Elizabeth McHenry and Shirley Brice Heath raised an interesting issue in the study of African-American literature. They write that “students especially need an understanding of the backgrounds of African American literary writers (particularly of earlier decades) so they may have an accurate picture of the range of their social and occupational contexts. Such accounts would also depict the various ways in which literature figured in the ambitions, goals, and aims of individual writers from different classes and social backgrounds” (437). I think that we often assume that minority writers are inherently writing from their own experiences, rather than when we read literature from white writers for whom we maintain a suspension of disbelief. As readers, we project the stories of impoverishment, of abuse, of class struggle unto the author, despite the fact that these are works of fiction.
When I was reading this, I thought of the poetry clubs and organizations that I’ve been a part of. Oftentimes, LGBT or POC writers are praised and respected for their “raw, honest” material, while straight, white, male writers are oftentimes given the space to ruminate on ideas that our separate from their identity. Minority writers are seen as distinctly attached to their struggles. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, considering that poetry and writing are often used by these communities as ways to achieve some degree of emotional catharsis and to establish community with other members from their community. However, literacy as used here as a way of “liberating” oneself will fall short if the struggles of the minority are viewed as the most valuable part of the work. I think that these examples of literacy practices by minorities needs to be understood in a broader context than just the immediate struggles that may be reflected in the work.
