story, Emmanuel claimed that the only thing they pretty much ever talked about is the Finkelstein verdict. He stated there were some who openly wept for these children and others not so much. “On one side of the broadcast world, anchors openly wept for the children, who were saints in their eyes; on the opposite side were personalities like Brent Kogan, the ever gruff and opinionated host of What's the Big Deal?, who had said during an online panel discussion, "Yes, yes, they were kids, but also, fuck niggers."” (Adjei-Brenyah, Pg. 2). In the real world, people who have an audience, fanbase, influential power don’t blatantly say things like that aloud. However, the kicker is I have no doubt in my mind or I wouldn’t be surprised if these said people got leaked saying something highly “out of pocket.”

Alayah D. said...

I think I can speak for all of us when I say that this was definitely unsettling. The fact that he was NOT found guilty of such a heinous crime is upsetting, but also not really surprising.

Tamya Goodlow said...

What I found unsurprising was that George was found not guilty after 28 minutes of deliberation. We live in a time where white men being acquitted for the murder of Black men is unfortunately expected because of how extremely corrupted the justice system is. What I found unsettling was that he killed 5 children.

La'Niya Gordon said...

What I found unsettling was how an African American feels they have to not act too "black" in public or they feel they have to change the way they dress, speak, or do things when they're around certain people. What I also found unsettling is how a white man killing black children kept replaying in Emmanuael's head.

Ehijie Ilenikhena said...

What I found most unsettling was through the reading the character Emmanuel had his "blackness" rated for every action he essentially took in public. His "blackness" was rated on a scale from (.5 to 10); the lower numbers on the scale indicated his blackness was 'ok or good enough for society. While the higher numbers indicated he was acting too "black" and needed to dial it down. This reading honestly doesn't snare too far off from today's world in how black people are seen and judged. A human being even though of color shouldn't need to go through life essentially censoring their livelihood just because of others and their depictions.

Ehijie Ilenikhena

Stephanie H. said...

In addition, it's unsettling that a white man got away with murder, as well as the way the black boys retaliated against an innocent couple for being white, one of them turning on another boy with a baseball bat. Additionally, it was a bit strange how they rated the level of blackness and how they put a 10 on the level of racism after all the things he did to the couple and friend when the police arrived. I say this because in this day and age, men of color are often given harsher sentences than white males even if they commit the same crime. Furthermore, the fact that a white man confessed his crime and was still not convicted is disturbing, since a black man would most likely be executed for the same crime.

Jameelah harbin said...

The most surprising and intriguing parts of this story was the set up in the court of the judge and defense attorney were helping and guiding this man with excuses and easy ways out of this predicament he put himself in. When the prosecuting attorney announced Felt was an 7 year old child who most likely was chased and attacked by this man who was now and then clearly lying about 'these black kids" attacking him, it was a good set up for him because why would a 7 year old attack you. then the verdict was 28 minutes long is sickening... 5 children heads decapoited and less than 30 minutes an innocent verdict is given.

Colette Jackson said...

I felt quite sick reading this because of how unsettling it was that the killing of black kids was done by a white man but I wasn't new to reading something like that and the fact that he went uncharged and walked free was terrible. I don't like how they tried to "scale" blackness, as if it can be rated or measured and can be the decision on how "dangerous" they are. The kids didn't do anything and there's not enough "self defense" arguments to argue why he killed FIVE black KiDs. Its so disappointing and upsetting to see how the system is and how it was. It almost seems as if it hasn't even changed yet.
-Colette Jackson

Zion Henderson said...

What I find interesting about this story is the fact that how black they were is displayed on their heads. Like it just goes to show that how society will continue to treat you base on how light or dark you are. This story is really a eye opener but in a very disturbing way
- Zion Henderson

Marcus G. said...

This story so far is unsettling for the fact that white people honestly had no remorse for killing innocent black children. They even got away with it even when they admitted to openly killing the children. This shows how corrupt the justice system was, and even still is in today's society.

Tamia Goodlow said...

I was surprised that the he got away with murder after admitting to the killing, The fact that it was 5 children was just crazy to me. There were no consequences or anything. We see this all the time in history, the only thing different was that there were multiple victims.
-Tamia Goodlow

*didn't show up 24 hours later...reentry*

Aaron Crawford said...

The thing that caught my attention in this story was how the white man got away with those murders. It caught my interest because I was able to relate it to current situations in real life. It just made me sit back and reflect on the system and how it has been broken for so long that we've gotten many accurate literature representations of it.

-Aaron Crawford

Erin Myers said...

The things that I found intriguing in this story is how a white basically pleaded guilty but was still founded not guilty because it was “ self defense” in a way because he feared for his family safety. The thing that found unsettling was when Emmanuel, Bridges, etc. started harming innocent white people in retaliation towards the outcome. I feel like that’s basically making them like George Dunn, and they could’ve protested definitely.

-Neville G.

Erin Myers said...

