Mary Nathalie A.

Zacarias
Ms. Jimisha Relerford
English 104
04 September 2015
Making Connections Assignment 1
Literacy is a deceiving word. Often defined in dictionaries as simply the ability to read
and write, literacy holds more meaning than just proficiency in reading and writing. For some
people, specifically Black civil rights leaders such as Frederick Douglas and W.E.B. Du Bois,
literacy holds even moreit was the fine line between oppression and liberation. Although
slavery and segregation have long been abolished, de facto discrimination and institutional
racism still have yet to end. Modern activists today wield the pen as the primary weapon to
continue the battle against prejudice. Prime examples of these modern activists are well known
author Pearl Cleage and high school students Keisha and Troy, who give their first hand
accounts of the Black struggle through their writing.
Pearl Cleage is an author well known for her candid novels. Her storylines often reflected
images of the African American livelihood, from the adversities that vex Black people to the
victories that are celebrated by the same people. During an interview with Marita Golden, she
stated that she made it a point for her literary works to be grounded in the struggle of Black
people to be free. Keisha and Troy are both high school students who agreed to have their
writing analyzed during a study regarding the literacy practices of urban African American
youth by Jabari Mahiri and Soraya Sablo. Keisha wrote poems, song lyrics, and plays as
measures of materializing her ideas. Troy, on the other hand, kept his thoughts in his head

sharing them mainly through rap. To Cleage literacy was actively writing for Black Pride,
whereas for Keisha and Troy literacy was simply writing about their lives.
During her interview, Cleage explicitly said that she was raised in a very pro-Black
environmenta place that was not exactly accessible to both Keisha and Troy. Whereas Pearl
Cleage was writing fiction, Keisha and Troy were merely remembering their own life encounters
with the problems that plague Black communities today. For example, Keisha bore witness to
gang violence, which was a theme in her poem and play of the same name, Jus Living. Troy
shared his experience with selling drugs due to financial instabilities in his rap, Family Fam.
To put it frankly, Cleage was in a more privileged position growing up compared to Keisha
and Troy.
Despite their differences, these three writers essentially do the same thingthat is, help
communicate the problems and strife that African Americans face in their lifetimes. They use
creative methods to share these, depending upon the reader, unique experiences. They sought to
make their thoughts known and their voices to be heard.
Pearl Cleage, Keisha, and Troy are African American writers who vary in their methods
but yell in the same voice. Literacy plays a major role in their livesas a means of expression
and a way to fight against injustices that run rampant in modern society. They do not only write
for their own well being but also for the well being of others.