Celebrating Black Human Rights Advocates

For February's Critical Conversation, the Human Writes team asked students to highlight Black authors, scholars, artists, and other professionals that have contributed to the human rights mission. Learn about activists University of Minnesota students sought to call attention to, and consider taking some time to explore their works! 

My favorite human rights-oriented Black author is Yaa Gyasi. Gyasi wrote a poignant novel titled Homegoing, that I read years back in my AP Literature class. Throughout the years, this book has stuck with me and informed my interests in cultural studies and sociological understanding. While fictional, the novel discusses tragic, real-world experiences of intergenerational separation and loss of self due to African enslavement and colonialism in the 18th century. Never, until this book, have such words on a page changed the lens in which I see the world; Gyasi exposed the harsh, undiscussed realities of these brutal atrocities that my other history classes had simply turned a blind, impartial eye to. History, even in realistic fictional contexts, is vital to developing compassion and understanding the lived experiences of others. I highly recommend this novel to everyone–Gyasi is a brilliant writer who deserves recognition for her literary merit and profound contribution to the representation of historically marginalized voices.

bell hooks was an incredible example of a Black Scholar who revolutionized the world through their work. In hooks's work, All About Love, she wrote about how love has the power to change the world through compassion and shared humanity. hooks was a longtime advocate for the addition of love in everyday work, life, and recognized its power to create real change in the world. Along with bell hooks, Ta-Nehisi Coates is a modern scholar and advocate for racial justice and the ending systemic racism and bias. His work Between the World and Me is a lyrical letter to his son about growing up Black in Baltimore, attending Howard University, and raising his son as a Black man in America. He has spoken out about inequality around the world and remains a prominent modern force for activism. Both authors have empowered thousands of readers to question their realities and work towards change within their communities for the betterment of human rights around the world.

Octavia Butler is currently the author I recommend to everyone! She is a Black woman who helped to build the foundations of the science fiction genre between the 1970s-90s, and her main works include the Parable trilogy, Lilith's Brood trilogy, and the Patternist series. I was first introduced to Butler in an English class about science fiction, where I learned how few Black authors have found success in this genre that I have always loved. After reading Butler's work, I was fascinated by her unique approach to imagined futures of humanity through the lens of Black women. While she engages with many complex themes of race, gender, social justice, and climate crises, her writing style is overall engaging and accessible to all kinds of readers. Her work is extremely imaginative and a crucial contribution to both the science fiction genre and the literary achievements of Black Americans.

The views, thoughts and opinions expressed in this blog are the authors' only and do not reflect an official position of the University of Minnesota, the Human Rights Program, or the College of Liberal Arts. As an institution of higher education that values and promotes free speech, civil discourse, and human rights, we welcome a variety of perspectives and opinions from our student contributors that are consistent with these values.