February is Black History Month, so now is an especially fitting time to reflect on the connections between Black history and Charlotte’s community of readers and writers. During last year’s Black History Month, I wrote a Storied Charlotte blog post about four works of nonfiction that deal with Black history in the Charlotte area, but Black history is not a topic that only historians address in their books.  Charlotte is home to several creative writers who also respond to Black history in their published works.  Two such writers are the novelist Malika J. Stevely, whose publications include the historical novel Song of Redemption, and the poet Grace C. Ocasio, whose poetry collections include Family Reunion and The Speed of Our Lives.   I contacted Malika and Grace and asked them for more information about how Black history informs their writing.

Here is Malika’s response:

As a genealogist and writer of historical literature, I find that Black history shapes my creative writing by allowing me to bring to life stories of extraordinary people who made their way through walls despite the systems that were meant to confine them.

I’ve heard some authors explain why they choose to avoid writing about Black history stating that their storytelling would be limited due to the restrictions Blacks have had within this country. To that, I say they don’t know enough about Black history. They don’t know enough about the joys and triumphs folded within our past. And what I find most tragic is that they don’t see the human aspect of the people who lived through these experiences.

When many people think of history, they see it as an occurrence from long ago that has no effect or presence in the modern world. In fact, history is always repeating itself, changing its color and bending its shape to fit into its new decade. As an author, when I’m able to dive into Black history and allow it to move around the peaks of my imagination, it reminds me of seeing a black-and-white photo or news footage from a historical event and later seeing it in color. It brings a new perspective; it evokes and heightens empathy, making it more relatable, and allowing me to see it from contemporary eyes.

When writing historical literature, I not only want my audience to experience time travel, but my main goal is to humanize my characters and make the reader feel as if they are walking alongside them.

I remember Lonnie Bunch, Secretary of the Smithsonian Institute, say that “history is a weapon,” while Pulitzer Prize-winning author, Alice Walker, once said that “history is a keeping of records.” I am protective of Black history and have an unshakable desire to keep it alive. I am protective of the people who have forgone certain experiences that cause me to peel back the layers of their stories and the decisions they made.

Black history motivates me to share truth and stories that may have never been publicly told by those who experienced it. It is in gratitude that I write creatively, not just for myself or my audience, but for those who were never privileged to feel the texture of a pen and its ink. When writing creatively, I am humbled to spiritually take along on the journey those who came before me, for they will know that their struggles were not in vain or forgotten.

Here is Grace’s response:

When I was growing up in New York, I celebrated Black history week, what has now morphed into Black history month. My Uncle Arthur, who lived in South Carolina, sent my brother and me a copy of The Black Book. For a long time, that book was like the Bible to me.  Thus, my experience of Black life early on shaped many of the poems I went on to write as an adult. 

In terms of my writing process, I do not intentionally set out to write about the Black experience. The process of writing a poem about a Black historical figure or Black history in general is wholly an organic phenomenon for me. When I was an active member of the Carolina African American Writers’ Collective, an organization founded by the distinguished poet Lenard D. Moore, I, along with other members, was challenged to write on historically relevant subjects. Some of the poems I wrote, namely about Emmett Till, Michelle Obama, and Nelson Mandela, were inspired by writing prompts shared during the collective’s meetings. 

Recently, some poems I wrote with an emphasis on semi-autobiographical material appeared in the North Carolina Poetry Society’s Witness: Appalachia to Hatteras, an annual collection of poetry. This collection features the work of established poets and student poets alike as part of the Gilbert-Chappell Distinguished Poet Series. Some of my poems in this publication center around Black female singers and dancers who were groundbreaking in their contributions to not just Black history, but contemporary American history as well: singers included are Diana Ross, Aretha Franklin, and Whitney Houston while dancers included are Katherine Dunham, Judith Jamison, and Misty Copeland. Soon, I hope to complete my work-in-progress poem on Josephine Baker. 

I thank Malika and Grace for sharing their reflections on how Black history relates to their work as creative writers. As we celebrate Black History Month, it is important that we remember that so many of the stories that make up Storied Charlotte are shaped in one way or another by Black history and by Black writers.