Over the centuries, the realm of Black Literature (and here I’m focusing on works of fiction) has blessed the world with such giants as Alexander Dumas, Zora Neale Hurston, Langston Hughes, Richard Wright, Chinua Achebe, Lorraine Hansberry, Toni Morrison, Walter Mosley, Alice Walker, Octavia Butler, Walter Dean Myers, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Eric LaSalle… and many, many more, including the Defender Network’s Managing Editor ReShonda Tate, an NAACP Image Award winner for fiction writing and author of 54 books.
The power of Black Literature goes beyond the fact that it can offer the reader a momentary escape from whatever current issues and realities they’re facing. Black Literature, like all art, allows us to connect with the past, understand the present, and envision the future in ways that go much deeper and are more lasting than mere charts, graphs, and fact-driven lectures.
Art can literally be liberating. And Black Literature, the art of making a story come to life via putting word to paper (or stroke to computer keyboard), has proven to be one of the most liberating, freeing, enlightening forces on the planet.
The number of plays and movies that trace their origins to Black Literature is astounding. Not only that, the number of global change agents (activists, community servants, etc.) who were inspired to dedicate their lives to making a better world because they were able to see one via the imaginations of the Black authors they read, is an oft-repeated testimony.
And at a time when Black history, Black thought, Black voice, and Black creativity are being policed and criminalized, we would do well to protect and promote that tried-and-true source of so much of our trans-generational genius and creativity – Black Literature.
What’s stopping us from initiating a 21st-century Black Literature renaissance? Absolutely nothing. So, while we’ve got the space and opportunity, let’s kick off one this Black History Month by purchasing (or checking out from your nearest public library) and reading some Black Literature.
There’s no telling how your mind, body, and spirit will be ignited and inspired by the stories great Black writers, past and present, have shared with the world. And while you’re at it, why not give some of these newer authors a read? Like the brother who wrote “The 100th Monkey: Three Tales of Spiritual Revolution,” “Stand Your Ground,” and “Annual 0-1.”
I hear he’s good!
And who knows? You may mess around and discover the next great voice(s) of a generation and unlock the keys to our true liberation.
