The Black Aesthetic within Black Children’s Literature I We must give our own story to the world Carter G. Woodson, Negro Makers of History, 1928. Imagine a child being snatched away from his Mother immediately after birth. This child has never seen or physically touched his Mother. This child was not able to suck upon her breast or be lulled to sleep in her arms. Instead this child is given scraps to nourish his body and falls unconscious from exhaustion because of an overworked day. But this child recognizes his siblings that were also taken in the same way. They gather together when possible and whisper to each other memories they have from when they were within the womb. They recall that when she danced, they danced, when she sang, they listened and while she talked, walked, worked, and ate – they felt and were nourished by her. They sooth themselves with the memory of her and carry the joy in knowing that they resemble their Mother. The Black Aesthetic is the artistic expression that interprets the Black experience in the New World. It is the artistry after an awakening of a people - this aforementioned child - that were denied so much for so long. This art form told others that Blacks are not bastard children, they know their Mother and celebrate her existence within them and they display it through every artistic movement they create. And in the same thought, it is their way to say they really don’t care what others think about them as long as they are able to think for themselves. It is what Langston Hughes states in his essay “The Negro Artist and the Racial Mountain,” We younger Negro artists who create now intend to express our individual dark- skinned selves without fear or shame. If White people are pleased we are glad. If they are not, it doesn’t matter. We know we are beautiful. And ugly too. The tom- tom cries and the tom-tom laughs. If colored people are pleased we are glad. If
Transcript
The Black Aesthetic within Black Children’s Literature
I We must give our own story to the world
Carter G. Woodson, Negro Makers of History, 1928.
Imagine a child being snatched away from his Mother immediately after birth. This
child has never seen or physically touched his Mother. This child was not able to suck
upon her breast or be lulled to sleep in her arms. Instead this child is given scraps to
nourish his body and falls unconscious from exhaustion because of an overworked day.
But this child recognizes his siblings that were also taken in the same way. They gather
together when possible and whisper to each other memories they have from when they
were within the womb. They recall that when she danced, they danced, when she sang,
they listened and while she talked, walked, worked, and ate – they felt and were
nourished by her. They sooth themselves with the memory of her and carry the joy in
knowing that they resemble their Mother.
The Black Aesthetic is the artistic expression that interprets the Black experience in
the New World. It is the artistry after an awakening of a people - this aforementioned
child - that were denied so much for so long. This art form told others that Blacks are not
bastard children, they know their Mother and celebrate her existence within them and
they display it through every artistic movement they create. And in the same thought, it is
their way to say they really don’t care what others think about them as long as they are
able to think for themselves. It is what Langston Hughes states in his essay “The Negro
Artist and the Racial Mountain,”
We younger Negro artists who create now intend to express our individual dark-
skinned selves without fear or shame. If White people are pleased we are glad. If
they are not, it doesn’t matter. We know we are beautiful. And ugly too. The tom-
tom cries and the tom-tom laughs. If colored people are pleased we are glad. If
they are not, their pleasure doesn’t matter either. We build our temples for
tomorrow, strong as we know how, and we stand on top of the mountain, free
within ourselves. (309)
This creative movement began when Black artists started creating art whether written,
visual or sound, for and about Black people. The Black Aesthetic was not for Whites to
understand or critique but it was a cultural connection from Blacks to Blacks. This
creativity moved away from “standards” set down by Whites and moved toward cultural
independence. Writer/ poet, Margaret Walker Alexander defines the Black Aesthetic as
being “indigenous to Black people, having its roots in ancient Black Africa and
characterized by certain marked traits seen throughout the Diaspora or the modern
world”(100).
Black children’s literature is based upon this Aesthetic theory. The purpose of this
literature was for Black writers to create words that could be poured upon the rich fertile
soil of the Black child’s mind. Former Black children created words and illustrations to
tell victorious stories of the past, lessons for the future, and laughter for the present. The
purpose of Black children’s literature was to assist in building up the self -esteem of the
Black child. To have the achievements and creativity from their own culture instilled
within them in order to achieve and strive for the best.
A good story would be able to inspire Black children to read more, especially when
the images inside that story were of positive Black role models. This literature would be
able to magnify the various experiences within Black culture that could demonstrate
historical beauty and wealth, along with being the fuel to start the ignition of a Black
child’s mind. This literature also had the ability to assist non-Black children in their
understanding of another part of American culture. It is how illustrator / author, Ashley
Bryan explains the way in which his work reflects who he is and who he is reflects his
work,
No matter what my source, I feel that, as an African American, rooted in the study
and love of Black culture, my identity is revealed in whatever I create. Through
my work I reach out to offer, to take in, to initiate dialogue. As I speak, I am
listening to you. I have been sharing with you my sources – resources from which
I work. They are variously presented as family, friends, neighbors, schools, world
cultures [ . . .] These are the tender bridges that link past to present and my stories
to yours. (301)
II The younger Generation comes, bringing its gifts.
