Back then South Ozone Park was made up of mostly Italians who were fiercely trying to protect their bedroom community from the onslaught of AF-AM’s who were escaping the tenement houses of Brooklyn, Manhattan and the Bronx and pouring into their community in droves.
On that day, I was headed to my grandparent’s home. They lived (my grandmother still lives) on 134th Street and Foch Avenue. When I was a little girl going to their house was like “Going Down South”. The street was unpaved and people had fruit trees in the front and back yards. A truck delivered soda every week – it was heaven.
The incident happened a mile or so away from my grandparents’ home. My brother and I had just descended the stairs at Cross bay Boulevard when we found ourselves circled by a group of young, white boys who spat on our clothes as they called us all sorts of derogatory names. We were
terrified.
There were adults on the streets – white adults - and none said a word. None came to our rescue.
“Niggers go home!” the boys blared at us. “You don’t belong here!”
Suddenly there was opening in the circle and I grabbed my brothers hand and we began to run. A bottle shattered at our heels. “You’re not wanted here!”
I have never ever forgotten that day and thirty odd years later, that section of South Ozone Park is now inhabited by Afro-Caribbean’s and East Indians from Trinidad and Guyana – It is - as they say - a new day, but my heart still flutters whenever I walk down Rockaway Blvd. I still expect to encounter those boys. I still expect to be called a Nigger.
This is something that is ingrained in my psyche and no amount of We shall Over Come, will shake it from my memory.
But I knew that not ALL white people felt that way. I had white people in my family. I had white friends. This, I told myself, was an isolated incident - the world wasn't an ugly, racist place. It was beautiful place with a few bad apples.
I went on with my life and knew with all of my heart that one day I would become a published writer and I also knew that my books would be read by all people - not just my folks.....because you know...literature is suppose to bring people together, not pull them apart.
And I still believe that...but I will admit sometimes when I am alone here in my house, monitoring what is going on in publishing where it concerns AF-AM writers, I feel a slight weight on my shoulder and I hear a tiny menacing voice in my ear whispering: “You don’t belong here…”
I hear that voice in these Best of 2009 lists that are sorely lacking in AF-Am writers:
Publishers Weekly
Oprah's Ten Terrific Reads of 2009
About.com Top Ten Books of 2009
In the Library Journal Best list of Best of Books for 2009 recognized a number of AF-AM Street-Lit Authors. (more on this in another post)
One response I received about my claim of “Seg-Book-Gation” and my claim that The Help gained the readership it did because of cross marketing by the publisher was this:
I read quite a lot; am Southern-born and bred myself. I do NOT believe AA writers are less promoted. If you are a good writer, and your book is good, you will be read. If people are not buying a book, it has nothing to do with color. It is quite simple. Either we like it or we don't. Think James Baldwin. He was successful above and beyond. I admit that books ABOUT the "old south" are outstanding for the most part, but I defy anyone to know whether the writer is black or white. The 'segregation thing' is OVER. Move past it and concentrate on your talent and your grasp of the English language. Even writing in dialect is exciting. Just stop blaming it on your color.
Several of Oprah's books and movies have failed for only one reason...there is too MUCH blackness of the tortured kind. The average age of an American Reader is younger and knows very little, if anything, about what we ALL went through. Nor do they care. Talk about the Bill Cosbys of the world. He focuses on all the GOOD that AAs do and how they do it themselves. Lazy, boring white people don't make it, either. I hope you know this has nothing to do with you. Why is "The Help" the best book to come out of the south since "Gone With the Wind?" Because it shows how we all FEEL about what our parents did. We aren't like that now. Maybe those in Newport, R.I. or Vicksburg, Ms. are. DON'T GO THERE.
Thoughts........?
11 comments:
"Too much blackness of the tortured kind..."
REALLY??
I would say the reason that these types of books & movies, that chronicle the struggle of African-Americans in this country at the hands of those in power is that the young whites (or whites in general) don't want to deal with it. While they will acknowledge the horrific terrorist tactics used to subjugate Africans and their descendants in America throughout history, they do not want to face the fact that they still benefit from the privilege of systematic and generational white supremacy. If they faced it, they would be expected to acknowledge it and deal with it appropriately and fairly. That would eradicate the privilege and cause an upheaval in this society the likes of which have never been seen. For those in power, that is an extremely unnerving and frightening thing to imagine, but it is the only way that all Americans will truly have equality.
So, maybe young [white] America doesn't care to know anything about that part of American History , but that doesn't mean those stories need to stop being told because they ultimately explain why things are they way they are today, despite all the strides in human rights that have been made.
