Black Writing: The Other Side

When people say “the Negro struggle,” they usually have in mind those groups and activities that represent the effort to achieve the democratic integration of American institutions, an effort inspired by the belief that the Negro, whatever his differences, is as American as anybody else. Seldom, and only recently, are they also thinking of groups and activities dedicated to the achievement of black power, black nationalism, and black separatism.

It is the same with Negro writing. Most people mean the term to apply to those writers and works that, while rooted in Negro experience and reflecting a Negro viewpoint, have addressed themselves to a general audience and have affirmed the principle of a Negro American identit...