Alain Locke, The New Negro, 1925.
As early as the 1920s, Black leaders began to create literature for Black children
aimed at inspiring them to become high achievers. The Brownies’ Book, a magazine
written for and dedicated to “the children of the Sun”, was created by scholar and
political activist, W.E.B. Du Bois and writer Jessie Fauset. The Brownies’ Book was the
youth version of The Crisis, which was the magazine formulated for the National
Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). Renowned Negro writers
contributed historical and geographical essays, fictional stories, and poetry for The
Brownies’ Book. This magazine overflowed with photographs of Negro children from all
across the United States. Scholar, Dianne Johnson states that The Brownies’ Book
encouraged children to dream; “each issue of the magazine included stories of people,
famous and not famous, who accomplished much with their lives. The editors also
encouraged children by suggesting books they could read to help them know more about
history and to prepare for the future”(15). Jessie Fauset made it clear in the dedication to
The Brownies' Book’s:
To Children, who with eager look
Scanned vainly library shelf and nook,
For the History or Song or Story
That told of Colored People’s glory--
We dedicate The Brownies’ Book.
The 1920s brought forth many new Black voices along with a new way to express
and celebrate their culture. This was the beginning of a Black arts movement. In his
article, “Negro Youth Speaks,” scholar, Alain Locke introduced to the readers of 1925
several of the fresh young “New Negro” artists that were a part of this new Aesthetic
style that was called the Harlem Renaissance. Locke explains the style of the new artists,
It has brought with it, first of all, that wholesome, welcome virtue of finding
beauty in oneself; the younger generation can no longer be twitted as “cultural
nondescripts” or accused of “being out of love with their own nativity.” They
have instinctive love and pride of race, and, spirituality compensating for the
present lacks of America, ardent respect and love for Africa, the motherland. (52-
53)
Carter G. Woodson, founder of the Association for the Study of Negro Life and
History and advocate of the first Negro History Week, wanted to instill pride and build
self-esteem in Negro youth. The Associated Publishers, a Black publishing company that
began in 1927, was backed by Black authors, educators and historical scholars such as
Woodson and Charles Wesley. The company was able to publish informative books that
taught the history and culture of Blacks but was not large enough alone during this time
to remove the negative depictions of Blacks from the minds of children throughout the
United States.
By the 1930s and early 40s there was a literary crusade that involved scholars,
politicians, and community social groups, which was led by librarian, Augusta Baker.
Baker wanted to raise the standards of books for and about Black boys and girls at the
135th Street Branch Library in Harlem. She and the others began a crusade that coincided
with the "New Negro" idea. The purpose of this crusade was to increase the image of
positive Negro role models that children could aspire to. It was important to promote an
image that would build up the self-esteem of the Harlem children as well as other Black
children throughout the United States. This literature was not to be didactic such as the
literature written from Sunday school organizations prior to the Harlem Renaissance. But
the purpose of this movement was to have positive images to enjoy in all facets of the
child’s literary experience.
White publishers were the culprits that had to be persuaded during this mission to
develop better books for Black children. It would take decades before many publishing
companies would include Black images at all but the project pushed on with librarians
who were serving areas that were highly populated by Blacks. The images of Blacks that
did appear inside children’s books were derogatory and offensive. And even when
positive Black images did appear inside the pages of children’s picture books the image
displayed was one in a servitude position created by a White illustrator with a story by a
White writer that created a tale that kept the Black character subservient. The majority of
American children’s books promoted a strong White worldview that literary critic,
Addison Gayle, Jr. defines as,
The distinction between Whiteness as beautiful (good) and blackness as ugly
(evil) appears early in the literature of the middle ages—in Morality Plays of
England. Heavily influenced by both Platonism and Christianity, these plays set
forth the distinctions that exist today. To be White was to be pure, good,
universal, and beautiful; to be black was to be impure, evil, parochial, and ugly.
The characters of the plots of these plays followed this basic format. The
villain is always evil, in most cases the devil; the protagonist, or hero, is always
good, in most cases, angels or disciples. The plot then is simple; good (light)
triumphs over the forces of evil (dark). (40)
Writers that were known during the Harlem Renaissance had a better chance to write and
get children’s books published since they already had one foot in the publishing door.
