The impact of African American authors in the United States

After the ending of slavery, African Americans became more hopeful than ever in the struggle to obtain equal rights, even more towards the end of the twentieth century. The late twentieth century gave way to the Civil Rights movement, arguably the single most important event in modern American history, as activists and leaders alike took a stand to further equal rights for all. The movement gave way to activists and leaders, who became cornerstone equal rights figures in the present, such as Martin Luther King Jr., Malcolm X, Angela Davis, Bayard Rustin, and much more. This movement also gave way to many important pieces of literature and gave us realizations about the reality of the U.S. Let's analyze the Civil Rights movement in its entirety, from the good, the bad, and the ugly.

Although the Civil Rights movement was mostly known for recognizing the many activists who participated in it, many notable authors became recognized, especially author James Baldwin. James Baldwin was a prolific author, who used his experiences growing up in Harlem, New York to explain the complex issue of race. However, his book "The Fire Next Time" masterfully explores the concept of race through his family and his journey. The book itself is divided into two sections. The first section shows a letter that Baldwin writes to his nephew James. At the start of this letter, Baldwin honors the anniversary of the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation. Then, Baldwin goes on to tell his nephew about the reality of the situation in the United States. Baldwins begins to talk about his family life to James and explains how his father was ultimately broken by white Americans' message, which was that he was inferior and subhuman. This not only resonated with Baldwin, but also with his grandfather and his family lineage. That is why Baldwin and his grandfather had turned to religion. Baldwin tells James to not make the same mistake he did and to think for himself. Baldwin implores his nephew to represent a new era, an era that is more free-thinking and bold enough to challenge the institutions that discriminate against them as a collective. Baldwin then ends the letter with a message to James, stating that for us to see a change in this country, the majority must be set free of their preconceived thoughts and notions. We then are introduced to the second section of the novel, which documents a teenage Baldwin and his experiences growing up in Harlem. He details how he saw many kids his age become involved in the violence. However, Baldwin turned to his local Christian church out of curiosity, as he wanted to explore what Christianity was. Along the way, he meets Elijah, who is a Nation of Islam leader. These experiences with discovering religion helped Baldwin better understand the intersections of race and religion, and understand the reality of being a young black man in America. Baldwin gives us an in-depth insight into what America was like in the 60s through the lens of a young black man. Baldwin's masterful writing not only helps readers understand race through his lenses but also his experiences. His books inspired thousands, and he became a central figure in literature during the Civil Rights movement. Reading about this book taught me that during this period in time, many black authors or authors reporting on the truth about racism in America were small, but Baldwin helped bring publicity and notoriety to black authors.

Throughout the Civil Rights movement, many of the important and influential events that transpired were documented in a variety of ways, such as through the news and journal outlets. The most famous journal outlet however during this time was called "Freedomways." Freedomways was an African American journal that centered around culture and politics. Freedomways documented much of the Civil Rights movement from the early '60s to the early '70s. The journal documented and reported on some of the earliest sit-ins and protests, and even documented Martin Luther King Jr.'s march. Freedomways faced intense opposition from people around the world and the government, as they were reporting the actual truth of these events, and not the sugarcoated version on the news. Along with Civil Rights, they documented the anti-war protests against the Vietnam War, with protestors begging for soldiers to be sent back home and treated accordingly. The journal itself, like many other black and left-leaning journals, faced much scrutiny and hatred from most of America. Many did not want to hear the truth about racism in America, as those who were opposed would have to evaluate themselves and ask themselves why they believe in the things they do. Freedomways is one of the most iconic African American journals ever, documenting hundreds of events during the Civil Rights era. The most important thing to note is that Freedomways inspired a generation of people to seek out the truth and to help them recognize that having journals to report and document politics is crucial for us to make change and progress in present-day America.

Lyndon B. Johnson was elected president in 1964. During a time of extreme racial tension and unrest, Johnson surprised much of America when he promised to spearhead policies and laws for equal rights. To many, including African Americans, Johnson seemed like a very long-awaited breath of fresh air when it came to politicians. Johnson made one thing very clear during his presidency. That he would not be doing the bare minimum and would do as much as he could to further stop racial inequality and ensure equal rights for all, institutionally, socially, and economically. Yet, Johnson had to play both sides of the coin. Many of his supporters were white, more so white Southerners. Many of his colleagues, politicians themselves, opposed many of Johnson's progressive policies that helped push for a more equal less discriminatory society. As such, he often had to play devil's advocate on many issues. Johnson made an effort to speak to black communities, with one such instance happening at Howard University. Howard University at the time was one of the most prominent and largest historically black colleges in America. In his speech, he implored that the bare minimum was not enough and that white Americans must realize that these communities are suffering. Johnson emphasized that if the majority helps the minority, there can be great change within this country. Reading this speech taught me that during this period in time even though most of the country's politicians and people had conservative views, there were still politicians who were willing to fight for equal rights.

Racism and discrimination in the South were worse than in any other part of the U.S. Many extremist hate groups roamed this part of America, and standing up to injustice was almost impossible. As such, many African Americans started their political parties to further African American rights and equality. One of the most known groups in the South was the Mississippi Democratic Party, formed by Fannie Lou Hamer, a civil rights activist. Hamer created the MFDP to help combat and fix voter discrimination in the South, where it was a pivotal issue. To make a statement, she traveled to the Democratic National Convention. She passionately spoke to Southern Democrats about ending and fixing voter discrimination and implementing new laws to make it easier for African Americans to vote. Along with this, she demanded that MFDP members be seated instead of the current Southern Democrats. Although she failed to have Mississippi Democratic Party members seated, her courage and speech inspired black communities all over the world. This period in time helped me understand just how bad racism and discrimination were rooted in every aspect of life in the South.

The Civil Rights movement's main goal was to obtain desegregation and voting rights at first. Once they did, many celebrated the historic wins. However, many criticized this, saying that there is more work to do, such as obtaining economic equality. The biggest opposition to this idea was Bayard Rustin, a civil rights activist and co-founder of the Congress of Racial Equality. Rustin proclaimed that the movement's most challenging goal would be to achieve economic equality. This was extremely difficult, as many economic policies were solely based on disenfranchising black and brown communities. Rustin explained that to achieve true equality, the movement must take big steps to achieve justice, instead of little steps. Studying Rustin's speech taught me that equality is only achieved when every aspect of America is fixed so that one person is the same as another economically and socially equal in terms of status.

Although the Civil Rights movement lost traction towards the late 70s, America's African Americans became more inspired than ever to make a change. The influential leaders then are some of the most iconic activists, writers, and speakers in history. Their courage and bravery to stand up to injustice There is one important lesson that we can all learn from studying the Civil Rights movement and the generational effects of slavery. To make progress and stand up for marginalized communities, we need to do more than the bare minimum. Because for too long, the bare minimum has only gotten us so far in terms of equality. I will leave you with a quote that perfectly encapsulates this message simplistically. "Those that fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it."