The Black Arts Era Cont...

One thing that stuck me during the Black Arts Era (1960-1975) was the number of published literary works that were written by women for women. Mari Evans in her poem “I Am a Black Woman” spoke about the different political and racial events that were prominent during this time period. Nat Turner who was executed for a slave revolt and the Korean War are a few examples. This shows that Evans was not only book smart, but had researched and was current on events that were occurring outside of her world. Evans wrote “I am a black woman, tall as a cypress, strong beyond all definition still defying place and time and circumstance, assailed impervious indestructible. Look on me and be renewed.” Black women during this time had overcome a number of obstacles and proved to be solid, resistant, and everlasting. Noticing these characteristics, I believe that anyone would feel renewed and confident to overcome daily struggles.

The Odyssey Webquest that we were required to do opened my eyes to a number of accomplishments that I was not previously aware of. The Executive Order No. 9981 was a major victory for full citizenship for everyone living in the United States. Now everyone could serve in the military. I found the evidence used in the Brown v. Board of Education to be particularly disturbing. Children were given a black and white doll and asked which one they preferred – and majority of black children chose the white one associated with more positive characteristics. I knew that viewpoints were skewed during this time, but it shows how racism is cyclical and even the younger generations were effected.