Langston Hughes and Arna Bontemps, separately and collaboratively, began writing
books for children starting with Popo and Fifina: Children of Haiti (1932) and continued
writing books for Black children throughout their careers. In a 1939 letter Arna Bontemps
wrote to Langston Hughes, he states, “ . . . seems like we’re going to be the models for
future generations of writers for children and students of that literature” (35).
III
Imagination, by definition, is freedom.
Carolyn Fowler, Black Arts and Black Aesthetic, 1976
By the post-World War II era the literary mood of Negro writers was influenced by
the severe pain of racism throughout the United States. Strong opinions were voiced
through the penmanship of such writers as James Baldwin, Richard Wright and Ralph
Ellison. Junior novelists were slowly appearing along with a few books that displayed
images of true to life Black experiences, including the racial struggles for equality in
America. Jesse Jackson, Ellen Tarry, Shirley Graham (Du Bois) and Lorenz Graham
wrote both nonfiction and fiction books for children. Black children’s fiction written by
Blacks were not being published in abundance but the few books that were published
faced America straight on with the truth of the Black conditions across the country.
Author, Jesse Jackson began his writing to motivate the reading skills of troubled
youth, especially troubled boys. Jackson, previously a probation officer, realized that
slow readers or non-readers were sometimes children that just needed reading material
that would keep them interested This meant giving them stories that they could
understand and relate to personally. Call Me Charley (1945) was written to hold the
attention of young readers who perhaps were not motivated to read because the stories
did not reflect an image that they could relate to. Jackson states, “I decided that I wanted
to write stories that kids would read because they wanted to. I felt reading should be an
enjoyable experience” (67).
Call Me Charley begins with Charles Moss being introduced to a few of the White
boys on his paper route in a most unfriendly way. It is through the images that reflected
true to life experiences that made Call Me Charley a popular junior novel in the late
1940s for Black youth.
George looked from Tom to Charles. His gray eyes were slits. He picked up a
stick. “Tom, let’s show Sambo?”
My name is Charles,” the boy repeated. “Sometimes I’m Charley. Nobody
calls me Sambo and gets away with it.” He dropped the paper he was rolling and
moved closer to George. George swung back with the stick. (8)
Lorenz Graham’s South Town (1958), does not romanticize life in the rural South, but
tells at a junior level the struggle of a Black family that stands up to the bigots in their
town. South Town was not accepted by publishers at first, Graham fought to maintain the
dignity of the story.
I was told there was unanimous agreement that my book would have to be re-
written. The Negro characters in my story were too much like other people. I
countered that Negroes are like other people. I offered to change the plot, to add
to or to remove portions of the story, but I refused to change the character of the
people. (192)
Graham’s young Black protagonist, David Williams’ first encounter with Travis, a
White soldier back from the Korean War, reveals a scene from American history that was
rare to include within literature during that era. Travis talks to David while walking down
the road about his experience in Korea which included Black medics that came to the
rescue of many wounded soldiers. Travis describes the medics as Black angels with
stretchers.
People are all kinds of fools. I don’t suppose I was ever so glad to see anyone in my
life as I was to see that colored fellow that helped me in Korea. It makes me mad now
when I see colored folks put off in the Jim Crow car and stuff like that. (55)
Graham wrote about the emotional pains and triumphs that developed through some
racial issues within the fictional setting of South Town. And even though the story was
created in the mind of Graham it did reflect what many Blacks experienced during that
time. Graham pushed on to get this junior novel publish because he knew that the truth
must be revealed. Graham states,
I was writing about people who were singing “We shall overcome!” The parents
of my central character uphold ambition and hope. I pointed out that there were
many such families. (193)
During the 1940s & ‘50s, the problem for Black writers was that White writers were
being hired to write the stories about the Black experience instead. But these stories were
not able to tap inside the spirit that was built upon the struggles of Blacks past and
present. Publishers would rather have had a Black story told by a White writer than to
hire a Black writer. The Black Aesthetic could not be mimicked through observing nor
assuming. It had to be experienced. Essayist, Julian Mayfield explains the problem with
these imitators,
For deep in their guts they cannot feel what we have felt. Their eyes cannot see
what our eyes have seen, and what the eyes of all those generations of dead and
dying old black men and women saw, from slave ships to cotton fields to ghetto
obsolescence; the crushing of manhood spirit in childhood, the destruction of
what was pure and beautiful and godlike in ourselves before we could see it. (31)
IV Black Art is the Aesthetic and spiritual sister of the Black Power concept.
Larry Neal, “The Black Arts Movement”, The Black Aesthetic, 1971.
The 1960s were highlighted with the Civil Rights Movement that pushed for equality
for Blacks. It was the youth that marched for rights that their parents had not yet
acquired. Discrimination was visible in all facets of American society. Scholar/poet,
James A. Emanuel describes how the 1960s changed Black youth in America, “. . . . the
non-violent black youth, who had to pass through the valley of the angry ‘White
backlash’ into morass of public espionage, private harassment, and racist assassination,
grew inevitably into a new breed of men” (208).
