Juneteenth and The Power of Story
On this Juneteenth, I’m reminded about the power of story. Recently I interviewed authors Kwame Mbalia and Prince Joel Makonnen about their book Last Gate of the Emperor. During our conversation, they both spoke to the power of stories. They spoke of possibilities and empowerment. The very same ideas that were kept from those that were enslaved.
Many states passed laws that made it illegal to teach enslaved Blacks how to read. For example, The Alabama Slave Code of 1833 included the following literacy law “S31. Any person who shall attempt to teach any free person of color, or slave, to spell, read or write, shall, upon conviction thereof by indictment, be fined in a sum not less than two hundred fifty dollars, nor more than five hundred dollars.” The fear was rooted in the knowledge that the ability to read and write would empower and open up the possibilities of freedom for Black people. As Frederick Douglass has written, “once you learn to read, you will be forever free.”
There’s a reason I focus on Black children’s literature. It’s because of its power. The power to inspire dreams, uplift, affirm and open up the imagination. Rudine Sims Bishop wrote in her essay, Reading to Affirm, Inform and Empower, “What I did understand was the pleasure that good stories offer and the power of books to introduce me to lives and experiences beyond my own.”
To know that Black people were denied the right to read and write, makes it even more imperative for me to celebrate our stories. To work collectively to amplify Black voices, images, imagination and joy. Our stories and contributions were not fully told. We were once denied the right to tell our history, our experiences and define ourselves.
Enslaved people were denied access to their freedom not only through bondage but anti literacy laws. This Juneteenth, we celebrate our freedom from enslavement. I also celebrate the power of our stories. The humanity of our trials and triumphs. The joy of our love and achievements. The hope in overcoming and moving forward. The creativity in our words. The beauty in our images. The freedom to raise our voices in verse. The liberation of words.
In her 2018 article, Jonda McNair quoted Dianne Johnson-Feelings, “writers have understood that children’s literature cannot simply be cute and innocent. It has to communicate to our children something about our complex and rich identities as Africans and as Americans.”
Black children’s literature communicates both our complex history and our power. I celebrate the creators of Black children’s literature. They give us strength and remind us of our liberation and joy.