The Continuous Reality of American Racial Oppression

A theme in Colson Whitehead’s The Underground Railroad was the dream of escaping slavery. Slaves dreamt of running to escape racial oppression. Their feet were the train wheels running on the railroad tracks. However, no matter how far they ran from racism in one shape, form or application, they could not truly escape it. Racism, in and of itself, didn’t solely affect African-American slaves but everyone in America. It still affects American society to this day because racism didn’t end with the 13th Amendment. Taking Whitehead’s ending into consideration, racism is a continuous reality that can no one can escape.

by Abigail Antías