Riots, marches, and demonstrations were the backdrop for this monumental decade. It
was the young Black voices that were protesting out in the streets across the United
States. And along with the Black leaders of this decade it was the young Black voices
that many Whites attempted to silence through brutal beatings, shootings and bombings.
It was the 60s that started the change in American publishing.
This began the era of the Black Arts Movement. Black writers and poets were being
noticed for their truthful expressive word usage. John Henrik Clarke gives a description
of what must take place in the literature created by Blacks, “In the next phase of Afro-
American writing, a literature of celebration must be created – not a celebration of
oppression, but a celebration of survival in spite of it” (645).
It was through the literary observations of Addison Gayle, Jr., Larry Neal, Darwin
Turner and other Black critics that the Black Aesthetic was defined. The writings
explained the civil unrest across the United States toward Black Americans while
celebrating being Black. Creative commentaries were written reporting a part of
American history that was not being televised. Black leaders inspired Blacks to keep
moving on while their lives were erased for telling the truth. It was not the first
awakening of artistic expression but it was the strongest. Words that cut deep were
written as emotions poured out expressing the events that occurred during this time.
Black consciousness began to visualize across the country through African clothing,
natural hairstyles and the music once more sent out messages of freedom telling Blacks to
"Say It Loud, I’m Black and I’m Proud".
Publishers had to take responsibility for their part in discrimination. They could no
longer disregard the fact that Black children were ignored in literature and that White
faces inside books was still the majority. Studies were brought out that showed how the
completely White literary world of children was effecting both Black as well as White
children. Now that the fingers had been pointed at them publishers had no choice but to
begin publishing more children’s books that were written by Blacks as well as about
them.
Starting with the mid60s, Black children's picture books and junior novels slowly
began to rise. The concept of the Black Aesthetic turned out to be the foundation for
Black children’s literature. These books focused on the identity of the Black child. Fire
was inside Black writers and illustrators to create books that would ease the minds of
Black children who saw chaos all around them. These literary and visual artists creatively
demonstrated to Black children how beautiful they were and how proud they should be of
their heritage by sending messages of encouragement through books.
In 1967, Virginia Hamilton moved out of Western imagery by defining the beauty of
a Black woman through an African image in her junior novel, Zeely (1969). Hamilton,
like Zora Neale Hurston, created a story and setting that had no racial conflict but
confronted the awakening of a young girl’s imagination to the truth. Hamilton also
weaved folklore into her story to grasp a part of Black folk art tradition that mixed well
with a realistic fiction novel.
Zeely is the story of a young girl’s summer spent on her uncle’s farm. Elizabeth on
the train to her uncle’s home decides to change her name to Geeder and changes her
brother, John Perry’s name to Toeboy. Geeder meets Zeely Tayber, the daughter of Nat
Tayber who is renting land on Geeder’s uncle’s farm to keep their hogs. Geeder becomes
intrigued with Zeely’s beauty.
Zeely Tayber was more than six and a half feet tall, thin and deeply dark as a
pole of Ceylon ebony. She wore a long smock that reached to her ankles. Her
arms, hands, and feet were bare, and her thin, oblong head didn’t seem to fit quite
right on her shoulders.
She had very high cheekbones and her eyes seemed to turn inward on
themselves. Geeder couldn’t say what expression she saw on Zeely’s face. She
knew only that it was calm, that it had pride in it, and that the face was the most
beautiful she had ever seen. (42)
Hamilton defined Black beauty through a non-European image. Geeder’s fascination
with Zeely is accentuated when she finds an old magazine that has an article on the
Watusi people of Africa. When Geeder turns to a picture of a Mututsi woman of royal
birth that resembles Zeely, she is convinced that Zeely Tayber is part of a royal lineage.
There is an African presence within this novel that is combined with slave songs and
stories about reaching freedom. Virginia Hamilton succeeded in what Larry Neal explains
as coming “to grips with the cultural ramifications of the African presence in America”
(85).
In the late 1960s, John Steptoe became one of the pioneers of Black children’s picture
books. Steptoe’s first book Stevie (1969) became one of the first prominent picture books
created by a Black artist. Steptoe was able to capture a voice and imagery with which
many Black children could identify. Through Steptoe’s illustrations and writing style a
new era of Black identity appeared in children’s books. The lived experiences of Black
children was brought forth. Steptoe was complimented for his ability to present the Black
urban child in a form that was neither negative in story line nor offensive in imagery.
