Why We Fight – Political Writing & Nonfiction

The written and spoken word holds immense political potential that can be used for oppression or for liberation. Collectively, these nonfiction texts critique systemic racism and document lived histories in hope of altering the extant social and political landscape. Essays are a traditional tool for political discourse as they concisely articulate an argument—as seen in James Baldwin’s The Fire Next Time, which began as two separate essays that were later collected. Strong research is needed to bolster a strong argument, as in Langston Hughes’s Fight for Freedom and Zora Neale Hurston’s Barracoon exhibit. Hughes providing a meticulous chronicling of the NAACP’s policy objectives and legal approach for the Civil Rights Movement.