The advent of social media and the ease with which practically anyone with access to the Internet may see how white supremacy is alive and kicking (and shooting) has furthered Ellison’s vision. But Ellison’s Invisible Man is more than an astonishingly well-written work of fiction-for the contemporary reader, particularly a young reader of color like myself, it is an instruction manual on how to recognize and resist white supremacy as it functions both internally and externally. Perhaps the most valuable tool for young people of color is their ability to resist and in turn, rally. This reflex to make oneself known must be carefully cultivated, sharpened and maintained as if it were a valuable tool-because it is. As the coronavirus pandemic rages on in the United States and the rest of the world (but mostly the United States), millions of people are stuck at home scrolling through social media, eyes inundated with images and videos of protesters who are aching to shout: BLACK LIVES MATTER. In the shadow of social media and Black Lives Matter, this generation’s struggle to shake off the yoke of white supremacy has become the dominating narrative. Related: 7 Books About Race to Explain the Current Unrest Not only to ensure our survival, but because those who came before us fought and died for our right to do so.

We have a social responsibility to assert our role in this grand scheme.

In the here and now of Summer 2020, withdrawal from the American narrative is simply a luxury young people of color cannot afford.

As he entreats the reader to understand his rationale, it becomes more and more clear how toxic even the most limited exposure to the status quo of white supremacy is to people of color-in spite of everything, one cannot blame him for wanting to leave. Ellison presents the hero of this story as one who has endured the injustices one expects from mid-20th century America, and came to a point in his life where he decided the only way to beat the game was to not play at all.

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