Judy Richardson stated “The dialogue is so realistic that the reader might feel he’s
overhearing an actual conversation between two children” (396).
In the August 29, 1969 issue of Life, three illustrations and the complete text of Stevie
were printed along with an article about the young John Steptoe. Within that article
Steptoe introduced himself to the world.
I have been taught Western ideas of what a painter is, what painting is, and that
stifles me because I am not a Western man. I have never felt I was a citizen of the
U.S.A. – this country doesn’t speak to me. To be a black man in this society
means finding out who I am. So I have got to stay on my own, get out from under
induced values and discover who I am at the base. (59)
V May they understand that we are not what we say. We are what we do.
(Walter, p. 51)
Steptoe continued in the 70s and 80s to create new experiences in stories that carried
the spirit and conscience of the Black child. Many new Black writers also brought in new
voices and images to celebrate the presence of the Black child in literature. This was an
awakening in the field of children’s literature. Black writers and illustrators were
celebrating who they were through their creations. Camille Yarbrough, Eloise Greenfield,
Ashley Bryan, Tom Feelings, Lucille Clifton, Julius Lester and many others created
stories and images that celebrated the identity of the Black child. Their stories reached
out to Black children and sent them back to their cultural roots to discover who they
were. Stories announced to these children that they too had a homeland. The oral tradition
of Africa was revived in order for Black children to recognize their place of cultural birth
and read with pride and wonder stories that were first told. Julius Lester explains this
goal and his writing style,
I must address myself to blacks, to write books that hopefully will give black
children the strength and pride that have been deliberately kept from them. It will
be a long time before the mass of Whites look upon black children as blacks and
as individuals. I do not exist in this country as an individual. I am a black. (72)
Yarbrough’s Cornrows (1979) displays a unified spirit with a grandmother and
mother that conjure up stories of Africa that explain the significance of various cornrow
styles to their children, Shirley Ann and Mike. While stories are told, visions manifest
from the storytellers and through the artistry of Carole Byard. The two children listen and
hold their heads still while their hair gets braided into beautiful cornrow styles. The story
reflects inner pride and outer beauty through two folk art traditions; storytelling and
cornrowing.
I delight in tellin you, my child ---
yes, you please me when you ask it ---
it’s a hairstyle that’s call suku.
in Yoruba, it means basket.
Eloise Greenfield’s Africa Dream (1977) is a poetic expression of spiritual
connectiveness from the future to the past. A child describes a wonderful journey she
took while sleeping that allowed her to see and touch her ancestors in Africa. The words
project a rhythmic tone to accompany the graceful black and White sketches by Carole
Byard. The images glide across the pages ornamented with Egyptian symbols and images
that surround the child’s ancestral dream.
I went all the way to Africa
In a dream one night
I crossed over the ocean
In a slow, smooth jump
Ashley Bryan’s The Dancing Granny (1977) celebrates Black folklore. Bryan makes it
possible for the images to dance across the pages with swaying hips and flinging arms to
be physically copied by the reader. Bryan accentuates the origin of the Black Aesthetic
by touching upon the first cultural Aesthetic form – folklore. He is able to combine the
words and illustrations into Ron Karenga’s second characteristic of Black art. Karenga
states that “it must be from the people and must be returned to the people in a form more
beautiful and colorful than it was in real life” (34). Bryan took the orals tales from the
people and from the inspiration of his grandmother’s telling of tales he returned the
stories to their Black beauty. Bryan states,
Adults pass stories on orally, and authors use this material in their work. That
is the round. We move from the voice to the book and back again to the voice.
The oral tradition feeds into literature, and thus the stories of all peoples with a
written language exists today in books.
When I work with an African story motif, I try to evoke the oral tradition in
the written tale. The presence of the storyteller now needs written equivalents. I
work from the family of African-American poets to inform the prose of my
retelling of stories. (300)
Tom Feelings was able to capture the strong Black features in children through his
book Something On My Mind (1978). Feelings places the Black Aesthetic visibly upon
the page through his images of Black children with semi-smiles and far away glances.
This imagery is accompanied by the rhythmic words of Nikki Grimes to complete this
poetic picture book.
Feelings' desire was to magnify the beauty of these children in order to celebrate their
existence. His use of two main colors in Something on My Mind was to show both joy
and sorrow because it is an American setting (694). His purpose was to reflect double
consciousness in his drawings was his purpose, in order for Black children to know both
their past and their present – in order for them to deal with their future. Feelings states:
In America my colors were muted, monochromatic, and somber. In Africa they
became more vivid and alive, as though they had light radiating from within. This
light is what I brought back to America for young Black children to see and feel. I
put it into all the books whose setting took place in America. In 1966, armed with
this new energy and a full portfolio of strong, positive Black imagery, I returned
to the America and a world of children’s book publishing that was no longer lily
White. (689)
Mildred D. Taylor changed the perspective of children’s literature in 1976 when she
brought alive the Black experience in Southern America. Roll of Thunder Hear My Cry
(1976) is a family saga that, like Lorenz Graham’s South Town, shows the strength and
love within a Black family and the bitterness that surrounds them because of racism.
