People of color must deal with stereotypes and discrimination. Stereotyping can ruin a race’s image and forces them to be subjected to mistreatment in the workplace and even their personal lives. Using DuVernay and Hammad as a critical lens, Staples teaches about racial stereotyping by revealing the precautions people of color must abide by in order to not be labeled by society. He also teaches us about stereotypes by showing the emotional and mental damage people of color must face because of stereotypes.

Staples sheds light on the effects of stereotypes by showing how they can interfere with their daily lives. According to Staples: Black Men and Public Space, he states, “Her flight made me feel like an accomplice in tyranny. It also made it clear that I was indistinguishable from the muggers who occasionally seeped into the area from the surrounding ghetto.”  Staples is trying to convey how the woman’s stereotype of him being dangerous made him realize that to her, and to most of society, he was nothing more than a criminal. Despite Staples being a college kid, his skin color automatically became a warning symbol for anyone around him to watch out and protect themselves. Staples thought that if he changed himself to appear less threatening then maybe he would avoid trouble and awkward situations. He started whistling classical melodies like Beethoven and Vivaldi, he gave space to people so they could feel at ease, and he would walk past them, so they do not think he is following them. Staples realized that the reason people would feel threatened was because they saw his skin color before they saw him. Even though people have never seen him before they have been conditioned by media outlets to believe that all people of color are threats. Since media outlets keep people of color as the face of danger it only adds support to the stereotypes that already exist. The face usually associated with stories about murder or theft are black people, and when an image is repeatedly shown to you it then becomes engraved in your mind. Stereotypes are taught and shared and that is exactly what media outlets are doing and that is exactly why people of color like Staples must change themselves and be extra cautious.

Spreading stereotypes can cause people of color to be emotionally and mentally affected. According to Hammad: First Writing Since she states, “People would ask me if I knew the Muslim hijackers […] people would assume that no Arabs or Muslims were killed […] we did not vilify white men when McVeigh bombed Oklahoma.” Hammad is trying to convey how after 9/11 Arab and Muslim people were subjected to racism and stereotypes about how they knew the terrorists or that they were terrorists. She also sheds light on the double standards in America, how people of color commit a crime and America will blame their religion, harass them and belittle them but not give the same treatment towards white offenders. People assumed that Hammad was Muslim based on her skin color instead of getting to know that she’s from Brooklyn, New York and has a brother that is in the navy. Once 9/11 happened and any information about where they grew up or how they fight for the country that hates them was thrown out the window. These stereotypes made her worried for her brothers and how they were treated and made her angry because she felt the same pain America did but according to America, she is not allowed to join in their pain because of the color of her skin. This connects to Staples because people of color have been stereotyped in America for so long. These stereotypes supplied a false narrative that is ruining people’s lives and forces them to be overly cautious of what someone around them may say or do.

People of color have been stereotyped for so long that it has become normalized. According to DuVernay’s, “13th” (5:49), A documentary called “Birth of a nation” was seen as a real turning point because everyone believed that it portrayed the United States of America and everything they stood for perfectly. There was a scene where a white woman was running away from a blackface white man who had the intention of raping her and she chose to jump off the cliff and die than be raped by him. The Ku Klux Klan were portrayed as heroes while black people were seen as rapists, idiots, and invaluable people that were taking up space in the world. Black people were portrayed like this for so long that it became normal and is still practiced today in media outlets.  This connects to Staples because the stereotypes and treatment he faces is a result of what “Birth of a nation” started. The Ku Klux clan were seen as saviors because of how they were killing black people. Nobody ever corrected or acknowledged these stereotypes as a problem, so they continued to be shared and modified.

Negative media allows for stereotypes about race to form and be shared more easily. When people of color are seen negatively, they are subjected to hate crimes from people they do not know, changing themselves to appease the people around them, and blatant generational racist beliefs. It is important to acknowledge stereotypes and how they impact people because they can damage people of color mentally and emotionally. News today is connected to social media sites like Instagram and Facebook, which spreads news and stereotypes quicker. It also allows people individually to share their opinion with the world. This will be an endless cycle unless the media changes how they portray and deliver news. The same way there are stories about people of color committing crime there is also non people of color committing the same crimes.