Baby Suggs's sermon in the clearing to formerly enslaved Black folx offers readers an important anecdote about living in the afterlife of white supremacy (Hartman, 2007; Sharpe, 2016). Baby Suggs seemed to understand that the priority for survival and emancipation was loving one's flesh in a world where "yonder they do not love your…

Francisco Rojas Gonzalez's 1944 novel "La negra Angustias" is recognized as the only novel of the Mexican Revolution that features a black woman military officer. Critics have observed that, although this semi-biographical novel portrays Angustias as a gender nonconformist who seeks justice for women and the poor, the conclusion ushers…

In Toni Morrison's fiction, codes, values, and standards are the polar opposite of those set forth and accepted by the dominant (white) culture. The work must be approached from an anthropological perspective, a holistic approach. (LHW)

Highlights religious themes in Alice Walker's "The Color Purple," especially Celie's struggle with traditional Christianity, which here serves to reinforce oppression. Her journey toward spiritual independence reflects much of the actual religious experience of Black women in America. (DM)

This paper profiles representative Afro-Brazilian writers and provides a guide to English language translations and critical studies of their work. The aim is to encourage instructors to broaden the scope of current curricula in black and Latin American studies courses. Recent studies estimate that more than 40 percent of Brazil's inhabitants are…

Examines difficulties children may have in reading Virginia Hamilton's "M. C. Higgins, the Great"; discusses the book and shows how teachers can promote children's appreciation for it by discussing some basic traditions as they appear in the book and by bringing into play children's knowledge of their own belief systems. (ET)

Presented at the Annual Meeting, National Council of Teachers of English, Milwaukee, November 1968.

Describes the pattern of psychological and spiritual evolution in the consciousness of many of the black characters in "The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman," by Ernest J. Gaines. (GW)

Multicultural literature is one good way to raise children's awareness of diversity, but how does one decide what constitutes "good" multicultural children's literature? Most any book can be critiqued from numerous perspectives: first and foremost is the book's literary quality--plot, character development, setting, themes, and style; of…

Discusses the reasons for Black women novelists not allying themselves with White feminists and the differences between the two groups' perspectives. Introduces the term "womanism" to express a philosophy that celebrates Black roots and the ideals of Black life while giving a balanced presentation of Black womandom. (SA)

Discusses the relationship of the Black contemporary author, Alice Walker, to folklorist Zora Neale Hurston and presents a clarification of the relationship of gender and race in a revised theory of literary influence. Argues that Black women authors sometimes misread literary forbears in order to discover and express a positive matrilineage…

In "Go Down, Moses," William Faulkner shows a sensitive understanding of the character and sensibilities of Black people. Faulkner's characterizations and illustrations of relationships between Blacks and Whites imply the hope that understanding between the races can be realized through man's conscious will to return to natural…

In his works, Richard Wright denounces murder while advocating collectivism as an essential ingredient for effecting social change. The short story collection "Uncle Tom's Children" and the novel "Native Son" are the focal points in this analysis of Wright's recurring themes. (SLD)

Four African-American and West Indian novels of childhood illustrate relationships and bonding between mothers and sons: (1) "Go Tell It on the Mountain" (James Baldwin); (2) "Not without Laughter" (Langston Hughes); (3) "Amongst Thistles and Thorns" (Austin Clarke); and (4) "In the Castle of My Skin"…