Taylor’s protagonist is a female by the name of Cassie Logan. The setting is rural
Mississippi in the 1930s. Roll of Thunder Hear My Cry introduces the Logan family
whose lives are serialized in Taylor’s nine inspiring stories of her family’s history
including her most recent The Land (2001). These coming of age stories of courage are
from the various voices of young Logan family members throughout the generations. Roll
of Thunder Hear My Cry continues to receive recognition throughout the country. Today
it is part of the children’s literature canon.
In her Newbery Medal acceptance speech, Taylor states,
Those stories about the small and often dangerous triumphs of Black people,
those stories about human pride and survival in a cruelly racist society were like
nothing I read in the history books or the books I devoured at the local library.
There were no Black heroes or heroines in those books; no beautiful Black ladies,
no handsome Black men; no people filled with pride, strength, or endurance [. . .]
There was obviously a terrible contradiction between what the books said and
what I learned from my family, and at no time did I feel the contradiction more
than when I had to sit in a class which, without me, would have been all White,
and relive that prideless history year after year. (404-405)
Shadow & Substance (1982) a scholarly study by Rudine Sims, surveyed 150 works
of contemporary fiction that were written about Blacks and published between 1965 and
1979. This survey revealed that out of the 104 different authors who wrote the books,
only 34 were Black writers who "produced books of the culturally conscious/self-
affirming type”(104). Sims sought to expose the importance of culturally conscious
fiction for Black children and the development of literature which "presents an image of
Afro-Americans as courageous survivors with a strong sense of community and cultural
affinity and with positive feelings about being Black” (105).
To publishers Sims’ study was public wake up call. To educators it informed them
that they should be doing a better job in conveying a balanced education that included the
stories and history of a people that have existed in the United States for over 400 years.
VI And just like the color of our skin varies in shades of black, so does our vision.
(McMillan, xxiv)
In the 1980s many Black writers and illustrators kept the tone of Black children’s
books positively Black. Many books were published that continued to attach Africa and
self as the theme. Children were getting a Black interpretation of the world that
surrounded them. Several publishing houses thought that they could return to their “in
house” writers to create books for Black children, thus removing the Black voice once
again. The increase of Black children’s books was not rising very rapidly, but books were
still being published with a healthy percentage of Black children’s books being published
by Black alternative presses.
The 80s and the 90s brought forth a new image and a new Black Aesthetic concept.
Terry McMillan describes the new attitude with Black writers:
For many of us, writing is our reaction to injustices, absurdities, beauty. It’s our
way of registering our complaints or affirmations. The best are not didactic. They
do not scream out “message,” nor are they abstractions. Our stories are our
personal response. What we want to specify. What we see. What we feel. Our
wide angle lens—our close-up look. And even if the story doesn’t quite pinpoint
the solution or the answer, it is the exploration itself that is often worth the trip.
(xxii)
Some of these new stories brought forth a style that questioned the ideal of beauty
and what was an acceptable appearance within Black culture, stories that freely expressed
complaints about being Black appeared in children’s books. Problems were not solved
with happy ever after endings, but ended with ideas planted in the minds of the
protagonists with hopes that they learned the truth. An Enchanted Hair Tale (1987) by
Alexis De Veaux and illustrated by Cheryl Hannah, introduced a dreadlocked male child
as the protagonist. Images of pyramids, lions sailing away in rowboats, zebras and
crescent moons fill the pages as Sudan felt the pain of people treating him differently
because of his dreadlocks. Sudan’s magical mystical hair caused people to look at him
differently, which made him sad.
Sudan was unhappy, so he ran away. He went as far as around the block where some
acrobats were performing. All the people in the circus had dreadlocks. Sudan was excited
because one of the performers was a friend of his mothers. After the show, she walked
Sudan home and gave him words of wisdom “Sticks and stones might hurt your bones,
but ugly words shall never harm you.” Sudan had to learn to be courageous like a lion,
and as sturdy as a pyramid. He did not want to look like everyone else, but what Sudan
wanted was to be accepted for who he was not for what he looked like.
