In celebration of African Heritage Month for profiles and excellence, we honor Black Women of the Pen — broke out in the late 20th century, writing fiction that exposed sexism, domestic violence and women’s oppression. They sold millions of copies and won hundreds of awards, but more importantly, they expanded the palette of Black literature by telling women’s stories. Women like Toni Cade Bambara, Rita Dove, Audre Lorde, Toni Morrison, Gloria Naylor, Ntozake Shange and Alice Walker transformed Black writing and became rivers feeding oceans worldwide.
Walker’s work has transcended fiction to enter academic gender studies, as in usage of the term “womanist” to denote Black women’s experiences as distinct from feminist. Toni Morrison has won virtually every writing award there is, especially for her 1987 masterpiece “Beloved,” a complex yet beautifully wrought work which draws directly from some of the grimmest days of Black History: slavery. By writing fiction, Black women are rewriting history. For Hard Knock Radio, this is Mumia Abu Jamal.
These commentaries are recorded by Noelle Hanrahan of Prison Radio.
