Walt Harrington, a
white journalist with a
black wife, traveled around the
US talking to black people from all walks of life. In the
book Crossings: A White Man's Journey into Black America, he describes the people he encountered, his interaction with them, their lives, and their
viewpoints.
His main conclusions weren't too surprising.
American blacks have a variety of viewpoints and life stories; you can't view them as a monolithic block. Things are getting better than in past decades, though most blacks still face some
racism. Overt personal and institutional racism has been replaced by subtle
social obstacles involving how blacks are perceived and treated. One segment has entered the
middle class, though doing so may entail 'acting white', which is unsettling for some of them and alienates other blacks. Many blacks are rather
poor, among whom some have lost
hope while others still aspire towards a better life. Hard work,
dedication, and
family support have helped many rise above their meager beginnings. The younger
generation, especially among the middle class, are more socially
integrated with the whites than their
elders have been.
Of course, hearing from dozens of people with different backgrounds reveals more subtleties than a summary like that. Harrington talks to
ex-cons and wealthy
businessmen,
teenagers and
senior citizens,
southerners and
Californians. It's a far broader and better balanced selection than the
African-Americans that the media generally focus upon.
On the down side, something about Harrington's style irritated me. I couldn't put my finger on why, but while reading the book I thought more about Harrington's presentation that the people he was talking to. I generally enjoy interviews with ordinary people, such as
Susan Faludi's
Stiffed,
Mark Baker's
Nam, and
Studs Turkel's books. However,
Crossings often bored me, even when Harrington was interviewing a fascinating person like
Spike Lee. He described their appearances, clothes, homes, neighborhoods, and upbringing, instead of their life
experiences and views of the world.
Overall, I have mixed feelings about
Crossings. The premise is promising, but other oral histories, such as Turkel's
Race: How Blacks and Whites Think and Feel About the American Obsession, are much better reads.