I honestly do NOT like the "get over it" tone of that statement...not one bit. Do not dismiss our pain, our struggle and our right to tell our OWN stories the way we see fit just so certain people will feel comfortable with it. As storytellers and the bearers of this burden, that is not our job. Our job is to relate our own truths and our own realities and experiences. A lot of times as African-Americans, that is not gonna be a feel-good story through & through. Deal with it, because it is indeed our shared history as Americans.
I could not have said it any better than The Pretty Brown did, so I will just say..."Ditto."
Great post PBG!
I think every writer, of every hue, knows that marketing and promotion are critical to a book’s success. Every now and again, there is the rare, underground, under the radar, word of mouth title that garners a following and the news spreads one reader at a time. BUT the commenter's statement that "If you are a good writer, and your book is good, you will be read. If people are not buying a book, it has nothing to do with color. It is quite simple. Either we like it or we don't." speaks to an idealized view of writing and publishing. Quite likely the impression those of us who toil over a keyboard, sweating words and bleeding metaphors had when we entered the business and found our dreamy expectations that merit would be enough, dashed against the hard bottom line of the industry we are a part of today. To the commenter: There are hundreds, thousands of GOOD, well written books, that languish and die because they are not found, and therefore not read. And target marketed book sections, Seg-Book-Gation as you named it Bernice, is definitely part of the problem. The commenter may well read widely, as we wish more readers would, but sadly, this is the exception, not the rule--as those of us whose pens are being stilled are finding.
On the other hand, I cannot disagree about the old south, downtrodden stories of black folk not being of interest to many readers. I have heard it, with my very own ears, from readers of all ages. But what does that say about the lovely/lyrical/poignant/funny contemporary novels written by Af-Am writers? I would also point the commenter to Celeste Ng’s HuffPost article "Why I Don't Want to Be the Next Amy Tan" http://bit.ly/8bN9V2. It’s another color, but the story is the same.
I took the literary opposition position, and PBG took the political one. So in addition to my first comment, I also concur with her.
You are as good as you say you are. Tell her to pick up a copy of your book and fine out for herself!
OOOOH! and OUCH!
This story touched me on so many levels Bernice I don't know where to start.
Well, I'm going to try the 'beginning'. I was born a few miles from where you encountered your first experience of being called the N word. I was born in Jamaica, Queens. But my father was Navy and we moved to Newport News, Virginia and I lived on an intergrated Naval base. I had whites next door and Philapinos (sp?) across from me. As five year olds, we didn't care about color, we just cared about 'playing', until one day, something must of happened in the world and suddenly I was told that I couldn't be played with because I was a 'nigger' (this was told to me by both my little blond haired, blue-eyed playmate and the brown-as-me Philipino(sp?). Well in my 5 year old wisdom, I knew I wasn't a nigger, that they were just 'stupid' and I found other ways to keep myself occupied.
Fast forward a decaded later, my husband, a teenager at the time and living in Far Rockaway,Queens, played a basketball game in the illustrious 'Ozone Park'. Afterwards, him and his team mates were chased all the way to the train by a group of white boys who called them everything but a child of God and tried to cause them real physically harm. I heard too many stories where everyone wasn't so lucky. Blacks have been killed there. The threat was serious and I'm happy you lived to tell the story.
And finally, the last part --that response...It's been a while since I wanted to 'spit nails' (excuse the expression, I've been in Georgia too long, but that response had me spitting them. The nerve of that person. How dare she imply that a book doesn't get any attention because it's poorly written!And then tried to go on an given instruction on how to write a good book. What book did they write? Please.
Ignorance will always be just that until a person is willing to be enlightened. That poster can suck rocks (and something else, but I'm not going to post that here).
Margaret Johnson-Hodge
That whole comment reeks of white privilege. As Deberry and Grant stated, that commenter's view is very idealized. For a white writer, talent and effort are the only factors. For a writer of color, race/ethnicity also becomes a factor in success because most readers are going to question your abilities. Furthermore, the only trusted Black voice when it comes to book recommendations is Oprah and she's not suggesting Black books unless they're written by the old Black literary guard (Morrison, Walker). The Help was written by a white woman. I guarantee if it had been written by a Black woman, it would not have garnered the same attention and praise. Why? Because Stockett wrote that book from the "safe" perspective of white privilege.
I think that you are a cool human being.
What an interesting and intelligent discussion. Thank you! As an Af-Am female writer, writing a novel about race, social justice, and the power of music I have been told there's no market for such a story. I've also been told good writing transcends "market" concerns.
I guess no one ever knows if they've got something that's good enough, interesting enough, and well written until their novel breaks through.
Let's flip the script! I wonder if anyone thinks the Jewish stories that are told year after year contain "too much (Jewishness) of the tortured kind?" Just food for thought...
This is exactly why I have begged everyone I know to read WHITE LIKE ME by Wise. We whites do indeed have privileges based on our color alone, and I depise that fact.
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