Looking at how black creators have been historically ignored helps us understand why black authors have been systematically rejected from publishing houses, removed from mainstream curriculums, and kept out of bookstores and libraries. Yes, it’s old-fashioned racism and intentional oppression, but it’s more nuanced than just that.
The Struggle of Black Creators
The Fallacy That No One Cares
The Black perspective has been intentionally kept out of mainstream literature for the same reasons all other black achievements and innovations struggle to break through, the powers that be (largely white) are skeptical that people want to hear these stories, i.e. can make money off them.
It’s been decades of an uphill battle convincing board members, investors, banks and producers that, YES there is a broader appetite for black film at the box office, or black country music at the CMT awards, or black art in galleries or that black-cast TV shows like Insecure, Empire or Lovecraft Country can have universal appeal.
The same challenge goes with publishing houses for books with black protagonists. According to a recent AJC article, the issue is not the lack of talent, but a shortage of diversity among the industry power brokers. A 2015 study by Lee & Low Books showed 79% of those employed by the publishing industry were white and only 4% were Black. In 2019, the numbers were not much better 76% white and only 5% Black. Convincing these stakeholders that these art forms are great – period – involves superhuman efforts.
The Double Standard Restricting Black Content
There has also been the double standard where if one “black” project fails, funding is pulled for all black projects within that field. For example, when The Wiz performed poorly at the box office it became the kiss of doom for all black film projects – investors and critics alike decided black film was dead and changing their minds took decades.
Talk about pressure.
The dichotomy of “black literature” or “black tv” or any other art form is obviously unfair, limiting, and reductive because there is no such thing as “white tv” or “white literature,” it gets to exist as a free-form default without the burden of representing an entire group of people. The same goes for critical research and areas of study in black American history dissected out of general history and treated as optional knowledge – an African-American studies course, not necessary or required learning for the broader “default” curriculum.
Even in the case of these optional elective curriculums excluded from general learning, and channels labeled black-this or that, there are still restrictions. Just this month, Florida Department of Education banned an African-American AP studies class from being rolled out. This deprives students who WANT to learn the history purged from traditional social studies curriculums. AP European history though? No problem.
Every student in our nation should be able to learn about the culture, contributions, and experiences of all Americans—including Black Americans—who shaped our history. – Kamala Harris
Misrepresentation or no Representation
It is also a dishonest representation of the complete story of humanity and history. Removing perspectives of marginalized groups from a mainstream narrative tells only half the story and creates invisible spaces and invisible shoulders in history through which accomplishments were achieved – ie the stolen labor that built American infrastructure, railroads, and economies being credited to the few men at the top not those with the shovels. Without representation in art, literature, or history young black creatives are less likely to see themselves in these roles in society, reducing the pipeline of potential talent to fill in these gaps.
- Did you know, only 7.64% of children’s books are written by black or African authors?
- Pew research found that only 7% of public school teachers are black
- Curriculums all the way through higher education are written almost entirely by white authors. Of the 73 contributing authors of the Teachers College Reading and Writing Project (TCRWP) Units of Study curriculum, only two are African-American, that’s 2.7%.
Telling only half a truth is often a great lie. – Benjamin Franklin
Why Reading Black-Authored Books Matter
It’s not just capitalism, entertainment and higher education that are reluctant to center or even include black voices. A common reason given for excluding black literature is that it is too “niche” and not relevant or interesting to the broader “white” world. As awareness of these contributions disappear, and these books go unread, these perspectives go unvoiced and fallacies go unchallenged.
American author LL McKinney, has been tokenized by publishers who have claimed to already have their “black girl” book for the year. “It’s amusing to me when publishers say that they follow the market. They’re doing it because of tradition. And the tradition is racism,” says McKinney.
The Nobel Prize for Literature which has been awarded 115 times since 1901 has only been won by 4 black people. Wole Soyinka in 1986, Derek Walcott In 1992, Toni Morrison 1993, and Abdulrazak Gurnahin 2021. The percentage of black recipients in all Nobel Prize categories combined only trickles out to 1.7% black recipients.
Reading black-authored books is the best opportunity our larger country, of all ethnicities has at getting a chiropractic adjustment that is more aligned with reality. Whether in research, academic publications, or film a theatre scripts – including a body of work by black creators expands perspectives and cross-cultural understanding. Having an open discourse devoid of reality doesn’t leave much room for finding commonality or connection.
It’s Good for our Collective Future
And by “our” I mean everyone’s future.
Black-Authored Books can Reduce Harm
Black and indigenous children who grow up without seeing themselves represented in their curriculum or in the assigned summer reading can develop a sense of inferiority and shame. To learn history exclusively through a white lens can be a disembodying experience – where do I fit in?
Children who grow up without an accurate portrayal of their history or experiences outside of a defacto, white-informed narrative can grow up confused about marginalized societies place in the great American story and oblivious to their contributions. This can create a harmful impact of shame, internalized racism, and invisibility in non-white students.
If the only time black history comes up is in a cursory paragraph on slavery, it robs black youth of pride, self-worth and an accurate understanding of black contributions. The timeline of black history begins centuries before slavery, from the birth of humanity.
These histories exist, but the largely white authors of our childrens’ textbooks do not see the value in presenting a comprehensive worldview that does not center on europeans and western nationalism. The vantage point that exists today is just a few pixels of the full picture.
The lack of representation of stories from the black perspective in mainstream American literature is a major issue because it can be harder for black youth to see a pathway to different places without representation of black authors, scientists, mathematicians, inventors and entrepreneurs.
Black-Authored Literature can Open Minds and Change Public Discourse
This is why black authors, black creators, black writers and black teachers need to be at the center of rebalancing the text books, required reading and curriculums the next generation consumes. America (and the world at large) cannot be pieced apart and separated by the colonized and the colonizer. All of humanity has impact and interdependencies that fall apart when separated from the wider story.
Without learning about the genocide, displacement and land grab of indigenous people, the fallacy of manifest destiny thinking, black code, Jim Crow, a history of melanated exploitation and systemic oppression, why wouldn’t a white student credit their generational wealth and accomplishments to simply just being better, smarter, superior and more deserving?
That hubristic line of thinking is just one of the dangers of teaching half truths. It’s from this feeling of superiority that white supremacy, xenophobia, and racism are born. The cost of keeping white children comfortable comes at the expense of black dignity, a moonshot at a harmonious society, and access to true American history and experience. Being uncomfortable is ok. It’s even good for you. It’s a part of growth.
When African Americans and immigrant perspectives are scrubbed from curriculum, students are the ones short-changed on the complexities of American history and the interplay between ethnic and racial lines.
Whiteness remains masked from everyday consciousness, allowing them to be blind not only to their own privileges but also to their group membership. And in a White supremacist society, many of the privileges that flow to Whites are invisible, unearned, and not consciously acknowledged – Source: Study on The Unexamined Whiteness of Teaching (Howard 1999; Jensen 2005)
Inclusive and intentional study of black-authored literature can create a bridge for public discourse for future generations. It prevents white people from reaching to conclusions of lazy stereotypes and indulging in harmful behaviors that prevent societal healing.
About Allison Bondi
Allison Bondi is a copywriter out of Rochester, NY by way of Atlanta. Her work appears online for various tech companies, nonprofits, and in print for lifestyle magazines and local publications. When she’s not writing, she’s trying to keep her indoor plants alive and making postcard collages. You can find her portfolio on Upwork.