Natalie G.:

I found it unsettling how the white man was able to get away with killing 5 black kids. It’s crazy how he admitted to doing it and still was found not guilty.

Aunye Harrold said...

He murdered the black kids and even admitted to it yet he still managed to get away with doing them. basically saying "it's okay that you did this". If it was the other way around though there would have been a form of punishment and they would have been blamed for it.

Erin Myers said...

Demeyah J.:

It was very unsettling to read about a Caucasian MAN who intentionally killed 5!! Innocent African American CHILDREN. What made me more upset was that this man was found not guilty even after admitting to the crime. Although none of this is surprising because this is how our system works, it is still very upsetting it makes me sick to my stomach. Not only do these kids not get to live their lives but their parents must be devastated about the death and murder of their CHILDREN but also to hear that this Caucasian MAN that CUT off their CHILDRENS head was found not guilty. Weather this was an act of a Caucasian or African American Human Being this is still wrong and very sickening.

Erin Myers said...

Fatima K.:

For one I wasn't really surprised when the white man got away with the 5 murders because for one this same situation still happens but one thing I am surprised about is how is that self defense in anyway and how did the jury let that story go by he killed 5 children but that's self defense but what was intriguing and that the black boy had to change his ways but he got more attention then the white man

Tashauna F. said...

It was very unsettling that a white man was able to get away with the murder of five black children. And the fact that the verdict was being justified by radio stations and etc, is mind-blowing. People were publically showing their hate towards the black community and the deceased children.

Erin Myers said...

Anonymous said...
The most intriguing thing to me was the man being not guilty for murdering the children because they were loitering. The way people reacted as well caught my eye too because on one end, you have people feeling bad for the kids and on the other,you have people just being flat out racist. This was interesting to me because things like this can happen in real life

-TJ Hunter

February 18, 2022 at 2:07 PM
(Originally posted to https://www.culturalfront.org/2022/02/haley-scholars-group-5-nana-kwame-adjei.html)

Erin Myers said...

Nadia G.:

What was interesting to read that displayed on their head is how black they may be. There is no remorse for the children. The same system today is almost the same, in my opinion. He got away with killing 5 innocent black kids. CHILDREN!

Chaz Hunter said...

What I found most surprising was that Emmanuel didn't actually kill that white couple. I thought for sure he was going to finish the job.

Stefani F said...

What I found most unsettling was that George Wilson can kill innocent children in such a cruel way and not feel any way about what he did. It isn't surprising since this is how a lot of people feel and think they are superior but also knowing that this man committed this crime in a public place and the justice system is letting him get away scot-free is a constant slap in the face. Black children deserve to enjoy their life with their family just like white kids or any other race, they shouldn't be punished for their skin color because it's not up to them to pick and choose how they come out.

Anonymous said...

What I found most unsettling about this story had much to do with what happened to the protagonist Emmanual after convincing himself to take blind justice or revenge on white supremacy. The act of revenge never proves to justify as you cannot fight fire with fire. Even if one's revenge ends to be successful for them, it will essentially make them no different to whoever they sought to hurt. Making peace is a much better solution than to break an already broken one.

Kiara James said...

Something I find unsettling but not shocking is how George Wilson Dunn claimed that he decapitated those five African American children was to protect his own which was false. he claimed that he was "provoked" and that he was in danger. He couldn't even give a straight answer as to how Fela St. John's body was found in a different are from the others. He knew that he was guilty but instead of owning up to it he used his white privilege to get away with the savage murders of the innocent Finkelstein Five.

Kiara James said...

Something I find unsettling but not shocking is how George Wilson Dunn claimed that he decapitated those five African American children was to protect his own which was false. he claimed that he was "provoked" and that he was in danger. He couldn't even give a straight answer as to how Fela St. John's body was found in a different are from the others. He knew that he was guilty but instead of owning up to it he used his white privilege to get away with the savage murders of the innocent Finkelstein Five.

Anonymous said...

Something I find unsettling but not shocking is how George Wilson Dunn claimed that he decapitated those five African American children was to protect his own which was false. he claimed that he was "provoked" and that he was in danger. He couldn't even give a straight answer as to how Fela St. John's body was found in a different are from the others. He knew that he was guilty but instead of owning up to it he used his white privilege to get away with the savage murders of the innocent Finkelstein Five.

Erin Myers said...

Kiara J.:

Something I find unsettling but not shocking is how George Wilson Dunn claimed that he decapitated those five African American children was to protect his own which was false. he claimed that he was "provoked" and that he was in danger. He couldn't even give a straight answer as to how Fela St. John's body was found in a different are from the others. He knew that he was guilty but instead of owning up to it he used his white privilege to get away with the savage murders of the innocent Finkelstein Five.

Erin Myers said...

Fatima K.:

The main focus that is concerning to me would honestly be how they treat the children and it’s really horrible how they degrade them stating that are are nothing and putting the parents up and how that would be stuck with them for life and can overshadow and make then insecure in themselves and maybe passing that down to generations to generations and causing pain in those children throughout their adulthood

Erin Myers said...

