Brent Staples: Just Walk on By: Black Men and Public Space

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This activity contains 3 questions.

Staples’s essay was published in the mid-1980s and has since been widely anthologized. How do you account for its popularity? In responding, consider both the way it is written, the points Staples has to make, and the essay’s relevance today. Do you think this popularity is justified? Why or why not?

To create paragraphs in your essay response, type at the beginning of the paragraph, and at the end.

Rather than confront the fears and prejudice of the strangers he encounters, Staples explains that he goes out of his way to accommodate them. How does he do so? Why does he do so? How do you respond to his actions and motives?

To create paragraphs in your essay response, type at the beginning of the paragraph, and at the end.

Write about any times you have made strangers uncomfortable because of the way you “alter public space.” How did you respond? Alternatively, write about any times you have judged others as threatening solely because of their appearance. Were your responses justified? Do you think people tend to mistrust one another based too much on appearances?

To create paragraphs in your essay response, type at the beginning of the paragraph, and at the end.

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