Ladies and Lords of the Niggerati
Niggerati: the term was coined by either Zora Neale Hurston or Wallace Thurman during the 1930s Harlem Renaissance (I tend to think it was Thurman’s, it’s more his style). It sarcastically described the then new breed of black literati storming American letters. While tongue-in-cheek, the word managed to take a slur and make it regal, using it to describe a new caste of Talented Tenth meritocrats. It is both self-effacing and self-aggrandizing, an in-group word that only one ethnic group can comfortably speak aloud. But that just adds to its exclusivity.
Over the next few months, it is my intent to create a listing, by era, of those Lords of the Niggerati that have made the African American literary dialogue such a rich one. If you are looking for encyclopedia entries, go elsewhere. These will be love songs.
This list will not include everyone, just most of the ones I really enjoy. As I arrive at the topic of the modern era, please excuse me if you or your faves don’t make the cut, and remember this is but one incognegro’s humble opinion.
18th Century
19th Century
New Negro to the Harlem Renaissance
Mid Century Moderns
Black Arts Movement
Black Baby Boomers Mature
The Next Generation