Taylor G.:

What I found most unsettling about this story is that the white man murdered those 5 black kids and he got away with it. The fact that he admitted to doing it and still was let off just comes to show the privilege that the white man has. Also, the hurt and anger that the black people felt and their reaction to the whole situation was understandable. However, I feel that that’s the reaction that they want so that they can flip the script on them to make it seem like they’re out of control. This story shows the never-ending cycle that black people have face for years now and continues to happen till this day.

Unknown said...

The story brings what going on in the real world to light. It's not surprising to me at all that the man got away with killing the 5 black children. What's surprising that he admitted to doing it and was still not guilty. I feel like it just goes to show, that these are the things going on in the world, and a lot of thing is based on color. White people have more of an advantage to black people.

-Anjeal Jones

Chloe Hatcher said...

what I found unsettling was that the white man got away with killing 5black children even though he admitted to doing so. This kinda relates ti whats going on in todays society. How when a white man commits a crime he gets a lesser punishment or no punishment at all, than if a black man were to get the crime. which really sadens me. I was walso extremely suprised that emanuel hit boogie with the bat. I was not expecting that.

Tyler said...

What I found most unsettling about this story had much to do with what happened to the protagonist Emmanual after convincing himself to take blind justice or revenge on white supremacy. The act of revenge never proves to justify as you cannot fight fire with fire. Even if one's revenge ends to be successful for them, it will essentially make them no different to whoever they sought to hurt. Making peace is a much better solution than to break an already broken one.

Tyler Guthrie said...

What I found most unsettling about this story had much to do with what happened to the protagonist Emmanual after convincing himself to take blind justice or revenge on white supremacy. The act of revenge never proves to justify as you cannot fight fire with fire. Even if one's revenge ends to be successful for them, it will essentially make them no different to whoever they sought to hurt. Making peace is a much better solution than to break an already broken one.

(Ari)Arielle B Johnson said...

I know this shouldn't be considered surprising as this is a recurring theme when it comes to being black in America, but honestly it was really disgusting having to read that chapter especially about the children and hearing the man's testimony on "why" he did it uh asthfirallah, it reminds me of Emmet Till and so many others who were brought ni justice from the justice system that we as Americans should have a our own rights, yet many AAs today hardly feel American, despite their ancestors being here as before the revolutionary war

Erin Myers said...

Tyler G.:
What I found most unsettling about this story had much to do with what happened to the protagonist Emmanual after convincing himself to take blind justice or revenge on white supremacy. The act of revenge never proves to justify as you cannot fight fire with fire. Even if one's revenge ends to be successful for them, it will essentially make them no different to whoever they sought to hurt. Making peace is a much better solution than to break an already broken one.

February 26, 2022 at 11:27 PM
(Posted anonymously)

Amber Dixon said...

What I found to be most unsettling about this story is how the white man got away with killing 5 black children. Although he admitted to doing the crime, he still was not given the punishment acoordingly.

- Amber Dixon

Erin Myers said...

Gianni D.:

Honestly, the part that disturbed me is the fact that he was freed even after admitting and knowing he killed five black children. The fact that they were not adults doesn't make it ok, but it is worth mentioning that these were children who were very innocent. I was very uncomfortable reading this section of the story knowing that this is how blacks live. If it is a person of color, no discussion would take place and the man would have gone quickly behind bars, but . I was forced to think about how things are in the real world, and how most white people get away with things they shouldn't. Despite his confession of murdering black children, the white man won't be held accountable

Jonathan Hinton said...

I found the story's depiction of a cycle of hatred to be fascinating. The story shows a bleak view of what reacting to violence and hate with violence and hate can affect and ultimately worsen the problem as a whole. It definitely draws parallels to our own history and current day events.

-Jonathan Hinton

Jaliyah J said...

What I found the most intriguing was that the white man got no punishment for killing 5 black children even after admitting to the murders, and an innocent man went to jail for it. what I found unsettling was the fact that the white man said he decapitated those children to protect his own and that was very false.

Unknown said...

What I found most upsetting was the fact that he was killing Black children without repercussions although he admitted to it. I found this so upsetting because it was not surprising to me things like this happen all the time and many times white people are not held accountable for their wrongdoings.
- Memory Jacobs

Erin Myers said...

Ma Kayla J.:

What I found to be the most unsettling is the fact that George Wilson Dunn admitted to killing the 5 black children and not even 28 minutes later the jury acquitted him on the biases that the 5 black children where outside the library loitering instead of being productive citizen and reading inside. Therefore, he was threatened by these children and was just protecting himself. It was disgusting to read and know that was a part of American history. Understandably but wrongfully so, the 2 black boys who started to get "revenge" for the children and society for handling the case they way they did, started attacking random white people like couples and even their friend. Knowing how the world was back then, this is the worst-case scenario, and they shouldn't have taken their frustration out on the innocent.