Use these questions or activities to help gauge students’ familiarity with and spark their interest in the context of the work, giving them an entry point into the text itself.

Short Answer

1. What is the history of Black communities living in northern versus southern states in the US? Consider historical neighborhoods and regions and the significance of the distribution of demographics; reference past classroom studies and books and films you know.

Teaching Suggestion: This question asks students to consider the geographic placement of many Black communities. Geographic prominence is no accident, as many historic Black communities are located in the former slave states of the South. During the Reconstruction era of the 1870s and the Great Migration era of the 1910s, the migration flows from the South to the North increased as formerly enslaved people traveled the Northern states hoping to start a life free from oppressive and racist government policies. Neighborhoods like Harlem in New York City became epicenters of Black creative movements. Unfortunately, structural racism was still present in former “free” states, a theme Baldwin explores in the novel in the relationship between Racism and Generational Trauma. This question connects with the Paired Resources in Part 2, Chapter 1.

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