Review: 'No Place Like Home: A Black Briton's Journey Through the American South'

It’s taken me a while to write this review of Gary Younge’s book ‘No Place Like Home: A Black Briton’s Journey Through the American South’ largely because of other obligations and, admittedly, forgetfulness. Since finishing this book I just needed to write a review, and have been sitting on this for a few weeks now.

The book focuses largely on the journey of the Freedom Riders, a group of black and white activists who decided to challenge a decision by the United States Supreme Court. Despite the decision, that stated public buses were no longer segregated, the law remained unenforced in most states, especially in the Deep South. A group of black and white activists decided to challenge this non-enforcement by embarking on a journey, via public bus, through the Deep South. They refused to “correctly” use segregated facilities, from the seating areas to the facilities in bus stations. The reaction they received was beyond anything they could have imagined. They were mobbed, violently beaten, hospitalised, their buses were set on fire and eventually they were arrested.

Journalist Gary Younge decided, 36 years later, to retrace their route, visiting key sights and interviewing a variety of people along the way. More than just a simple historio-travelogue, ‘No Place Like Home’ has entrenched within its pages a political polemic about racist practices today in both America and Britain.

Younge was born in Stevenage, Hertfordshire, to Barbadian parents, and grew up in the care of his mother, who instilled in him a deep sense of racial identity. Younge devotes his opening chapter detailing his own upbringing right up to an incident on a bus in Brighton, where, as part of a group of black youth visiting Brighton, his bus was attacked by skinheads. As he decides to embark on his own Freedom Ride, he recalls this memory that had been previous buried deep in his memory.

This mini-autobiography prefacing the rest of the book isn’t mere indulgence on Younge’s part. Not only

does it allow us to see what sparked Younge’s interest in the Freedom Riders, it also gives us an idea of British racism, as the book uses America and the Freedom Riders not just to polemicize against American society, but towards Britain as well. My favourite quote happens very early on, when he notes why race is such an issue in America and seemingly non-existent in Britain (by that I mean, not really outwardly spoken about):

“In Britain you are encouraged to keep your racial identity under lock and key; in America you are a slave to it”

In Britain, we don’t talk about it. A colleague describing Younge would use every word except “black”. In America, meanwhile, McDonalds post adverts in African-American magazines promoting the contributions of its black workers.

The problem of this sense of “lacking” in Britain is that you feel like you have this big secret, and whenever you mention the topic of race you’re “bringing up the race thing” you’re “forcing it down their throats”. This doesn’t mean America is so liberal in its attitude. In America, your race defines you; segregation occurs on a much larger scale than in Britain. You are told “you are black, here is where you live, this is where you work and this is what you like”.

Amongst many things, Younge’s book really helped me verbalise my thoughts on the Trayvon-Zimmerman trial. Many people around me acted as if the shooting of an unarmed  person of colour and the acquittal of the murderer could only happen in America. I actually wrote an article entitled “The British Trayvon Martin: Muhammed Asghar”. This was a similar case, where a man clearly in the wrong was acquitted with murder on “self-defence” grounds. Click the link if you wish to find out more.

The question of black people in Britain appeals to me in particular, as in Britain, my race does feel a bit like a secret. I am white in appearance, and when I tell people I’m mixed race they are just startled and avoid asking the question that’s burning in their minds: “why do you look so white then?”. Younge’s book got me thinking, what would it be like if I was American? Would I be able to openly say “I’m mixed race” without feeling like I’m “shoving it down people’s throats”? Would I be able to comfortably delve into black history and reggae music without people accusing me of acting something they insist I am not? What would be the price of this apparent “freedom”?

‘No Place Like Home’ provided me with a thoroughly intriguing and entertaining read, and certain phrases and occurrences will remain ingrained on my memory for a long time. Still, a few weeks after reading it, I find myself asking questions and debating internally some of the arguments Younge presents. Finally, if you are looking for something to compliment the book, I recommend the documentary “Freedom Riders” on the PBS website (possibly could be found elsewhere). I think it’s important to have a visual representation of events, and the documentary certainly does this with interviews and pictures.

-Khia Reynolds

Introducing...me!

