Last night's Notting Hill Napoleon's meeting focused on Black No More, the 1931 satirical fable written by George S. Schuyler. Influenced by H. L. Mencken and H. G. Wells, Black No More explores American attitudes on race, on issues of identity and self-worth, on Jim Crow laws and violence against blacks, on the exploitation of blacks by the leaders of black organizations, on economic injustice, on the extreme and counter-productive doctrines of white supremacy, and so on. It is not especially pleasant -- the satire is acidic and the sins it illuminates are very disturbing -- but it is nevertheless a good and important book to read.
Because of Black No More's sarcastic treatment of people who have since become icons (W. E. B. DuBois, James Weldon Johnson, Booker T. Washington, Marcus Garvey, et al) and because Schuyler eventually became a staunch conservative, the novel is generally ignored...even when Black History month comes around. It wasn't always that way. DuBois himself, writing in The Crisis, said this about Black No More: "The book is extremely significant in Negro American literature, and it will be – indeed it already has been – abundantly misunderstood…. But Mr. Schuyler’s satire is frank, straight forward and universal. It carries not only scathing criticism of Negro leaders, but of the mass of Negroes, and then it passes over and slaps the white people just as hard and unflinchingly straight in the face…. At any rate, read the book. You are bound to enjoy it and to follow with joyous laughter the adventures of Max Disher and Bunny, Dr. Crookman and -- we say it with all reservations -- Dr. Agamemnon Shakespeare Beard.” (Dr. Beard was the novel's character who clearly represented Du Bois!)
George S. Schuyler only wrote two novels but his success as a journalist, given the extent of the racial prejudices of that age, is nothing short of amazing. He should be hailed as a courageous and talented writer much more than he is today and his stature as a trailblazer duly recognized.
For those wanting to learn more about George S. Schuyler, I'd recommend following this link to a vigorous defense of Schuyler's achievements published by the Intellectual Conservative web site.
