Read Beyond Agreement, Write Beyond Approval: Why Black Literacy Still Matters

Marcus D. Taylor, MBA
Jun 23
4 min read

Updated: Jun 24

An African American man in his 30s, wearing glasses and a navy blazer, sits at a wooden table reading a book with deep focus. Behind him is a brick wall and a bookshelf. Bold white text overlay reads: "READ BEYOND AGREEMENT, WRITE BEYOND APPROVAL." — A focused Black reader engaged in critical thought—reminding us that true growth comes from reading beyond comfort and writing with conviction.

INTRODUCTION: Beyond the Hashtag, Back to the Page

What made a Baldwin, a Hurston, a Hughes—or even a Thomas Sowell—so significant? Was it just their talent? Their fame? Or was it something deeper—something forged in conviction, courage, and the kind of clarity that only comes through the crucible of critical thought?

In a world addicted to speed and soundbites, we must pause and ask:

Why don’t we read the way we used to?

Why does it seem the legacy of Black intellectualism is fading—not from memory, but from practice?

This isn’t a lament. It’s a call.

WHY WERE THESE WRITERS SO WELL-KNOWN?

Before the 1980s, some of the most powerful voices in Black America came not through microphones or viral videos—but through the pen. Writers like James Baldwin, Maya Angelou, Zora Neale Hurston, Langston Hughes, Gwendolyn Brooks, and Richard Wright didn’t just write—they proclaimed.

They were known for:

Writing with conviction—not aiming to be agreed with, but to be understood.
Daring to be seen—as intellectuals, as rebels, as Black, as human.
Creating cultural bridges—articulating the Black experience so powerfully that even outsiders couldn’t look away.

Their success wasn’t accidental. It was a mix of skill, timing, truth-telling—and yes, strategic elevation by allies and critics alike.

HOW DID THE BLACK COMMUNITY DISCOVER THEM?

Even in times of Jim Crow, literacy in the Black community was sacred.

Black churches, HBCUs, beauty salons, and barbershops passed books around like Bibles.
Magazines like The Crisis, Ebony, and Jet gave platforms to Black thinkers and writers.
Public readings, oral storytelling, and libraries—though often underfunded—became battlegrounds for truth.

You didn’t need a master's degree to respect Baldwin or Hurston. You just had to listen. You just had to read.

Even when disagreement arose, there was still reverence. The art was honored, even if the ideology wasn’t adopted.

THE ROLE OF NON-BLACK AUDIENCES: CO-SIGN OR CONDUIT?

Let’s be honest: many Black writers became known because non-Black audiences amplified them—whether out of genuine support, curiosity, or discomfort.

Baldwin’s The Fire Next Time was a bestseller among white liberals.
Angelou’s I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings became required reading in predominantly white schools.
Hurston’s anthropological work was celebrated by white academia long before it was revived by Black scholars in the ‘70s.

But here’s the twist: none of these writers asked for permission.

They didn’t write for comfort. They wrote for truth.

And sometimes, that truth hit the people funding the book deals and lecture halls the hardest.

BACK THEN, WE READ BECAUSE WE HAD TO

In the mid-20th century, reading wasn’t just educational—it was revolutionary.

To read was to learn how systems worked.
To read was to break mental chains.
To read was to challenge narratives that were weaponized against you.

We didn’t have social media, so we read speeches, essays, newspapers, and books. And more importantly, we read multiple viewpoints.

You didn’t have to agree with Thomas Sowell or Walter E. Williams to read them. But if you never read them, you’d never truly understand the spectrum of Black thought.

Reading wasn’t about echo chambers. It was about expanding the mind.

TODAY’S CRISIS: QUICK TAKES, SHALLOW THINKING

We are living in a time when:

Memes replace essays
Soundbites override context
Algorithms reward outrage, not depth

Many young people today know a quote from Baldwin but haven’t read the letter it came from. They’ll post a Zora Neale Hurston meme, but never engage her work on folklore, race, or power.

We say we love our culture—but we’re not feeding it. We’re not studying it. We’re not stretching it.

✋🏾 “If you can repost it, you can read it.”

DON’T JUST READ WHAT YOU AGREE WITH

One of the biggest threats to intellectual freedom today is the idea that we should only read what reinforces our beliefs.

If Baldwin speaks on justice, read him.
But also read Sowell when he challenges government dependency.
Read Angelou’s reflections on trauma, and then compare them with the economic logic of Walter Williams.
Read both so you’re not manipulated by either.

To grow, you must wrestle with what you don’t like, not just clap for what you do.

WE NEED A BLACK LITERARY REVIVAL

We need to bring reading back to the frontlines of our community:

Here’s How:

Start youth book circles in churches, barbershops, and community centers.
Teach reading as resistance in schools and mentorship programs.
Encourage critical literacy, not just motivational slogans.
Read across ideologies—liberal, conservative, religious, secular.

"Don't just feed your emotion. Feed your intellect."

FINAL WORD: Read. Write. Think. Speak.

Reading isn’t about looking woke. It’s about waking up.

Read so your children know how to spot propaganda.
Write so your story doesn’t get erased or rewritten.
Speak with clarity—not for clout, but for constructive confrontation.
Think critically, so you're not a puppet in anyone’s narrative.

We don’t grow by repeating what others say—we grow by studying, reflecting, and speaking from our own sharpened mind.

LET’S BRING BACK THE BASICS

The old heads read because they had to.

Let’s read because we want to.

Let’s write because we’re called to.

Let’s think because we must.

And let’s speak because it’s time.

Not for applause.

Not for aesthetics.

But for the next generation, who deserves more than memes and misinformation.

Join the Literacy Challenge

Read One book a month. Write One essay or journal entry per book.

Then share what you learned, not just what made you feel good.

Timeline of Black Literacy History-ographic

Trace the journey of powerful voices in this historical timeline and witness how their passion for the written word ignited movements and reshaped culture.