Hey! I realised recently that my blog doesn’t really show you what I’m up to, and who I am. Surely if you’re reading my blog you wanna know who the hell you’re reading about? Don’t worry, this won’t be too much like an “about me” page on LinkedIn, but more like my motivation for writing the articles I like to write about, and a little what I’m up to and what I’m planning in the future.

So, as I’ve already mentioned a million times, I am a graduate, about to embark on the rocky path to employment. You may notice I write a lot on race, and I do so because issues concerning race cause the strongest reaction. I am half Jamaican, but my father was born in Yorkshire, and is without a doubt, the most Yorkshire man you’ll probably meet. Basically, all he’s just missing is his flat cap and whippet.

I don’t deny I am “white-passing”, which means you’d probably mistake me for being white and as a result, I can “pass for white” if I chose to. Despite this, I have still experienced racism. I’ve been casually called “n*gger” more than once, had people downright refuse to believe I’m mixed race, someone saying my mother must be “as white as a ghost”, even been made to overhear a group of classmates talk about, amongst other racist topics, killing mixed race children on arrival.

I have even had mild institutional racism thrown at me, take for example, the time I was told I need a special helper at school because of my Afro-Caribbean heritage. All children of African or Caribbean descent were offered helpers, who sat in at least one lesson. Funnily enough, she sat in on an English lesson, where I was top set. I went on to achieve a 2:1 degree classification in English and Film. Let’s just say, she was a little bored and never came back.

I think it is important to emphasise that I don’t pretend to know what it is like to be black. I know how privileged I am, the most racism I experience is when I tell people I’m mixed race. However, I think my experience is important to take note of, because it shows how this “colour blind” notion, that assumes race is just about skin colour, is actually a load of rubbish. If I, an undeniably white-looking woman, can still experience racism, then how can racism simply be about skin colour? A blind man can still be racist, as he is still in contact with society and can form judgement based on what he hears and feels. There is a Dave Chapelle sketch that illustrates this quite well actually.

So, enough about race for a while, if you wish to know more, please ask me in the comments, and I’m more than willing to answer. I quickly want to mention I am a feminist, as I think most politically-aware/interested women should be. I used to be completely anti-feminism, right up until A Levels. What is important to understand about anti-feminists, is that the vast majority of the time, they do not know what feminism is. For me, I assumed feminism was an out-dated movement, trying to be equal to men when we already had everything we needed. I was made to mention it in class once, and even as I spoke I couldn’t form a legit answer as to why I hated feminism.

These two previously mentioned factors, as well as being your average, politically-minded unemployed graduate motivate me to write. I don’t feel that I have anything ground-breaking to announce to the world just yet, as my opinions are still growing and forming. However, the best way for me to understand my opinions is to write them down. Maybe nothing will happen, I’ll get a job with a furniture company and write about chairs for the rest of my life. Or maybe I have the possibility to become like my favourite journalist Gary Younge, who is a highly successful black British journalist in America, and has written a few books. Don’t get me wrong, my plans for the future involve marketing and advertising, but I like to keep my career options open.

So, what you can expect from me in the future is hopefully more on this blog. I am throwing myself into writing this summer, and have already written tonnes for Wireless Magazine and Grads blog. I am three quarters of the way through ‘No Place Like Home: A Black Briton’s Journey Through the American South’ by Gary Younge, so I plan on writing a review of that, as well as more book reviews.

I also want to try and implement a weekly news round-up, where I sum up my take on the week’s news. I tried doing this before, but then the Wendy Davis filibuster happened, along with the Minority Voter's court ruling, possible UK student fees privatisation and a whole lot of important events. I ended up writing a huge article before realising there was too much happening at once. If I do start that, it will be on a Friday evening or Saturday.

Lastly I want to include something about my time here in Switzerland, where I’m learning German. However, I’m not sure how to implement that, so we’ll see later how I fit some of that in.

Anyway, I hope this wasn’t too lengthy and vague, but I just fancied a change of tone. From now on you’ll see a lot more of “me” in my articles, not some cold opinion pieces from somebody you don’t even know. I really hope this “new tone” breathes fresh air into this place, and brings in some more readers!

Thanks for reading!