(Washington Post) — Representation of African Americans by white people in texts records a history of “inferiority.” Based on these perceptions, African Americans have endured slavery, genocide, medical apartheid and segregation. This “inferiority” is a tool fundamental to ethnic distancing in society. Today, this tool is used with great precision in the mainstream publishing industry. While, yes, the distancing may not be total — meaning a few select African American authors have “crossed over” into the mainstream — the work of many African Americans authors, myself included, has been lumped into one heap known as “African American literature.” This suggests that our literature is singular and anomalous, not universal. It is as if we American authors who happen to be of African descent are not a people but a genre much like mystery, romance or thriller.
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