Authors are also Architects: Crafting Enduring Legacies

Authors are great impetus’s for human transformation and powerful architects of crafting enduring legacies! Through the written word in the form of historical accounts, fiction, essays, autobiographies, and numerous other genres, their works educate, inspire, motivate, and raise the consciousness of the reader.  The experience of the Kidnapped African has served as inspiration for many writers, causing radical change, recapturing the accounts of a resilient people forced to forget who they were, and encouraging them to remember and have hope and perseverance.

“To produce a mighty book, you must choose a mighty theme.”–Herman Melville

“To produce a mighty book, you must choose a mighty theme.”

–Herman Melville

Honoring Legacy Builders

As the author of theResurrection Series,Ben Ammi Ben Israel accomplished the arduous task of restoring the identity of Hebrew Israelites, connecting them to an ancient narrative which once alienated a people as the result of organized, global, religious colonization.  His collection, often seen as revelatory, passionately illustrates how the chattel slavery experience in the United States United States arose from intentional yet careless choices, made with indifference and disregard.

Through theResurrection Seriesand its empowering resources, Ben Ammi Ben Israel has transformed the lives of the Lost Tribes of Israel, and created a vibrant, thriving, and exemplary community social model. –The Village of Peace Dimona.

Prince Dr. Shaleak, Master Teacher, is another well-noted author who changed the lives of the Stolen African with his book,Know Thyself.In this writing, he urged us to awaken to self-awareness, strengthen our moral character, pursue truth-centered education, have discipline, and take personal responsibility and accountability to advance as a people.  As an author, Prince Doctor Shaleak’s book served as a precursor to prepare us for our journey into Truth.

The Impregnable Peoplewritten by the great Prince Gavriyah, is an autobiographical, historical, personal and communal narrative. It chronicles the journey of Hebrew Israelites in reclaiming reclaiming our ancestral heritage. It gives the reader an eye-witness account of our migration back to Africa, traversing through Liberia and onward to the Holy Land. through his writing, Prince Gavriyah illustrates the challenges we faced and the resilience we exhibited during that period – deeming us unstoppable and indeed.

Remembering Their Enduring Legacy

The spirit of courage, strength, pride, and change has been a theme of many writings that represent our ordeal from slavery forward.  We must never forget other great Black authors that skillfully captured our story through the written word writing poems, plays, novels, essays, autobiographies etc.  With awesome creativity and literary excellence, they brought the lives and experiences of the Kidnapped African to the reader in unforgettable and thought-provoking ways.  These writers came from all walks of life.  Some of them were actual slaves that wrote or told their stories in slave accounts. Others were the children of the Harlem Renaissance, a movement in the 1920’s and 1930’s when African-American writers, artists, musicians, and thinkers began to redefine the identity of the Kidnapped African and expressed black pride, self-awareness, and cultural richness calling for social change and awakening. The 1950’s and 1960’s also produced prolific Black authors whose artistic ingenious set high, literary standards not just for African-American authors, poets and playwrights, but all craftsmen of the pen.

We must remember Lorraine Hansberry, an African-American author and playwright.  She was the first Black female playwright to have her artistry performed on Broadway.  Her landmark work, A Raisin in the Sunwas partly inspired by Langston Hughes’ poem, “A Dream Deferred.” The play depicts the life of a Black family in the south side of Chicago that broke racial barriers on Broadway, by bringing one type of authentic Black family life to the mainstream stage. The story centers around the Younger Family, and how each family member has a dream of what to do with a life- insurance check following the death of the family’s patriarch. The play was also made into a movie featuring famous African-American movie stars.  It tells a story of a family’s hope even though they have been thrust into poverty and anguish customary of many Kidnapped Africans of that time.

Lorraine Hansberry is also responsible for coining the powerful phrase, “Young, Gifted, and Black.” This saying became a popular motto symbolizing the brilliance of Black Youth in the United States, urging our people to acknowledge the gifts of our children and encourage them to become the best versions of themselves.  The infamous singer, Nina Simone wrote the song entitled, “Young, Gifted, and Black” that rocked the world, and inspired many singers to follow suit with various remakes of this message of inspiration.  Her spirit of acknowledging the greatness of the Young, Gifted, and Black in Captivity is in alignment with our efforts to raise up and applaud our Youth who have reclaimed their identity as followers of Truth.

Let us remember August Wilson hailed as one of the most important playwrights of the 20thcentury, and coined “theater’s poet of Black America.” He is also an inductee of the American Theater Hall of Fame. August Wilson wrote a collection of ten plays known as The Pittsburgh Cycle which chronicles the experience of Black folks in America throughout the 20thcentury.  We remember his famous playsFences,The Piano Lesson,andMa Rainey’s BlackBottomwhich were all adapted into critically acclaimed movies. ThePiano Lessonwon a Pulitzer Prize, which is a prestigious award given for high achievement in literature, drama, music and journalism.

The soul-stirring messages of tragedy, trauma, racial discrimination, migration, humor, and human vulnerability are encapsulated in this great author’s works.  His plays are recognized for their rich and poetic dialogue and strong, yet complex characters. Certain members of the artistic community have committed themselves to making sure that August Wilson receives the accolades deserving of his awesome craftsmanship telling the story of the Kidnapped African in rich and meaningful ways.

Lest We Forget

Our authors are more than storytellers, historians, poets, journalists, essayists, etc.  They are super heroes, Transformers, that cultivate the written word into tools that revolutionize, liberate, and motivate our minds and spirits to transcend the narrative of enslavement and suffering, and propel us to regain our freedom and high achievement, manifesting the fullness of what we have victoriously reclaimed.

Featured writerToveet Dawn Herculesis a talented wordsmith, adept at crafting a style that resonates effortlessly with her audience. Her writing encourages readers to contemplate their own experiences and perceive the world from a fresh perspective, making her contributions an invaluable enhancement to any publication.