Write out LOUD!

Writing. This is a word that is most often heard in the classroom setting. However, writing is a word that should be associated with much more than essays, research papers and tests. Instead of viewing writing as an assignment, or “punishment,” we should view writing as a tool of liberation.

Most of what we have learned about ourselves has been recorded in “written” histories, but we must ask who is writing this history? What is his or her purpose for writing about a particular subject or group of people? I believe it is safe to say that we can agree that most of what we have read ourselves, as Black people, has been negative, stereotypical, and simply degrading. Not only are we degraded as a group, but our history has been rewritten to portray us as being uncivilized creatures that needed “saving” by the “great” people of Europe.

The impact of having our written history altered has a greater impact on our community than many may realize. When children are reading books, whether it be novels or textbooks, that portray their race as being insubordinate and lacking any “success” throughout history, they develop this “agreement perspective,” as I like to call it, as to who they are as a people. This forces our children to grow wanting to emulate the white race and be more like “them.”

We must reverse this pattern of thinking and write out LOUD! Writing out loud allows our voices to be heard; it allows for us to tell OUR story and show our children that they do indeed come from a great history of kings and queens that once ruled the world and had its greatest richest resources. Patricia Hill-Collins refers to this term as “throwing our voices.” In literature, as we “throw our voices,” we write out loud the truth about ourselves.

Choosing to write about our true history not only informs our children of the greatness from which they come, but it will also encourage them to want to learn how to write and perfect this much needed skill. So you see, us choosing to write out loud benefits our community in more ways than we may see or choose to understand now. After school, start off by telling your child to write a paragraph about his or her day. This can lead to a great discussion, while forcing your child to practice the art of writing. Now do you see how this great tool of liberation can be effective? So the next time you read about something that is not true or just doesn’t feel quite right, WRITE OUT LOUD!