Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Top Stories

African American Literature Matters

Opinion

African American Literature Matters

Girl (6-8) looking at book in library, silhouette

Getty Images//Terry Vine

This year's observance of Black History Month carries forward the centennial anniversary of the Harlem Renaissance. However, in this reflective season, we find ourselves at a crossroads that would be painfully familiar to those pioneering writers and artists of the 1920s.

The significance of African American literature has never been more profound. This is neither an imaginative nor conspiratorial factoid, especially amid the systematic dismantling of DEI initiatives, ethnic-centered curricula, and history. With six states and counting passing anti-DEI laws, universities nationwide are discontinuing their diversity programs. And more than 30 bills across the United States now target diversity initiatives in public colleges, threatening to unravel decades of progress in educational equity and cultural understanding. These actions are not just judicious administrative decisions. On the contrary, there are meticulously coordinated attempts to mute the very voices and existence of people and their sociocultural experiences and artifacts across generations. Illuminating why African American literature and ethnocultural genres remain paramount.


The parallels between our present moment and the birth of the Harlem Renaissance are undeniable. Then, as now, Black writers faced a society that sought to minimize their experiences and contributions. The response wasn't retreat but renaissance—a flowering of artistic expression that changed the world and reshaped American culture irrevocably. African American literary works have forever served a dual purpose: art and as an instrument of social change. From the searing testimonies of slave narratives to the jazz-infused poetry of Langston Hughes, from Zora Neale Hurston's folk-rooted storytelling to Toni Morrison's mythic explorations of Black experience, this literary tradition has consistently done more than tell stories—it has preserved history, challenged oppression, and imagined new possibilities for justice and equality.

African American literature’s prowess resides in its capacity to transform personal experience into universal truth. When Ralph Ellison wrote on invisibility, he wasn't just describing the Black experience in America—he was illuminating the human condition of being unseen, unheard, and misunderstood. When Maya Angelou asked why the caged bird sings, she spoke to anyone who fought for freedom against overwhelming odds. This universality, paradoxically achieved through the most specific and personal stories, makes African American literature relevant and essential to understanding the American experience.

Though numerous institutions are reevaluating or removing resources for underrepresented Americans from their websites and curricula, African American literature serves as both a repository of epic memory and a beacon for the future. The literature that emerged from the Harlem Renaissance didn't just document a movement; it became the movement, creating spaces for Black voices where none existed. African American literary tradition has always understood that words and art are the means for articulating struggle—the experience of being both American and Black in a society that never fully recognizes or respects such a reality. African American literature's exploration and explication of such complexity remains important as we grapple with questions of identity, belonging, and justice.

The relevance of Black Americans' literary contributions should not be debated. Our literary tradition offers what no policy can erase: authentic voices speaking truth to power, creating beauty from struggle, and insisting on the full humanity of all people. Black folks’ pens, brushes, and instruments provide a counter-narrative to simplifying or sanitizing American history.

As distractors diligently seek to silence uniquely diverse voices, my people's literature speaks louder than ever. There is life and power in logos— to illuminate truth, inspire change, and build understanding. No legislative agenda or executive decree can veto that divine reality. The power of yours, mine, and our story can change hearts, open minds, and transform worlds.

Rev. Dr. F. Willis Johnson is a spiritual entrepreneur, author, and scholar-practitioner whose leadership and strategies around social and racial justice issues are nationally recognized and applied.

Read More

A child's hand holding an adult's hand.

"Names have meanings and shape our destinies. Research shows that they open doors and get your resume to the right eyes and you to the corner office—or not," writes Professor F. Tazeena Husain.

Getty Images, LaylaBird

What’s In A Name? The Weight of The World

When our son, Naser, was six years old, he wanted to be called Kevin, a perfectly reasonable Midwestern name. This seems to be a rite of passage with children, to name and rename themselves.

But our son was not to know the agonies we went through to name him, honoring our respective South Asian and South American cultures and balancing the phonetics of multiple languages, and why Kevin was not on our short-list.

Keep ReadingShow less
The cast of "English," showcasing at TheaterWorks Hartford.

TheaterWorks Hartford marks its 40th season with English, Sanaz Toossi’s Pulitzer Prize-winning play about language, identity, and belonging.

Photo by Julian Barlow

TheaterWorks Hartford Presents “English”: A Deep Dive Into Language, Culture, and Identity

This autumn, class is in session. TheaterWorks Hartford celebrates its 40th season with the Pulitzer Prize-winning play, “English” by Sanaz Toossi.

This heartfelt, timely piece is a co-production between TWH and Long Wharf Theater. “English” premieres in Hartford on Oct. 2 and runs through Nov. 2, 2025—before showcasing on Southern Connecticut State University’s campus in January 2026.

Keep ReadingShow less
Understanding Minority Rights and Inclusion in Democracies: U.S. and Abroad
text
Photo by Amy Elting on Unsplash

Understanding Minority Rights and Inclusion in Democracies: U.S. and Abroad

From the civil rights marches in the U.S. to Indigenous representation in Bolivia, minority groups have been a catalyst for democratic revolution and a reminder of representation’s value to society. Their struggles and contributions have not only tested the boundaries of democratic ideals but also redefined them. Minority inclusion erodes the constraints placed on democratic systems and expands their legitimacy, resilience, and meaning, though not without controversy and resistance.

What Does “Minority” Mean?

Keep ReadingShow less
College students sitting in a classroom, facing a professor.

The Trump administration announced a $500M one-time boost to HBCUs and tribal colleges while cutting $350M from Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs).

Getty Images, Maskot

Just the Facts: Trump’s $500M Boost to HBCUs Sparks Backlash Over Cuts to Hispanic Colleges

The Fulcrum strives to approach news stories with an open mind and skepticism, striving to present our readers with a broad spectrum of viewpoints through diligent research and critical thinking. As best we can, we remove personal bias from our reporting and seek a variety of perspectives in both our news gathering and selection of opinion pieces. However, before our readers can analyze varying viewpoints, they must have the facts.

On Sept. 15, President Trump’s administration announced a major shift in federal education funding by redirecting nearly $500 million toward Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and tribal colleges. However, this move came alongside deep cuts to other minority-serving institutions, especially those serving large Hispanic student populations.

Keep ReadingShow less