Patricia Williams' "The Alchemy of Race and Rights" and the Henry Gates' Case

         Patricia Williams' “The Alchemy of Race and Rights” discusses the concerning impact of racism on law and legal institutions. She uses anecdotes to give her firsthand knowledge of the racism and the shortcomings of the law in protecting the rights of African Americans who are still denied of social membership.  Williams notes that the “race neutrality in law has become the presumed antidote for race bias in real life”.  However, she points out that discrimination pervades and continues to deprive the African Americans of equal opportunities. Williams also mentions how misleading the stereotypes of people of color can be.  She uses Coke as an example and says that the “illusion of a perky sexy self is meaningless as to the reality of a can of corn syrup”. Likewise, William points out that the stereotypes of race can be equally hypnotic and misguided. 

        William’s observations and analysis reminded me of an incident that garnered national attention and spurred a huge controversy a few years ago. In 2009, an African American male, Henry Louis Gates, was arrested for an attempted break in. A passerby saw Gates contending with a jammed door in front of a house and reported to the police. Without any corroborating evidence, the police arrested Gates charged him with “disorderly conduct”. However the charges were immediately dropped after the prosecutors learned that he was a professor at Harvard University and the house that he was suspected of breaking into turned out to be his own. This incident sparked wide criticism and led many to question if the situation could have been different if Gates was a white man. Indeed, this incident is remorseful evidence that the African American community still suffers from false and misguided stereotypes.