The Spook Who Sat by the Door

Identity formation in institutional racism and building resistance against the state is seen in The Spook Who Sat by the Door directed by Ivan Dixon in 1973. While institutional racism and segregation are shown through the relationship between agency and candidate in The Spook Who Sat by the Door, institutional racism and segregation are shown through the education system in Carson’s chapter 17. In the film, the main character Dan Freeman, had to work hard and compete against his teammates and at the same time fight against the oppression by his trainers within the CIA agency. After joining the CIA, Freeman decides to go back to his community to teach young gang members skills he learned during his training. The purpose for even recruiting black males into the agency was simply to show racial integration within the system. This same technique was also used within the education system at Oklahoma State University. George W. McLaurin was the first African American to sit in an all white class room at the university level. His integration in the school system may seem fair on the surface, but in reality, McLaurin faced segregation by the university, and by his classmates. McLaurin was forced to sit in the back of the room where he had difficulties hearing and seeing the his instructor. This could only make it more difficult for him to be fully engaged in his studies. He was also assigned to sit at his own private table in the dining commons. The university stated that this was for McLaurins protection. Although, this actually is just an act of isolation from the rest of the students, who did not wish to engage in conversation with him because of his skin tone (Carson, 438-439). In resemblance to the film, McLaurin was also used as a tool to mask segregational acts within the institution, who was trying to show racial interrogation in the system. Both cases are examines of identity formation because Freeman had to create a new identity that would allow him to complete his goal in joining the CIA and eventually help his community. W.E.B Du Bois’s believed that academic education and the franchise would give students self-confidence to master economic challenges, and liberal arts would allow them no make good choices for their society. Which is exactly what Freeman hoped to achieve with his position in the CIA.