By: Jasmine McDuffie
Imagine you had the ability to be a different person when it was convenient for you. This superpower would have been useful to black people during the Jim Crow Era. The Jim Crow Era enforced racial segregation and justified racism, discrimination, and violence against the black community. The black people could have used this superpower to try on white privilege so they could have the same freedoms as other races. In the HBO series Lovecraft Country, the character Ruby Baptiste had this ability.
Lovecraft Country is based on Matt Ruff's novel of the same name, and it follows Atticus Freeman as he joins his friend Letitia and his Uncle George on a road trip in search of his father, who has gone missing. Lovecraft Country, set in the 1950s, depicts how Jim Crow America has invaded today's pop culture. During an episode of Lovecraft Country, Ruby Baptiste is forcibly encased within the body of a white woman. It's a gory body horror plot, but it gives Ruby white power and encourages her to use her morphing superpower as a means of emancipation and revenge. Ruby is taken aback by her transformation at first. She wakes up in William Braithwaite's house and sees a reflection of a white woman in the mirror. Ruby then returns to her predominantly black neighborhood in need of assistance. However, she soon realizes the social advantages that whiteness provides. This new skin gives her an inside look into how white people interact within their own circles. As Ruby goes on using the identity of a white woman, she realizes that she doesn’t have to deal with the identity crisis, psychological effects, and discrimination that comes with being a black person in America. The idea that the Jim Crow Period is still impacting the black community today can seem exaggerated. But the popular culture series Lovecraft Country uses the character Ruby to bring to screens the way in which psychological effects, exploitation, and discrimination of the black community occurred as a result of the Jim Crow Era.
Psychological Effects
“Negative stereotypes and rejecting behaviors have reduced, but they still exist, with significant negative effects for mental health of the black community.”
The Jim Crow era was a large-scale social example of the phenomena in which a community system allows and promotes one subgroup to be used as a scapegoat for another. The black characters in Lovecraft Country were treated as second-class citizens and were marginalized and abused by white people. The physical abuse that the black community faced was often in the form of hazing from white-American citizens and law enforcement officials. The physiological abuse that the black community faced often stemmed from the verbal abuse of racial slurs and the commonality of racist propaganda that was around America during the era. Lovecraft Country is not afraid to depict the real-life bigotry that African-Americans faced at the time. When driving across the South and Midwest, Tic, Leti, and Uncle George sometimes come across racist advertisements, including one for Aunt Jemima pancakes. Aunt Jemima's roots go back to slavery, and the symbol was recently "retired" in 2020. Aunt Jemima is an example of the Mammy Caricature as we learn in David Pilgrim’s article, “The Mammy Caricature”. The mammy was first used during slave times as an attempt to show black women how a good house slave acted. The mammy was also used as a source of entertainment, which is where blackface was used Propaganda influences public opinion. The characters in Lovecraft Country and black American citizens were forced to see a false portrayal of the black community through this kind of propaganda which also allowed white citizens to believe that their treatment of black people was justified.
Lovecraft Country showed how different characters reacted to living in a racist environment. Slavery, Jim Crow, and race-based exclusion from health, cultural, social, and economic opportunities have all played a role in the structural inequalities that African Americans face. Negative stereotypes and rejecting behaviors have reduced, but they still exist, with significant negative effects for mental health of the black community. In the article “Physiological responses to racism and discrimination: An assessment of the evidence”, Jules P Harrell, the professor of psychology at Howard University and a researcher in the field of the effects of stress and racism on the health of African Americans, reveal that a growing number of studies are examining the impact of racism on physiological behavior. Several studies indicate that high blood pressure is linked to a tendency to forget or log incidents that are seen as racist or unfair. Laboratory analogues of racial bias and mistreatment have also been attributed to psychological and physiological arousal, according to the researchers. The data shows direct experiences with racial events are linked to negative health outcomes.
Ruby uses her morphing ability to be a white woman because the Jim Crow Era affected the way in which the black community viewed themselvesThis is because members of the black community’s psyche was altered due to the years of physical, mental, and verbal abuse they endured from the white people in America. The psychological effects of the Jim Crow era are highlighted in Lovecraft Country through the character Ruby, who thought she was better off being a white person. Ruby's transition starts off as a source of horror for her, but she soon realizes, though, that whiteness provides societal security. Ruby has the choice of leaving and returning to her normal life or staying and using the morphing potion. She opts for the latter, which gives her a feeling of liberation and happiness. Ruby eats ice cream and reads the newspaper as she strolls around a mostly white neighborhood in Chicago. Ruby is no longer afraid of violence, abuse, or bigotry as she goes through her day. She later confesses to William that whiteness is the only thing she needs. Ms. Hillary Davenport's life is thus made up by Ruby. Her back-and-forth transitions are obscene and likely painful, demonstrating how much she desires being a white woman. Ruby is a perfect example of how the Jim Crow era affects the black community’s self worth and identity. Ruby preferred the experience of being a white woman over being a black woman because of the amount of ease and incentives that comes with being white.
