Andrea Perkins

African American Literature: the Past, the Present, the Future

(Research Journal)

Introduction

            The purpose of this journal is to explore African American literature. This genre will be explored in terms of its history, its present-day status, and give suggestions to enhance its future in schools. This genre will be explored in terms of adult and children's themes and their effect on the reader.

            I can remember being introduced to some literature that carried some African American themes during middle and high school. There were novels like To Kill a Mockingbird and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn that included African American themes that were lightly covered. Although I feel up to date with the themes offered by African American literature, it wasn't until recently that I realized that my exposure to its literature and authors was somewhat limited and not offered through the public school system twenty years ago when I came through it. How could this be when African Americans played such an important role in our country's foundation and the literature has been around from the country's beginning? This literature course has enlightened me on the topic and presented avenues for further exploration through this journal.

The History of African American Literature

            From 1936 to 1938, over 2,300 former slaves from across the American South were interviewed by writers and journalists under the aegis of the Works Progress Administration (Historic Documents). Most of these former slaves were born in the last years of the slavery or during the Civil War. They provide first hand accounts of their experiences on plantations and small farms. Each narrative offers a fragmentary representation of slave life. They make up the African American literary genre, the slave narrative.  Together they offer a composite view of slavery expressing themes such as labor, resistance and flight, family life, relations with masters, and religious beliefs. It is recorded that "the interesting narrative of the life of Olaudah  Equiano, a bestseller when published in 1789, is the prototype for the nineteenth century slave narrative" (Gates).   Alice Lucas writes about Solomon Northup, a free Black man in New York who was kidnapped to Washington D.C. and sold into slavery in 1841. Upon his return to New York and freedom, an account of his twelve years as a slave in Louisiana was published. Lucas writes, "The story told by the script is excerpted from the 1989 edition (by Louisiana State University Press), edited by Sue Eakin and Joseph Logsden, which was based on the original 1853 edition" (Lucas). Although there is evidence that this form of African American literature has been around long before the 1900's, it seems to have just recently made its way into mainstream literature. An article by Lucinda Kline designates the first publication of books written for African American children as the 1890's (Kline). Other historical documents that can be considered African American literature are the 13th and 14th Amendments of the Constitution (1865,1868), the Emancipation Proclamation (1862), and Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" speech (1963). Although these documents don't depict individual lives of African Americans, they do display the African American themes of a need to rise again and a quest for group dignity.

African American Literature: the Present

            Presently there is a large selection of African American literature available. This is true for children and adults. The children's literature can be helpful in giving black children knowledge of their culture early in life in order for them to understand the "Black" experience. One resource says African American children's literature can "provide positive images of black children and realistic depictions of black culture, heritage, and life experiences that are relevant to black children and youth" (The Spirit of Excellence). One such book is The People Could Fly by Virginia Hamilton. This book is filled with the theme of slavery through tales and riddles. The book includes a tale where the wily Bruh Rabbit outwits larger and stronger animals, fantasy escapes exemplified by the title and other tall tales, all echoing the voices of slaves. This technique enables children to easily digest this mature topic. One critic writes, "Humor, magic and mystery underscore the theme of freedom in this collection of stories drawn from the African American folktale tradition (Hamilton). Another children's book that works in the same manner is Down By the River by Grace Hallworth. This book is a collection of rhymes, games, and songs that have been passed down by generations of children of African decent. This book can enhance an African American child's knowledge of his/her heritage. One such rhyme from the book goes,

                        I diggin' potatoes,

                        John belly gros.

                        All roun' de harbor,

                        John belly gros.

                        An' coo coo in de fire,

                        John belly gros.

                        An' de cat can't catch me,

                        John belly gros. (Hallworth)

Coo coo is a dish of cornmeal and okra cooked in butter. From this rhyme African American children can learn about the food of their ancestors and the language that they spoke.

