Opinion "'A black man is an invisible man'"

Opinion "'A black man is an invisible man'"

In this Collegian opinion piece, black student Harvey Whitney relates a quote from Ralph Ellison’s The Invisible Man to his personal experience of being considered invisible by white and black students at the University of Richmond. Whitney cites the racist actions of his former roommate and the racist exclusion he faces at white fraternity lodges as examples of being invisible on campus. He further describes a language professor’s racist devaluation of his academic and intellectual knowledge because of Whitney’s race. He attributes some of his invisibility to his physical stature, explaining, “I exist only if I have the bulging muscles, the strong, masculine face, the large-framed body” that characterizes athletes. In this way, he claims his “invisibility clouds his relationships with [his] color."

Whitney, Harvey. "'A black man is an invisible man'". The University of Richmond Collegian 74, no. 17, (February 18, 1988): 5. https://collegian.richmond.edu/?a=d&d=COL19880218.2.16&srpos=1&e=-------en-20--1--txt-txIN-

The Collegian, University of Richmond

1988-02-18

English

Collegian74.17.5-19880218.JPG

Richmond (Va.)