Race Issues

In the novel, No Hiding Place, by Valerie Wilson Wesley, the main character private investigator Tamara Hayle faces many difficulties in her career in law enforcement. Wesley explores the struggles of a black woman in a white-male dominated police force and at the same time she also comments upon the constant struggle between inner-city blacks and the oppression they face from the police force. The novel is set in the modern-day and takes an introspective …

…own position (47). In the course of her investigation Tamara Hayle comes across many barriers and we see just how racism stands in the way of minorities. From outright violence, such as police brutality, to denial of resources, such as lack of protection, oppressed people are kept in their subordinate positions by those in power. Wesley's novel illustrates that such incidents can be easily ignored, but ignoring them will eventually lead to serious consequences for everyone.