Calvin Hennick’s article called “Raising a Black Son in America”, illustrated Hennick’s recent thoughts and struggles with his five-year old son. He fears he is not a capable father and cannot properly educate his son, Nile, on the world of racism and diversity they live in. This is similar to that found in Chabon’s article because of the conflicts they find in fatherhood. Chabon feels as if he is only his son’s minder, and holding him back on their trip to fashion week in Paris, whereas Hennick feels he is failing his son also. He feels as if he is “less than fully equipped to be a father.” While his son is still young and innocent, Hennick feels he is failing as a father because his son has yet to know about racism and segregation. In the way that Hennick feels like a bad father, Roxane Gay felt she was a bad feminist. While they fight these inner conflicts about their performance as roles in society, Hennick will still be a father, and Gay still a feminist. Only time will tell whether they become or are good ones. Hennick is good for educating his son on the past, but it will mostly be his son’s own experiences out in the world that will tell him about the current state of racism in America.