Exploitation
“Health care providers often treat African Americans differently because they assume black people are less educated, poor, or deserving of less respect because of their race”
Lovecraft Country reenacted the notion of “separate but equal” throughout the show. Following Reconstruction, "Jim Crow" laws were enacted to further limit African Americans' rights and freedom while also segregating them in the South. Between Reconstruction and the Jim Crow era, African Americans faced legal oppression, making it difficult for them to participate entirely and fairly in society with whites. This was especially relevant when it came to healthcare policies that were unjust. Segregation laws were enacted to keep black people apart from the rest of society in daily life; the strongest of these laws limited African Americans' right to receive medical services on par with whites. The lack of quality of healthcare services that the black community receives stems from misperceptions and stereotypes, not the reality of who they are. Health care providers often treat African Americans differently because they assume black people are less educated, poor, or deserving of less respect because of their race. This absence of respect for black bodies is the reason they were often used for non consensual medical experimentation. The article “Medicine and the Black Body” talks about the history of black people being used to develop medicine in America. In medical classes, black people were used as cadavers during slavery, and black women were used primarily for gynecological advances. The trend of white supremacy during slavery continued in the Jim Crow era.
The white characters in Lovecraft Country often participated in behaviors which caused exclusion for the black community. This exclusivity also allowed the white community to disregard the poor treatment of African Americans and to not speak up about the unjust systems. We observe this happen in Lovecraft Country when Ruby, a black woman, asks Christina, a white woman if she cared about issues the black community were facing. In season 1, episode 8, "Jig-a-Bobo," Lovecraft Country included the historical events surrounding the brutal murder of an innocent Black boy from Chicago named Emmett Till. Ruby informs Christina about the lynching of Emmett Till and asks if she is concerned. Ruby wishes for Christina to experience the same level of frustration and fear as she does. Christina, however, would never understand since she was born with white skin. Christina admits that Emmett Till, Roy Bryant, J. W. Milam, and all other wretched victims who shared their plight are unimportant to her and she doesn’t care about the anger of the black community. Christina’s disregard for the black community also made it easy for her to use Ruby’s body in medical experimentation for her own advancement. Christina, as William, takes advantage of Ruby’s vulnerability and lack of white power so he could be successful at body morphing. Christina using Ruby in her experiments without any regard for the value of black lives, shows how the black community was exploited by white Americans during the Jim Crow era.
Discrimination
“the black community was forced to adapt to the daily discrimination they faced”
As shown in the show, the "Jim Crow" laws of segregation and disenfranchisement embodied a systematic, codified regime of racial exclusion that governed the American South for three quarters of a century. The legislation mandated segregation of colleges, parks, libraries, drinking fountains, showers, taxis, trains, and restaurants, among other places. Signs such as "Whites Only" and "Colored" served as daily reminders of the racial hierarchy in place. For these reasons, the black community was forced to adapt to the daily discrimination they faced. During the Jim Crow period, the black community's ideology had a strong impact on black youth. As proved in the article "Resistance Begins at Home: The Black Family and Lessons in Survival and Subversion in Jim Crow Mississippi'', by Stephen A. Berrey, since both of the parents came together to ensure that the children learned how to live in America, the black family stretched beyond just mother, father, and children. Just like the characters in Lovecraft Country came together to take care of Diana after her father was murdered by a police officer. First, the black children had to become conscious of their oppressive surroundings and understand what it meant. Then, the adults taught the black youth lessons on subversion. Additionally, the black community also utilized resources made by them to navigate the Jim Crow era. One of these resources being a guidebook. In Lovecraft Country, Uncle George's guidebook gives Black Americans interstate travel safety advice, as well as reviews for Black-friendly hotels, restaurants, and gas stations to avoid facing discrimination. The Green Book in the show is based on a real-life travel guide called "The Negro Motorist Green Book," which was written at the height of Jim Crow rules, from 1936 to 1966. Chapter 8 of “Toward a Pedagogy Of Jim Crow: A Geographic Reading of The Green Book” by Derek H. Alderman, the professor and former Department Head in Geography at the University of Tennessee , and Joshua Inwood, the Associate Professor of Geography and African Studies at Penn State, talks about the use of The Green Book during the Jim Crow era.
