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Zusatztext "If you have loved ones that cherish words! get them a copy of Black Ink ...Stephanie Stokes Oliver gathers the thoughts of the greatest African-American thinkers from Booker T. Washington to Ta-Nehisi Coates. Their insight is priceless." Informationen zum Autor Edited by Stephanie Stokes Oliver; Foreword by Nikki Giovanni Klappentext "Spanning 250 years, this carefully-curated collection of 25 essays features the earliest Black authors who wrote as means of resistance in a time when their literacy was illegal and the brilliant writers who have continued their legacy--utilizing the power of the written word to create change, insert a diversity of experience into the "mainstream," and make a profound impact on our communities and the world"--Black Ink FOREWORD Our First Stories NIKKI GIOVANNI Yolande Cornelia “Nikki” Giovanni grew up in Cincinnati, Ohio, and spent her summers with her grandparents in Knoxville, Tennessee, where she was born in 1943. Giovanni graduated with honors from her grandfather’s alma mater, Fisk University. A world-renowned poet, author, commentator, activist, and educator, Giovanni has published volumes of poetry, nonfiction, essays, and children’s books. She gained initial fame in the 1960s, as a leading voice of the Black Arts Movement, in the time of the civil rights and Black Power struggles. Awarded seven NAACP Image Awards, she has been nominated for a Grammy and was a finalist for the National Book Award. Since 1987, she has served on the faculty of Virginia Tech, where she is a university distinguished professor. Giovanni’s literary greatness is on par with the twenty-five legendary writers included in this anthology. In the following foreword, she has graciously shared her own experiences in the tradition of the narrative of the book. She also sets the stage for what precedes the era of these writers in America—the horrific journey of the Middle Passage. While few of us ever think of it, overcoming language differences among the captured enslaved and then subsequently learning American English were among the first miracles along the path toward Black authorship as we know it today—from the peril of education to the power of literacy and then the pleasure of literature. First a moan, then a song, now a book. Zusammenfassung Spanning over 250 years of history! Black Ink traces black literature in America from Frederick Douglass to Ta-Nehisi Coates in this “breathtaking anthology celebrating the power of the written word to forge change” ( O! The Oprah Magazine ). Throughout American history black people are the only group of people to have been forbidden by law to learn to read. This expansive collection seeks to shed light on that injustice! putting some of America’s most cherished voices in a conversation in one magnificent volume that presents reading as an act of resistance. Organized into three sections—the Peril! the Power! and the Pleasure—and featuring a vast array of contributors both classic and contemporary! Black Ink presents the brilliant diversity of black thought in America while solidifying the importance of these writers within the greater context of the American literary tradition. “This electric and electrifying collection of voices serves to open a much-needed window onto the freedom struggle of black literature. It’s a marvel! and a genuine gift for readers everywhere” (Wil Haygood! author of The Butler: A Witness to History ). Contributors include: Frederick Douglass! Solomon Northup! Booker T. Washington! W.E.B. Du Bois! Zora Neale Hurston! Langston Hughes! James Baldwin! Malcolm X! Maya Angelou! Martin Luther King! Jr.! Toni Morrison! W...
