Race analysis African Americans, the main non-White ethnic group in this society, are called the Children of Ham. A state TV broadcast mentions they have been relocated "en masse" to "National Homelands" in North Dakota, which are suggestive of the apartheid-era homelands (Bantustans) set up by South Africa or forced death marches. Ana Cottle characterized The Handmaid's Tale as "White feminism", noting that Atwood does away with Black people in a few lines by relocating the "Children of Ham" while borrowing heavily from the African-American experience and applying it to White women, specifically Gilead's explicit anti-literacy laws, which was borrowed from real life anti-literacy campaigns in the United States, alongside the removal of surnames among handmaids, an ode to how enslaved Africans were not given last names until Emancipation.
race analysis african americans the main non-white ethnic group in this society are called the children of ham a state tv broadcast mentions they have been relocated "en masse" to "national homelands" in north dakota which are suggestive of the apartheid-era homelands (bantustans) set up by south africa or forced death marches ana cottle characterized the handmaid's tale as "white feminism" noting that atwood does away with black people in a few lines by relocating the "children of ham" while borrowing heavily from the african-american experience and applying it to white women specifically gilead's explicit anti-literacy laws which was borrowed from real life anti-literacy campaigns in the united states alongside the removal of surnames among handmaids an ode to how enslaved africans were not given last names until emancipation