            As for African American adult literature, some of the titles and authors are more common. There are authors such as Alice Walker, Toni Morrison, Donald Goines, Paule Marshall, and Maya Angelou. Although these authors are most famous for fictional literature, their books still carry strong themes surrounding African American experiences. For instance, Toni Morrison's Beloved historically provides facts about actual events that occurred during slavery. Modeled after the slave narratives it "shows the cruelties of slavery as an institution and demonstrates the intellectual and moral worthiness of individual African Americans who were fortunate enough to escape it" (Kubitschek, 26). Donald Goines, Black Girl Lost was a novel that I first read in this class. It depicts the harsh ghetto life of a young black girl in a modern day setting. Goines covers familiar themes such as African American resistance and/or assimilation and imprisonment in society. These themes and those covered in the slave narratives could be very useful to the understanding of black youths today. Even though social studies presents African American themes like migration, economics, education, and lifestyle (Johnson), such novels could enhance those themes. But, they are scarcely a part of a middle or high school curriculum.

African American Literature: the Future

            African American literature and authors are on the rise. It would be a delight to see more African American literature incorporated into the school curriculum. Exposure to African American themes through literature earlier in life will be useful in the social and emotional development of black youths and will certainly boost a positive pride in the culture. "Demographic projections indicate that the classrooms of the future will be quite different from those of the past because of the increasing language and ethnic diversity found among the American student population" (Dana). This means that teachers have to be more prepared for multicultural challenges. They can become better prepared for African American students through the reading of African American literature. This should be done not only for knowledge of themes but also for the development of sensitivity. Teachers of African American literature may become overwhelmed by the amount of material that can be covered.  It is important for teachers to familiarize themselves with African American literature not only for black students, but white ones as well. Edward Anderson says in his article that, "As white students learn about the evils that their ancestors committed, they need to feel the teacher's care and respect for white students, and need to be able to discuss their feelings without fear of reprisals"(Anderson). For me this class revealed themes concerning minority culture that I had previously taken lightly. It also helped me to develop a repertoire of readings that can be incorporated into my teaching experience. Although this course was not a requirement, I was told by my advisor that I should take it if I planned to teach. Why not  make it a requirement for all literature majors in the future. African American literature is not just beneficial for teachers and students but others as well. Marian Secundy compiled a book of short stories , narratives and poems exploring aspects of the life cycle from an African American perspective. She writes,

The book is intended to give health care providers and interested others insights into the African American experience, and to encourage readers to explore the implications of living in and providing services for a multicultural community. (Secundy)

Conclusion

This journal has explored the past, present and future of African American literature. It has established that African American literature has been a vital part of America's foundation. Therefore it should be more visual in the education of American youth. The journal also covered the themes displayed in both children and adult African America literature. It explored how the presentation of these themes impacts the reader. Finally the journal explored some possibilities of enhancing the exposure of African American literature in the future. In the future this exposure should extend beyond the classroom. There has certainly been an increase of African American literature in the past years. Left unanswered is the question, "Why don't we see more of it displayed in our children's education?" As a "new" mom I will initiate the exposure my son has to African American literature. In fact the two children's books that were used in this journal are already a part of his library.   

Works Cited

Anderson, Edward. "Varieties of Relevant Approaches for Teaching African American Literature."  November 1991. http://historicaltextarchive.com/sections.php?op.

Dana, Nancy. "Developing an Understanding of the Multicultural Classroom." October 1991. http://historicaltextarchive.com/sectionphp?op.

Gates, Henry Louis Jr. The Classic Slave Narratives. Peguin Books USA Inc: New York, New York, 1987.

Hallworth, Grace. Down By the River. Scholastic Inc.: New York.

Hamilton, Virginia. The People Could Fly. Random House: New York, 2000.

"Historic Documents and Books on the Internet."
http://www.usc.edu/isd/archives/ethnicstudies/historicdocs/.

Johnson, Winona, Social Studies Teacher. Lesson Plan Library T. C. Williams High School; Alexandria,Virginia.

Kline, Lucinda. "African American Children's Literature." June 1992.

            http://historicaltextarchive.com/sections.php?op.

Kubitschek, Missy. Toni Morrison's: A Critical Companion. Review of Beloved Greenwood Press. Westport, 1998.

Lucas, Alice. "Twelve Years a Slave: Excerpts from the Narrative of Solomon Northup." April 1991. http://historicaltextarchive.com/sections.php?op.

" Resources for Black Children Ages Three to Seven." The Spirit of Excellence. December 1991. http://historicaltextarchive.com/section.php?op.

Secundy, Marion. Trials, Tribulations, and Celebrations. William Morrow and Company: New York, 1992.