In nineteen thirty-two, Dorothy West went to Russia with a group of black intellectuals and artists. They went to make a film about racism in the United States. The film, "Black and White," was never completed. West remained in Russia for about a year. It appears she did not stay for political reasons, however. She said she went to Russia with Langston Hughes and the others because she liked them. She returned to the United States when her father died.
VOICE TWO:
By the middle of the nineteen thirties, the Harlem Renaissance was dying out. Dorothy West wanted to re-capture the creativity of the period. So she created a magazine called, "Challenge."
She edited and published the works of new, young African American writers. The magazine lasted only three years. West did not have enough money to continue producing it. She also said she did not receive enough writing of a high quality.
The magazine was criticized by a group of black writers. They included Richard Wright, author of the book “Native Son,” and Margaret Walker. They said the magazine was too concerned with artistic values. They felt it should deal with political issues.
VOICE ONE:
In nineteen thirty-seven, Dorothy West created another magazine called "New Challenge." She asked Richard Wright to help her, even though he had criticized her earlier magazine.
The two writers disagreed on a number of issues, however. Also, West again had financial difficulties producing the magazine. So "New Challenge" was published only once. Yet that one publication was very important. It included a document by Wright called "Blueprint for Negro Writing." That was a statement about what he believed African Americans should write about. "New Challenge" was the first publication to bring together black art and politics. Other magazines would follow its example.
(MUSIC)
VOICE TWO:
In the late nineteen forties, Dorothy West left New York. She moved to her family's holiday house on Martha's Vineyard island. She lived there for the rest of her life.
In nineteen forty-eight, she published her first book, “The Living Is Easy.” It is partly based on her life and on her mother. It is about a light-skinned black woman named Cleo Johnson. She wishes that her dark-skinned daughter were more like her. She treats her husband badly because he is from a lower social class. The book describes black middle class values in Boston. Many critics liked the book and its message about racism against blacks and within the black community.
VOICE ONE:
“The Living is Easy” was published again by the Feminist Press in nineteen eighty-two. Critics at that time described the book as important because it showed the position of women in the family and in life. The book also is valued for its description of the complex relationship between a mother and a daughter. “The Living Is Easy” is now recognized as having an important influence on the writing tradition of African American women.
VOICE TWO:
After her first novel, Dorothy West continued writing stories and short pieces containing her ideas on different subjects. Her second novel was published forty-seven years later, in nineteen ninety-five. It is called “The Wedding.”
The story takes place in the black community of Martha's Vineyard during the nineteen-fifties. It is about a rich young black woman who is to marry a white jazz musician. It deals with class and color issues between blacks, and racial issues between blacks and whites. West believed that different races should not be separated from each other. She also believed in love.
VOICE ONE:
She began the book in the Nineteen-Sixties. But she stopped writing it when the Black Power political movement grew strong. She thought members of the group would denounce it. She was not active in the civil rights movement to guarantee fair treatment for black Americans.
In Nineteen-Ninety-Two, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis began to visit Dorothy West to help her finish “The Wedding.” Missus Onassis was married to American President John Kennedy when he was killed in nineteen sixty-three. Later, she worked for a publishing company. She died just before “The Wedding” was published. Dorothy West noted that the two women looked very different but had worked together perfectly.
The book was so popular that its publishers produced another one by Dorothy West. “The Richer, The Poorer” is a collection of stories and other writings she made throughout her life.
VOICE TWO:
Dorothy West was the last living member of the Harlem Renaissance. She died in August, nineteen ninety-eight. She was ninety-one years old. Not long before she died, she was honored at a special ceremony. Many different people praised her work. They described her influence on American culture over so many years. One said, simply, that Dorothy West was a "national gift."
(MUSIC)
VOICE ONE:
This Special English program was written by Doreen Baingana. I'm Shirley Griffith.
VOICE TWO:
And I'm Steve Ember. Join us again next week for another PEOPLE IN AMERICA program on the Voice of America.
