Writing Themselves Into the Movement: Child Authors of the Black Arts Movement

＂Between 1967 and 1972 at least thirty anthologies by African American, Latinx, Asian American, and Native American children came out of adult-led writing workshops and classrooms. These anthologies gained national media coverage, occasionally became bestsellers, and even inspired a hit Broadway musical. While writings by children had long attracted attention, this coverage was distinguished by the widespread belief that children of color from poor and working-class neighborhoods were uniquely able to speak about racism and inequality. Focusing on youth within New York City, Amy Fish examines child-authored texts of these years within the context of their production and reception. These writers were often supervised and edited by white adults, raising concerns about the authenticity and agency of their voices. Fish contends that young authors shared these concerns and employed savvy rhetorical strategies to interrogate the perils and possibilities of their adult-influenced work. Young writers thus contributed to the era’s debates about the nature of authorship and readership within a racist society＂--

Amy Fish is Assistant Director for Experiential Learning and Academic & Co-Curricular Initiatives at Boston University. Her writings have appeared in numerous publications, including The Lion and the Unicorn and Research on Diversity in Youth Literature.