Phil Mendez’s The Black Snowman (1989) shows how a B/black snowman conjures
up African images during the night to inform the young protagonist, Jacob, of how
impressive his African heritage really is. Jacob considers everything that is black to be
negative because he has not been taught any differently. It is not until a magic piece of
kente cloth is wrapped around a dirty snow snowman that Jacob’s life becomes
enlightened. The B/black snowman inspires Jacob to seek the spirit and knowledge of
Africa.
Thank You Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.! by Eleanora E. Tate is set in the South with a
young female protagonist who is embarrassed to be Black. She does not equate being
Black with being beautiful. Mary Elouise believes that beauty only appears in the form of
White images, especially that of a Barbie doll. February, with the recognition of Black
History month is the worse time for Mary Elouise. She would rather not be a part of any
kind of Black program during that month but changes her mind when Miss Imani comes
to her school and begins to talk with her about her African heritage. Mary Elouise
struggles with the fact that she is connected in any way to Africa because she has never
been taught anything positive about it. And it is Big Momma, who enlightens her:
“Shoot, our ancestors didn’t jump in line over in Africa to sign up to be slaves for
over here like they were looking for jobs. No! They had their own homes and
families. But some evil Europeans and some evil Americans and some evil
English and some evil Africans got together and put the finger on other Africans”
(171).
Tate and Mendez use the experiences of Jacob and Mary Elouise to express the
painful omission that many Black children have suffered because they have not been
taught Black history. Without any understanding of their African heritage or of early
Blacks in the United States, these Black children lived with negative images of
themselves. As Ralph Ellison put it, Black people were virtually invisible in American
history and its literature. The books by Tate and Mendez have taught their young readers
how to be proud of being Black.
The aesthetics within Black children’s books has evolved beyond history throughout
the 90s and into the new millennium. As Zora Neale Hurston stated, “Whatever the
Negro does of his own volition he embellishes” (227). Black children’s literature has
been able to expand the levels of aesthetic creativity. Picture books have displayed the
Black folk art tradition through the works of artists such as Faith Ringgold, who has used
the artistry of quilt making a modern picture book containing one family’s story of racism
and cultural pride. In Tar Beach (1991) Cassie Logan shows her brother how she can fly
above the racial insults that have trapped her father. Christopher Myers and Javaka
Steptoe their books, Harlem (1998) and In Daddy’s Arms I am Tall (1998) emulate the
artistic collage art of artist Romare Bearden.
Myers accompanies his father’s, Walter Dean Myers, poetic text with his
photomotanges in their combined picture book interpretation, Harlem. While Javaka
Steptoe complements poetry from a variety of Black authors on the topic of fathers.
Steptoe steps out of photomontanges and includes other mediums within his art. Nails,
buttons, dirt, pennies, wood and seeds to name a few are all a part of his artistic
expression. Steptoe includes his own poem dedicated to his father, John Steptoe (1950-
1989):
You drew pictures of life
with your words.
I listened and ate these words you said
to grow up strong.
Like the trees, I grew,
branches, leaves, flowers, and then the fruit.
I became the words I ate in you.
For better or worse
the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.
This literature invokes the Black Aesthetic, a style that brings consciousness to a Black
child who is aware of world events. It brings the Black experience into the field of
children’s literature. Tony Medina and R. Gregory Christie created the poetic tales of
days in the life of DeShawn Williams, a little Black boy living in the hood in DeShawn
Days(2001). He is aware of his surroundings, happy about the people who love and
protect him, conscious of world issues and he is still able to dream and be a child.
I love rap
not just ‘cause of the beats
that make you move your feet
but the words
‘cause they talk about reality
‘cause they talk about me
and my block
DeShawn is genuine and many Black children will be able to relate to him as they did
Robert in John Steptoe’s Stevie. The detailed expressions on the enlarged faces of
Christie's illustrations assist in setting the mood for the poetic thoughts from DeShawn.
Medina admits that he is committed to children in DeShawn Days. In the “Afterword”
Medina explains that he was just like DeShawn, which tells Black children that no matter
what their circumstance they too can make dreams happen. Medina makes himself a
model for them because he is proof that dreams can become reality.
A writer is a great thing to be because you get to paint pictures, tell stories, create
worlds, and express your feelings—all with words. It just takes imagination.
DeShawn uses his imagination to see things differently and to help others. Maybe
his experiences will inspire you to write poems, paint pictures, sing songs, or help
others, too!
In Heaven (1998), Angela Johnson shows how seeds may be scattered but the apple
truly does not fall far from the tree. The setting for the story is Heaven, Ohio. Living
there doesn’t mean that one is sheltered from the evils in life, but it is a place where
things can get healed through time. The protagonist Marley has been going to the
Western Union counter to send money to her Uncle Jack ever since she was six. Uncle
Jack is someone she has only known through letters he sent to her. Johnson’s story is set
at a time when southern Black churches were being burned. Marley discovers her own
identity, who Uncle Jack is, and what family really means through her trials and
tribulations. The main issues within Heaven do not occur because the characters are
Black; but these issues, however, are examined through a Black family’s perspective.
