The Grio – As we approach Juneteenth, a day that commemorates the emancipation of enslaved people of African descent in the United States, it is important for us to reflect upon and celebrate the profound significance of Black literacy and literature to the freedom of Black people and our society. We have all witnessed recent efforts to ban books and literary works that present the stories of African-American people and marginalized communities in America and that challenge white-American supremacy — the latest absurdity being the banning of Amanda Gorman’s “The Hill We Climb” in Florida public schools. This superficial yet harmful act of censorship not only erodes our shared heritage but also threatens the fundamental principles of freedom and diversity upon which our society is built.
As a Black poet, my career has been dedicated to sharing our stories through poetry and to preserving and promoting the works of Black writers and authors. Together, the entire poetry community shares stories about our collective history, inspiring creativity, and providing a platform for under-heard and unacknowledged voices in American culture and letters.
It is perhaps not widely known, but African-Americans were the only people in the United States ever explicitly forbidden to become literate — a consequence of the dehumanizing cruelties of slavery. Learning to read and write was a critical step for newly freed slaves as they sought to secure their freedom and build new lives. The quest for basic and greater literacy, previously denied, allowed them to communicate with each other more openly, understand their legal rights, and engage with society at large. Many former slaves recognized the importance of education and saw it as a pathway to social and economic mobility and empowerment.
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