Friday Black

Although Emmanuel remains haunted by the Finkelstein 5 and hardly ever voices a direct opposition to Naming, he is also quietly complicit in the systemic racism that gave rise to the murder and subsequent violent trend. His complicity is symbolized by the ever-changing projection of his self-image, referred to as his Blackness. Emmanuel believes that by controlling details like the tone of his voice or the way he dresses, he can present himself as an acceptable member of a society that seems predisposed to commit violence against Black people. On the surface, Emmanuel’s fixation on his Blackness seems innocuous, especially in contrast to the physical self-injury Boogie commits whenever he carves a number five into his skin. However, the latter act is done in solidarity with the victims, while the former acknowledges that people who display high levels of Blackness are not the norm. This ironically brings Emmanuel closer to George Wilson Dunn, who reinforces this idea when he portrays the Finkelstein 5 as an inherently distrustful group of youths in his testimony. With this, Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah critiques the idea that cooperating with systemic racism will protect Black people; Emmanuel’s diminishing his Blackness does not get him hired, shield him from bigotry, or save his life.

Adjei-Brenyah’s choice to depict key moments from the trial is, therefore, critical to understanding Emmanuel’s internal conflict. The author employs exaggeration and a satirical tone to show how little the facts of violence matter in a flawed justice system. The first time the defense speaks up in the case, they draw a false dichotomy between a love for the law and a love for one’s children. When the prosecution raises an incredulous objection, the judge dismisses it, “[dabbing] the now wet corners of her eyes” (5). From that point on, the tenor of the defense leans toward appealing to traditional American values like freedom, family, and an overriding respect for civil liberties. The sensationalistic nature of the Finkelstein 5 murders is meant to establish a clear sense of right and wrong; it is absurd to classify killing someone with a chainsaw as self-defense. This fact is juxtaposed with the jingoistic nature of the trial to expose how white supremacy works, distorting facts and morality to support a discriminatory and violent national identity.

These elements lend themselves to The Normalization of Violence as one of the collection’s central themes. As Naming becomes more widespread, the public discourse around it demonstrates the double standard that Black people face every day. While George Wilson Dunn is let off for the brutal murder he committed on the grounds of freedom, the Namers are generalized to represent the attitudes of all Black people, reinforcing the stereotype that Black people are intrinsically violent. While Naming emerges in response to the unjust trial, Emmanuel’s lack of satisfaction from participating illuminates that escalating violence is not an effective way to seek justice. Since Dunn’s crime is the result of systemic racism, systemic change and justice are the solution rather than interpersonal violence. However, Emmanuel is killed by police before he’s able to act on this feeling or knowledge, indicating that systemic racism is an enduring problem.