The Importance of Contemporaries in African American Writing

It is impossible to comprehensively reflect on Black history without considering the interpersonal relationships between certain authors/orators, the ensuing artistic/intellectual dialogue, and the impact on the psyche and perception of Black America. To name a few prominent examples- Booker T. Washington & W.E.B. Dubois; Langston Hughes & Zora Neale Hurston; Richard Wright & Ralph Ellison; and, of course, Martin Luther King Jr. & Malcolm X. What was the nature of these relationships? How did the works of one individual influence & respond to that of their peer? And ultimately, what lessons can these pairings teach us about our own craft?

The Importance of Contemporaries in African American Writing

Presented by Sebastian Ellios

1. someone living during the same period as someone else
2. one of the same or nearly the same age as another

contemporary�con·​tem·​po·​rary

Notable Pairs

Dates approximate periods of prominent intellectual exchange

01

03

Booker T. Washington�W.E.B. Du Bois

Richard Wright

Ralph Ellison

02

Zora Neale Hurston

Langston Hughes

04

Malcolm X

Martin Luther King Jr.

1895-1915

1938-1956

1925 - 1931

1953-1965

Washington & Du Bois

The leading voices of Black America during their time, the two began interacting after Washington’s Atlanta Compromise speech (1895).

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Washington advocated for equality through economic independence, emphasizing the importance of vocational training. Du Bois argued classical education & civil rights were the best path forward.

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Their ideologies split noticeably along lines of practicality & sensibility.

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Their differences contributed to the founding of the NAACP (incl. ‘Crisis’ journal), the National Negro Business League, and concepts of “double consciousness” and Pan-Africanism.

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Ripple effects include the prominence of HBCUs & Black owned businesses.

Hurston & Hughes

Before rap beefs…

“The most notorious literary quarrel in African-American cultural history.” �- Henry Louis Gates Jr

Wright & Ellison

Uncle Tom’s Children

Native Son

Black Boy

Invisible Man

Shadow & Act

Meeting in Harlem in 1938, Wright took Ellison under his wing as they both wrote on behalf of Communist journals.

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In 1941, Ellison critiqued Native Son, saying Black writers could go further by bringing “the imaginative depiction of Negro life into the broad stream of American literature”.

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Ellison’s craft turned towards the Black interior & psyche, while Wright focused more on social realism.

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They grew further apart over their approaches to writing & views on Communism as it pertained to race relations.

Wright

Ellison

Malcolm & Martin

Two of the most prolific figures within Black history. Their stories of faith & transformation influenced much of our current dialogue/action, noticeably in the frequent juxtaposition of “peaceful” v. “militant”.

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To borrow from scholar Peniel Joseph, they shared “convergent visions”, short changed by government intervention and their respective assassinations.

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They met once on March 26, 1964.

Overlaps

What can we learn?

No art is made in isolation.

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Rivals. Mentors. Friends.

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Contemporaries push our thinking and our craft.

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The impact of these relationships can span centuries.

Prompt for Reflection

Who do you consider to be your contemporaries?�What form do those relationships currently take?

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In what intentional ways do you want to expand/deepen these relationships?

How can both the current & future state of these connections affect your craft?

Thanks!

Presented by Sebastian Ellios during The Southern Esesu Endeavor 2024 Digital Retreat (May ‘24)