Richard Wright: Hurling Words Into Darkness Unpopular

“I knew that I lived in a country in which the aspirations of black people were limited, marked-off. Yet I felt that I had to go somewhere and do something to redeem my being alive.” – Richard Wright, from “Black Boy.” Richard Wright’s writing was controversial. His work was both praised as improving race relations and criticized as perpetuating dangerous stereotypes of Black people in the United States. James Baldwin took issue with Wright’s novel “Native Son” and protest fiction’s reductionist approach to race relations and Black humanity. Wright’s work ignited conversations about race and about the treatment and perspective of Black Americans. But the role of this literary protest in bettering Black lives and futures was disputable. Today’s episode wraps up season one of Unpopular. We’ll be back in October. But in the meantime, be on the lookout for bonus episodes. And don’t forget to share, rate, and review the show.