Claudia Rankine’s Citizen is a collection of literature containing poems and stories from the point of view as a black woman in the modern 21st century. Citizen ignites a political and social interest in the audience, as it deals with daily racial circumstances and allows people alike to relate and find some form of closure. This essay will focus on three examples: the neighbor who called the police on her black babysitter, the drive in the car with the unsettling writer, and Serena Williams on the tennis court.

Claudia Rankine’s Citizen resonates mostly with marginalized groups, but specifically, the black community. Citizen is a book consisted of poems that ultimately convey the theme of racism and colorism in today’s culture. Rankine focuses on the everyday issues that she’s had to endure as a black woman, from minute to large, and condensed them into poems that have an everlasting, heavy effect on the readers. The main points of this work were primarily to open the eyes of the audience who were either oblivious to the way black people of color go through life or to offer a sense of unity and inner conflict resolution for fellow black people of color. Rankine’s Citizen is a profound and direct summary of what is corrupt with this world in terms of skin color and race, and she delivers it in an emotionally tolling way to leave a bitter taste in the reader’s mouth. 

For example, in chapter one of Claudia Rankine’s Citizen, she summarizes an experience of which she asked her black friend to watch her child for her and her husband to go out and enjoy a film for the night. In this instance, her neighbor is immediately alerted by a strange man on their porch later that night pacing back and forth and talking on the phone. Her neighbor is considerably alarmed and decides to call the police, but informs Claudia before doing so as she is on her way home. Upon arriving, the police are gone, and her neighbor has apologized for the misunderstanding. Almost instinctively, Claudia feeling guilty, tells her friend he should just pick up calls in the backyard but then upsets him as he explains he can go outside to talk on the phone where ever he pleases. Claudia is immediately washed with embarrassment and shame, as she forgot to take a step back and assess what was truly happening in this situation. Her friend was racially profiled, as many black men are, and seen as a criminal for doing something so mundane as to pick up a phone call outside, and almost jailed because of it. Within this passage, Rankine summarizes that as a black person, more often than not you could very well be doing something so simple, so plain as day, but there will always be people threatened by your mere presence and will almost instinctively paint you as a truant, a criminal. 

Another instance worth noting in Citizen was when she included a drive going home at night with a writer in the car, who talks about how he’s offended the dean makes him hire a person of color when there are “so many great writers out there”. She didn’t know whether to feel offended or why she was included in hearing him speak in this concerning way, almost as if she was not sitting right there. The main points that come of this are that most racist people feel as if your skin color has everything to do with their talents or personality traits. The man in the car made a bold statement inferring that people of color lack talent, and the “so many great writers out there” are only of but one color: white. And the most daring thing about it was that he reiterated this point out loud, in her presence. Does he not see her skin color, but does with simply everyone else? What is she supposed to do in this instance as well? Brush it off almost as nothing happened, which is what most people of color are backed into a corner to do. This belittles her presence, as well as the many talents people of color behold and it is a serious problem occurring in the world.

Finally, Claudia Rankine specifically dedicated chapter two on the topic of Serena Williams and her career. Serena Williams is a powerful, black and immensely talented female tennis player. I assume Rankine felt that Williams’ life and circumstances resonated greatly within Rankine’s self. In this chapter, Rankine specifically talks about the unfair calls that are made against Serena on the tennis court by white umpires and the effects it held on her career. The main point that Rankine refers to in this chapter is that often, black women are always seen and perceived as the stereotypical “angry black girl” for no reason. Williams was caught yelling multiple times at umpires after she was fed up with the unfair calls that became only because of her darker skin. After her yelling got her banned from participating in further matches for about two years, Serena came back stronger and calmer than ever. She has managed to keep her composure and decided not to give in to the pressure put on her to display the “angry black woman” stereotype. Williams went on to win every match between the US Open and 2012 championship upon her return. Rankine made Williams so significant in her book because Williams played a pivotal role in combatting racial profiling and stereotypes held against black women. Serena Williams had the odds against her, and it would have been so easy to give up or to ultimately break down, but she did the exact opposite and came back better than ever. This is something that young black girls can learn from, that you do not have to play these stereotypical roles, it is not you, and it certainly can be ignored. However, most importantly, this also challenges the idea that you have to be white to be successful.

Rankine illuminates a specific sentiment that she’s come to accept with living as a person of color. The passage at the end states, “‘Did you win?’ he asks. It wasn’t a match, I say. It was a lesson.” She creates this metaphor essentially highlighting that you cannot win in the ever-evolving fight of race and color of your skin. She makes it a point that it is crucial to remember that you will never win; you just keep persevering, you just keep practicing, and there is only the effort in continuing to play. Rankine chooses to end Citizen with, “It wasn’t a match. It was a lesson.” because this relates to the thematic concerns of the book and strengthens it to the end. When living as a minority, it is important to recognize that not every racial situation or circumstance you’ve faced is a battle. More importantly, it is a lesson you move forward and carry with you for the rest of your life. These situations and confrontations teach you how to go on with your day, how to still be you without being whatever their sense is of you. Similar to the specific situation Rankine highlights in her ending where a lady chooses to park elsewhere after seeing Rankine, she still concentrates on how to encourage positivity without neglecting issues. In this passage in Citizen, she teaches readers the importance of living through life not bitter, not spiteful, but seeing every day as an ongoing effort to play this game we call life and acknowledging that there will never be a champion, just showing up and continuing to play. 

The overall themes and concerns of Rankine relate to the theme of Self and Other in Literature. Self and Other in Literature’s theme is to examine writers who are interested in the way people use language and image to situate themselves in relation themselves, each other, and society. Rankine uses Citizen for the readers to be able to relate to her, but also find a sense of themselves within it. For example, the text states, “It is not only that confrontation is headache-producing; it is also that you have a destination that doesn’t include acting like this moment isn’t inhabitable, hasn’t happened before, and the before isn’t part of the now as the night darkens and the time shortens between where we are and where we are going.” In this excerpt, she notes that situations like these where you feel uncomfortable are all too familiar but it is almost impossible to find a certain, distinctive way to navigate through these instances. This relates to Self and Other because it deals with the way society functions and how you can break down and relate to this. Rankine also states, “He looks at you a long minute before saying he can speak on the phone wherever he wants. Yes, of course, you say. Yes, of course.” In this quote, Rankine makes it all feel too real regarding the instinct to implicitly apologize for the color of your skin. This relates to Self and Other because it makes you think about how you may be unknowingly compromising yourself in the presence of others in the same manner. And finally, according to Citizen, “Again Serena’s frustrations, her disappointments, exist within a system you understand not to try to understand in any fair-minded way because to do so is to understand the erasure of the self as systemic, as ordinary.” This sentence sums up Citizen almost as a whole and relates to Self and Other greatly. To try to understand systematic oppression with a fairness bias is to belittle the whole situation and the people involved. This gives the audience a different way of looking at this. 

Claudia Rankine offers a valuable sense of what it is like living as a black woman and all the insignificant to monumental hardships she endures. Citizen gives people an understanding of what it is like to live such a way, especially for those who have no idea. This book is not to bash the tensions between races, but almost how to live in this world in the middle of it all.