The Practices of Racial Discrimination
because of the label. In the society, most people believe that the Virgin Mary comes from whites. Therefore, whites are condemned if there is another Virgin
Mary that is black. I pointed to the honey jars. “Where did you get those?”
He thought the tone of shock in my voice was really consternation . “I
know what you mean. A lot of folks won‟t buy it‟ cause it‟s got the Virgin Mary pictured as a colored woman, but see, that‟s because the woman who
makes the honey is colored herself Kidd, 2002: 105. From the quotation above, it is known that even just a honey jar that is
labelled black Madonna can make some people lose interest to buy it. This result in a condition where the profit that August and her sisters make is not worth with
the effort that they make to produce the honey. White people think the word “Black” relates with the idea of bad and dirty. The meaning of this idea is that
African American people must be bad in terms of their physicall appearance and their attitude.
The second practice of racial discrimination can be seen when the whites have the term to call one of African American women character in novel that is
Rosaleen. The word Nigger is the impolite word not only for African American women but also for African American men.
“Well, look what we got coming here,” he called out. “Where‟re you going, nigger?” Kidd, 2002: 51.
The third practice of racial discrimination as written in the novel The Secret Life of Bess is in public places. Segregation according to Aguirre and
Turner is a process of spatially isolating members of an ethnic subpopulation in areas where they cannot have the same access to valued resources as do people
who are not isolated 2011: 7- 8. When Rosaleen was tortured by three white
men, she was brought to a hospital. As written in the novel, the place and the facility for White people are different from those for African American people.
Sylvan Memorial Hospital was a low brick building with one wing for whites and one for blacks. I stepped into a deserted corridor clogged with
too many smells. Carnations, old people, rubbing alcohol, bathroom deodorizer, red Jell-O. Air conditioners poked out from the windows in the
white section, but back here there was nothing but electric fans moving the hot air from one place to another Kidd, 2002: 74- 75.
From the quotation above, an example of the different treatment for White
and the African American people is that the air conditioner is provided for White people and electric fans are provided for African American people. This unfair
treatment that African American people get is injustice because they cannot get as comfortable as the White people at the hospital.
The other public places where discrimination towards African American women takes place is at
the motel and white‟s house. As written in the novel The Secret Life of Bees, there is no motel that will serve any African American woman
even though they can pay it. It is also emphasized by Rosaleen that no White people will take any black woman into their house.
“If we can find some place open when we get to town, I‟ll go in and get us some
food, “I told her. “And what‟re we gonna do for beds?” she said.
“If they don‟t have a motel, we‟ll have to rent a room.” She smiled at me then. “Lily, child, there ain‟t gonna be any place that will
take a colored woman. I don‟t care if she‟s the Virgin Mary; nobody‟s
letting her stay if she‟s colored” Kidd, 2002: 98-99. Another public place that African American women find it difficult to
access and to get their needs is the market. It happens to May and April. “Well, when April and May were eleven, they walked to the market with a
nickel each to buy an ice cream. They‟d seen the white children in there licking their cones and looking at cartoon books. The man who owned that
market gave them the cones but said they had to go outside to eat them. April was headstrong and told him she wanted to look at the cartoon
books. She argued with the man for her own way, like she used to do with father, and finally the man took her arm and pulled her to the door, and her
ice creaming dropped to the fl
oor. She came home screaming that it wasn‟t fair “Kidd, 2002: 158.
The way the man lets them eat the cones outside the market is one proof that even children suffer the impact of segregation. They are just eleven years old but they
can see how unfair the treatment of segregation toward them, even they just want to look at the cartoon books at the market with the white children. In addition, the
white children inside the market can see the treatment that an adult does to African American children. Then, they could do the same thing to African
American people around them. The fourth practice of racial discrimination found in the novel The Secret
Life of Bess is in economic life especially in finding a job. It happens to June and August. Although they have proper educational background, they find it difficult
to get a job at that time. “I studied at a Negro teacher‟s college in Maryland. June did, too, but it
was hard to get a job, since there were‟t that many places for Negroes to teach. I ended up working nine years as housekeeper. Eventually I got a
job teaching history. It lasted six years, till we moved down here” Kidd, 2002: 240.
From the quotation above the writer sees that even they have ability to teach like the white, the chance to teach is rare because African American women are not
given enough opportunity to teach like White people are. That August ended up working nine years as housekeeper is the proof that
many African American women work low level job, such as housekeeper of the White people. As written, the African Americans had been the slaves and the
servants of White people since a long time ago. This treatment also gives impact to their economic life. To be a housekeeper means that they get low salary that
puts them in vicious circle of poverty and find it difficult to get out of it. The fifth practice of racial discrimination as written in novel, The Secret
Life of Bees is law that is unfair. Law that is unfair does not only happen to African American men but also happen to African American women. They are the
victim of the unfair law. They cannot do something although the ones guilty are White people. All happens because the police and the jury are all white. At least,
the one who get punishment is always African American people. By then Rosaleen lay sprawled on the ground, pinned, twisting her fingers
around clumps of grass. Blood ran from a cut beneath her eye. It curved under her chin the ways tears do.
When policeman got there, he said we had to get into the back of his car.
“You‟re under arrest,” he told Rosaleen, “Assault, theft, and disturbing the peace” Kidd, 2002: 53- 54.
The men get angry and hit Rosaleen violently because Rosaleen lifts her
snuffjug and pour it across the tops of the men‟s shoes. Rosaleen did it because three white men mock her and call her Nigger. Rosaleen with her bravery tells
them that she wants to register her name as a voter. Then, three white men start to make the situation worse. From the quotation above, the one who get the
punishment is Rosaleen since she lifts her snuff jug to three white men‟s shoes.
Meanwhile, the three white men who hit her violently do not get any punishment. Logically, the three white men must also get punishment because they hit women.
In fact, at that time law only applies for African American people. The other proof can be seen in the quotation below:
“After you left, that policeman called Shoe let those men come in for their apolo
gy.” “They hit you again?”
“Two of them held me by the arms while the other one hit me- the one with the flashlight. He said, „Nigger, you say you‟re sorry.‟ When I didn‟t,
he came at me. He hit me till the policemen said that was enough. They didn‟t get no apology, though” Kidd, 2002: 76.
The way the policeman lets the three white men come to Rosaleen and hit
her again is the proof of how worse the treatment to African American people at that time. Even law enforcement officer allows and endorses unfair treatment
toward African American woman. Those quotations above proof that African American people experience
unfair treatment towards their rights. As citizens, they have the right to register and to go voting. In fact, White people forbid African American people to have
their rights like the way the three white men mock Rosaleen because Rosaleen tells them that she wants to register her name to do voting. Another proof is on
below. An uneasy feeling settled in my stomach, Last night the television had said
a man in Mississippi was killed for registering to vote, and I myself had overheard Mr. Bussey, one of the deacons, say to T.Ray,” Don‟t you
worry, they‟re gonna make „em write their names in perfect cursive and refuse them a card if they forget so much as to dot i or make a loop in their
y.” I studied the curves of Rosaleen‟s R. “Does T.Ray know what you‟re
doing?” “T. Ray,” she said. “T. Ray don‟t know nothing” Kidd, 2002: 44.
Most African American women at that time work as a servant or
housekeeper. It means they must obey the rule and the command of White people as their master or landowner. Once their master knows that they will go to register
their name as the voters, they will be kicked out from their job. It means that their
lives depend on White people and there is nothing they could do. Therefore, it is impossible for Rosaleen to get permission from T. Ray to go to register her name.
White people at that time have many ways to block the freedom of African American people when they want to register her name as a voter. White people
even kill African American who wants to vote.