Moreover, Ruby shows how black women are still recovering from the pain they endured as a result of the social structure in America prior to and after slavery and the Jim Crow period. The social hierarchy placed a code of silence on black women by its own nature, which still exists today. By remaining silent for decades, black women have inadvertently enabled and protected the white men who have abused them. Ruby takes on the identity of Hillary Davenport so she could work at her dream job which already had hired a black woman, and Ruby knew the organization would never hire two colored girls. Hillary reports to Paul, a white man who is eager to point out that Ruby is overqualified for his own role. While at a company outing to a nightclub, Paul tries to sexually assault Tamara, the store's only black employee. She expresses her displeasure by biting him in order to flee. Paul hurls a vile racial insult at her as she runs away. Ruby stands by and observes, but she does not interfere. Ruby’s lack of action to protect Tammara proves that a black woman's instinct is to protect their abuser despite the ethical issues. The next day, as Hillary, Ruby enters Paul's office and sends him her notice of resignation. She says she's been drawn to him since they met and that the only way for them to have sex is for her to leave. She ties his hands and removes his tie. She then takes his belt and ties it around his waist after pulling his trousers down. She shoves the heel of her foot into Paul's butt several times after stuffing her panties in his mouth. When she loses her clothing and turns back into Ruby, his cries are muffled and unheard. What Ruby does to Paul goes beyond rational moral codes. We know he will never suffer any other ramifications, so it feels fair. He intends to fire Tamara and will continue to harass women because he believes he will get away with it. When justice isn't open, it may seem as though vengeance is the only choice. Ruby isn't a victim, however, she turns into a vigilante, showcasing her subversion lessons.
In the article “What Lovecraft Country Gets Wrong About Racial Horror”, the staff writer at The Atlantic, Hannah Giorgis, talks about some of the things she finds wrong in Lovecraft Country’s first season. Racism is the core social issue that Lovecraft Country is framed about. It's almost common in Lovecraft Country to be called a racist slur, to be refused service at a diner, to be interrogated by the police, or to be treated with contempt by an affluent warlock coven. This cast of black actors, who lived in Chicago in 1954, were adapted to the racist America of the day. They figured out how to get by during the Jim Crow era. The series claims to be attempting to update ethnic and sexual expectations by providing diverse, dynamic personalities, but it also winds up reinforcing assumptions and serving negative messages about blackness and queerness. "Lovecraft Country" is an example of a series that uses Black pain as plot currency. The historical figures and incidents are not integrated into the story in such a way that the characters' integrity is freshly exposed or recognized, or that our understanding of black injuries and generational curses is expanded. They're used for humor, as if using allusions to and scenes of Black struggles will elevate the show's reputation, but all the show emphasizes is how terrible racism was. This is because the lack of character growth for the protagonist is blamed on the fact that the series portrays white racists as villains while failing to make the black protagonists as convincing. For Lovecraft Country to be a series that incorporates genre conventions and social criticism effectively, the main characters need to be compelling even without the challenge of facing monsters and white supremacists. While Giorgis thinks that the main characters aren’t as compelling because they went through challenges without proper character development, Ruby sits outside of that characterization being a supporting character and is able to showcase the damages of the Jim Crow Era on the black community.
“I want you to feel what I feel right now. Heartbroken. Scared. Furious. Tired. So fucking tired of feeling this way over and over. And I want you to feel alone and shameful, 'cause I'm here, feeling this, and you will never understand it. I want you to feel guilty 'cause... for feeling safe next to you and your privilege. I should be on the SouthSide with my people, mourning a sweet little boy who was taken from us. You wanna know why I took that potion? Because today of all days, I didn't wanna be a Black woman fucking a white man.” After the death of Emmett Till, Ruby realizes once and for all the thick line of separation between white and black people. She knows now that her morphing ability may’ve been able to help her escape from the reality of being a black woman, but not entirely, so she started to embrace her true self and stop trying so hard to fit in with the white man. The Jim Crow Era impacted the black community negatively as portrayed through the character Ruby in the show. The struggles that Ruby faces showcases the effects of the Jim Crow Era through her psyche, the discrimination that she faced, and by the white characters exploiting her. Ruby faced these issues during the Jim Crow Era where it was common for the white man to feel and act superior to the black man. Jim Crow effects on the black community is such a popular and important topic that it's infiltrating today’s pop culture to show that these effects are still prevalent in today’s society.
Jasmine is from Paterson, New Jersey and is currently a student at Bloomfield College.
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