Jurnal Onoma: Pendidikan, Bahasa, dan Sastra
Vol. 11 No. 2 (2025)

Mapping discrimination against Black Americans in Kim Johnson's This is My America

Gabrielle Mercedez Ferry (Universitas Pamulang)
Christy Tisnawijaya (Universitas Pamulang)



Article Info

Publish Date
07 Apr 2025

Abstract

Racial discrimination is still a conspicuous issue in literature, as in Kim Johnson's This is My America (2020). This study aims to scrutinize the racism issues in the novel. The Beaumont family experiences racial prejudice: Mr. Beaumont, the father, is incarcerated due to the accusation of killing a white couple; Tracy, the daughter, is assaulted at school due to the father's prosecution; and Jamal, the son, is convicted of killing a white girl due to the father's history. This study employs a close reading methodology (Ohrvik, 2024) to gain a comprehensive interpretation of the narrative. Moreover, this study utilizes Alport's prejudice scheme (1954) and Pincus' discrimination frame (2000) to discuss the story's conflict in-depth. The discussion shows that This is My America portrays three types of discrimination: individual, institutional, and structural. The discriminatory acts in the forms of unjust laws, social exclusion, and physical attacks are enforced by the belief in white supremacy.

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Journal Info

Abbrev

onoma

Publisher

Subject

Education Languange, Linguistic, Communication & Media

Description

Onoma adalah jurnal akademik yang diterbitkan pada bulan Mei dan November oleh Program Studi Pendidikan Bahasa dan Sastra Indonesia di Universitas Cokroaminoto Palopo. Jurnal ini menyajikan artikel-artikel ilmiah tentang pendidikan, bahasa dan sastra Indonesia. ...