Push….and I believe that, with the issue of black authors looking for white readers, I just think that we as authors should do more to reach out to black readership. If black writers, authors, journalists, publishers, book reviewers, readers, book stores, distributers, graphic artists, etc all stuck together and supported one another, the black literary community would be strong, economically solvent, and wouldn’t have to be concerned with whether or not whites read our books, publish us, or patronize our work. So, Dr. Huggins, what do you think?
Dr. Huggins: I hate to throw a wrench in here, but do black folk read; and to what extent? There is a long line history in our culture that says if you want to hide something from black folk, put it in a book. Second, this question does not deal with the elephant on the page (internet exchange), that King begins to address…our self-hatred and denial runs so deep that ever since integration, after Jim Crow, we negate and run away from what we have to be on the other…part of that means, we do not know the first thing of supporting our dollar, in our community, our people, in our contexts. And there are theoretical constructs for this; Social Capital. Black folk, across the globe, in general, as a culture, and as hallmarked by our experiences, have none. And that is where depending on black folk to even support your work, whether that be a restaurant, books, art, dealers, etc. etc. is an uphill battle that may require some useless education beforehand. But let’s expand the discussion outside of my contexts and sphere, whatever it may be, and expand it out of your sphere and context, this readers/writers network, as you put it…and think globally. In any society, most countries, and for the majority of the global population, there is more illiteracy than literacy. Only a small population of the larger reads, and reads consistently. Then when you consider reading and writing in the context of English as a language, it is smaller still, on a global scale; and I am not talking just the top of the educated, but considering the masses as well. You will see from this extrapolation the point that the world is more nonreaders than readers. America is unusual in that it is kind of high, as is the UK. Outside of that not so much.
Push: Yes, Dr. Huggins, and I do understand your global perspective but I still think that – in Black America – we are reading. On a global level, and not at the racial level, people in general aren’t reading much. That’s not just a Black thing. People in various countries don’t have the access, technology, education, etc and that contributes to high illiteracy rates. But I’d like to look at that global perspective in non-racial terms. People living in poor, impoverished areas around the globe have difficulty access reading materials. But, here in America, black folks read.
Dr. Huggins: I would say one thing though. The state of Black America would not be such as it is, if we were reading, and understood what we read when we read it. And I concede, perhaps what we are reading gets back to reinforcing the madness then we get to a whole other kettle of fish. I agree to disagree on this one. I do not expect someone making their life on books to believe that people aren’t reading. Just like my pessimism is borne of a developmentalist/economist/change agent, seeing nothing changing, more of the same, and a retardation rather than advancement. These are bitter pills to swallow my friend, and hard to sound optimistic in the face of those realities.
Push: We can agree to disagree, but I just want to make one last comment. I came across the book, “Top 20 Things….” recently, so I am aware of the book. Perhaps I will read the book, maybe even review it. But these books sometimes only provide shock value, provocative titles, which mean easy book sales. Yet, when you read the book you get no real food for thought, much of it is based on stereotypes and age old misconceptions of black folk. In other words, the book is based on myth rather than research. That’s not necessarily the case with this book, but I’ve read some like it. Too, as someone noted on the author’s page, “I can’t bear to read another book that only focuses on problems.” We all know the problems facing our community, and we’ve all read those kinds of books that state the problematic issues. But we also want to read about solutions.
Dr. Huggins Well, that might be a good book to read. I know of what you speak. That book seemed legit to me in that the table of contents did not read as fluff. As someone who has observed and think of these issues, it seemed real. I think one might be in for a rude awakening because one starts off with the premise to prove black people indeed do read, and reads material that you have to say, well if black people read, (and they understand what they read, then why do they keep doing what they do?) and then you get to recognizing, or having to ask, well, are black folk stupid or retarded, cause nothing else would suffice as an explanation, and then to realize…oh the stuff is out there. They say they read, but, yet, this is what we have as our status and condition. How can that be, and realize, I would have been better off believing black folk don’t read….because that opens up a whole other challenging query.
Push: I dig what you’re saying, that how can they be reading yet still maintain the status and condition; if they are reading they must be stupid or retarded. I don’t think they are stupid or retarded. I think two things: 1) black folks prefer not to read the things that challenge their fundamental beliefs, especially Christianity. How you gone tell a black person that the very thing that they have generation placed their lives on, is some bullshit lies? So, I can understand why they won’t gravitate towards those kinds of books. Then, too many folks (Americans in general) tend to not be concerned with anything that does not directly affect their lives. 2) When in Rome do as the Romans. In that sense black folks, as you know, have had a long and hard battle to attain certain rights and privileges. So, again, I can understand how they can consciously steer clear of books that challenge their way of life, beliefs, religion, etc. Wouldn’t you say that that’s part of the “double consciousness” notion? So, again, perhaps the real question is what we are reading, or what we choose to read.
Dr. Huggins: Absolutely, the double consciousness. It is called cognitive dissonance! That allows it. I realize, cause I have been thinking, that people never get to me with solutions. They just stop short of the work necessary to tell the truth, moreso in Trinidad. I critique and rip this place to shred. It needs it. This place needs a do over like hell needs water. Bad pun maybe, because hell ain’t getting water. And yes it is good too, because we are in a sea of water and water is what Trinidad does not have and needs. I have written whole series of plans, projects, programs to attempt to address issues, but it also would not be taken seriously, people don’t want change. That is the nature of the human. In terms of American black folk, I have never deigned to have their answers. That is another animal. Too much there is entrained, whereas in Trinidad, everything is wide open, except people’s minds. It is a circle. People attempt things in a landscape that does not allow for their change and that is where the holistic scrapping and start over comes from. I just believe if you don’t fully analyze a thing how on earth are you going to fix it? And I don’t have to come up with a solution. My role could just be to contribute to the truth and analysis of it. But, all in all, the conversation never gets a chance to reach that exchange and point of building.
Dr. Melise D Huggins, is an international scholar writing on numerous issues including political economy, development economics, cultural ethnography, womanist issues, emerging economies and issues of change and transformation. She is a poet, artist, photographer, and amazing chef.
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One Response to “Do Black Folks Read? (A discussion with International Scholar, Dr. Melise D. Huggins)”
Comments (1)
I enjoyed reading this article. You are discussing several topics that I believe must be addressed to move forward as people, business owners, and within the literary community.