how are you going to save yourself by jm holmes

Cummings, who lived through segregation in the United States, has expressed and raised an awareness on the violence, marginalisation, and poverty that black majority neighbourhoods in Baltimore are subject to as a result of a long history of racism in the country (Bellware 2019.). In these tweets Donald Trump alludes to congressman Elijah Cummings, a key figure in his impeachment recently passed away in October 2019, and who has repeatedly denounced the inhumane treatment of migrants at the US-Mexico border (Mars 2019). He uses the term “racist” when it applies to racism inflicted on white people by non-white people and turns to anti-structural individualistic positions when such racism refers to that exercised by white people (calling anyone who dares to invoke structural racism a racist): The position of the policeman has been taken repeated times by President Donald Trump.

In a time where social media opinions quickly travel and fallacious positions can spread rapidly and develop into xenophobic and populist trends-which directly affect political life-the fragmented and epiphanic quality of this work becomes a great mechanism of awareness. JM Holmes’ work becomes an extraordinarily interesting object of analysis because of its ultra-contemporary character which offers a mirror up to current society. In it, Eddie-a white policeman whose cousin is Gio, the mixed race protagonist of the first person narrated short story cycle-embodies a contemporary trend in relativistic positions regarding race, gender, and sexual identity that, drawing on a comparatist approach to the ills of the past, dismisses structural violence in the present and rather advocates for individualistic positions. The exchange listed in this opening epigraph takes place towards the end of JM Holmes’ first and only publication How are you going to save yourself?, published in 2018. “What, you think the academy teaches us to be racist?”

“Why do you blame everyone else for your problems?” he said.

How are you going to save yourself by jm holmes