Shoogy told me when I first met her that she used to cut herself so it would
block out pain. I didn’t understand. She told me that she couldn’t cut deep
enough. I almost cried when she said that. And I wondered what could have hurt
her heart so much.
We’re both fourteen. We both like the same music and think the same things
are funny . . .. (93)
Johnson has re-emphasized Terry McMillan’s explanation on the new Black Aesthetic,
We do not feel the need to create and justify our existence anymore. We are here.
We are proud. And most of us no longer feel the need to prove anything to White
folks. If anything, we’re trying to make sense of ourselves to ourselves. (xxi)
Walter Dean Myers created a novel with the Manhattan Detention Center as its
setting. Monster (1999) is an award winning novel narrated by sixteen year old Steve
Harmon who is now locked up waiting trial for felony murder. Myers has written the
novel as an evolving screenplay. It is through Harmon’s fear and isolation that he tells his
story in such a creative format. Harmon sets up scenes, cues camera takes, inserts
dialogue, and in between all of the media format he inserts his diary entries; descriptions
of how he is feeling and what it is like inside detention:
Wednesday, July 8
They take away you shoelaces and your belt so you can’t kill yourself no
matter how bad it is. I guess making you live is part of the punishment.
It’s funny, but when I’m sitting in the courtroom, I don’t feel like I’m
involved in the case. It’s like the lawyers and the judge and everybody are doing a
job that involves me, but I don’t have a role. It’s only when I go back to the cells
that I know I’m involved. (59)
This postmodern structure that flashes onto various scenes of Steve Harmon’s
incarceration coincides with today’s video era. Myers has updated the Black Aesthetic
that now reach a culture of youth that have been exposed to the criminal element in
entertainment. Through the youthful scared eyes of the protagonist, a detention center and
a court trial visualize and the reader now sees what Harmon sees.
The voice of the Black child still rings out through the pens of Black writers and
through the imagery of Black artists. The voice changes as time progresses. It is the
Black artist’s intention to address Black children first then proceeds with the same voice
for other children to understand them. As Dianne Johnson explains,
This heritage and its implications cannot always be understood fully by White
authors. The point here is that part of the legacy of African American experience
is a justified sensitivity of African American writers, illustrators, critics,
educators, and reading audiences towards past misrepresentations of themselves –
a sensitivity which will persist until there exists a balance and range of various
African American images available in children’s books. (9)
Conclusion
The Black Aesthetic promotes the distinction of the Black Artist and it removes the
stereotypes that have been created by an inhuman worldview. The artist must be able to
paint by pencil and pen a vision of a culture that has spirituality and can erase what artists
have distorted for centuries. Black writers and illustrators take control of their creation by
producing not just an artistic aesthetic but also creating moving portraits of various Black
lifestyles. Black writers, illustrators and publishers who produce Black children’s books
are revolutionary because they have stepped beyond earlier boundaries for an implied
audience of Black children. These writers are aware that critics might not favor their
writing. Few of their books will ever win awards, but that is not the prestige they prefer.
Their prize comes when a Black child sees him or herself in their creations.
Within Black children's literature there is history, politics, and theory and there is
creativity, beauty and a variety of cultural identities that break the stereotypes of the
Black image for children to learn from, as well as adults. Black Repeater
dedicated to all my children in what land
they may be
Remember This Remember That And Don’t Forget
That You’re Black. Forget This Forget That And Always
Remember That You’re Black
(Repeat as many times as necessary)
Ted Joans, Black Manifesto in Jazz, 1971.
Works Cited
Bergman, Peter M. The Chronological History of the Negro in America. New York:
Harper and Row, 1969.
Bishop, Rudine Sims. Shadow & Substance. Urbana: National Council for Teachers of
English, 1982.
Bradley, Darcey H. "John Steptoe: Retrospective of an Imagemaker." The New Advocate,
4, Winter 1991, 11-23.
Bryan, Ashley. The Dancing Granny. New York: Aladdin Paperbacks 1977.
Bryan, Ashley. “A Tender Bridge,” Journal of Youth Services in Libraries. September
1990, 295-302.
Clarke, John Henrik. “The Origin and Growth of Afro-American Literature,” Black
Voices; An Anthology of Afro-American Literature, edited by Abraham Chapman.
New York: Mentor Book, 1968, 632-644.
Cooperative Children’s Book Center. “Children’s Books by and about People of Color
Published in the United States,” School of Education University of Wisconsin-
