When I was a third grader, I returned home from school and asked my Mom, "Mommy, have Black folks written or done anything?"
I asked this question because there was no mention of any Black achievements in a book or in TV shows when I was a youngster. And my teachers did not share this information. All I read and learned was about Caucasian individuals. And I guess my parents never really thought about this since they had attended schools with Black teachers who made certain they would know about Black writers and others who had made great achievements.
My academic experience was very different. I was in an integrated setting in my elementary and high school. As a matter of fact, the first Black teacher I had was when I was a senior at the University of Michigan.
My Mom replied, "Yes, Pumpkin. And we will go to the library tomorrow to show you."
And true to her word, we went to the library. I picked out a book that highlighted different Black actors, musicians, writers, political leaders, and inventors. Wow! I was surprised and hungry to learn even more.
So, before my children even attended school, I made certain they would never have to ask me that question with the feeling of shame and dismay that I felt.
When I was a youngster, there were no designated months for marginalized American citizens. Now, there are. And MANA looks forward to submissions by a wide breadth of writers! Read our blog post about MANA's call for short stories and poetry for Black History Month.
As a publisher, I want to give people who have writing skills the opportunity to become published because I firmly believe that the written word lives as long as one person reads the work.
You can find this MANA Moment editorial in THE MANA HARVESTER NEWSLETTER. Go here to read the entire newsletter.
No comments:
Post a Comment