Black Shadows

They call us blacks not only because of the color of our skin, but because...once upon a time, we were like shadows. Black shadows that trailed behind white bodies. Afraid, and hidden. everyone has a vision, and a story to tell. It is through our words that we can tell this story. It is through our literature that these words can be published to the world. The Black Arts Movement is what helped to make this possible. Umbra magazine was created after the Civil War so that blacks were able to share their visions with the world through writing. The Harlem Writers Guild was created so that the outside world could see, Not only our harsh realities, of life as a black shadow in a white world... but our fantasies about a world we dream about. Dreams of world without just black and white. A world of color. It were publications like these that allowed outsiders to see into our world,and help bring about change. No longer are blacks shadows, But rather, absorbers of light. Us blacks have come into the light, And now we can reflect our light on the rest of the world! -Nydja