The Summit on the Research and Teaching of YA Literature is coming to Vegas and it is going to be fun and informative. One of the emerging scholars coming to Las Vegas is S. R. Toliver. She is doing great work and becoming a leading voice on speculative YA fiction. You can follow her blog at www.diversefutures.net. Even more interesting, Stephanie just had an opinion piece on HuffPost on Saturday, March 10, 2018. You can find the article here of the image below is an active link. Stephanie graciously agreed to add to the information she wrote on Saturday—the HuffPost has a word count for opinions! So, first, click on the link and read her piece and, then, second, read how she expands the issue in this blog post. Oh! And there will be spoiler alerts. It is up to you to decide if you will see the movie before or after.
In either case, drop to the bottom of the blog and click the summit image and register for the summit or click here if you can’t wait. Stephanie will be here to discuss speculative fiction, Afrofuturism, and diverse literature. Stay tuned for more spotlights on other presenters.
In either case, drop to the bottom of the blog and click the summit image and register for the summit or click here if you can’t wait. Stephanie will be here to discuss speculative fiction, Afrofuturism, and diverse literature. Stay tuned for more spotlights on other presenters.
In 1995, the HBO series, Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child, changed everything for me. This animated television series reimagined classic fairy tales by bending the traditional conceptions of fairy tale characters to include those from different cultures. I observed Rumplestiltskin told through a Caribbean and Jamaican lens. I watched the Rapunzel story recast in beautiful New Orleans. I saw Beauty and the Beast transposed from the castles of France to the lands of Africa. It was the first time that I was able to see myself in the stories that I had grown to love. For many Black girls, Ava Duvernay’s reimagining of A Wrinkle in Time may be the moment that changes the way they relate to stories.
In Madeleine L'Engle's original novel, race is not highlighted although many of the characters are described as white. Specifically, although the three celestial beings (Mrs. Whatsit, Mrs. Who, and Mrs. Which) are left to interpretation, Meg turns white with fury when people make fun of her brother. Charles Wallace is described as a precocious 5-year-old with blond hair and white cheeks. Calvin O'Keefe is stated to have orange hair and freckles that stand out brilliantly against his white face. Additionally, Mr. Murry is described as bearded, thin, and white, and Mrs. Murry has creamy skin that turns white with fear early in the novel.
In Duvernay’s recent adaptation, though, various characters are reshaped to represent a perspective that was missing (or ignored) in the original text. This change does not detract from the story. Instead, more layers are added to general themes of the novel, such as embracing individuality, acknowledging and accepting faults, maintaining hope in dark times, and embracing the love of a support system. Thus, rereading the book with Meg as a Black girl creates a space for all students to see a Black Girl in a non-traditional role where she saves the world from evil and leads other characters to safety instead of existing as background fodder to further the plot of the story. This is important for many reasons, but I’ll highlight three.
1. Meg represents resistance to sameness and conformity.
When Meg and her crew finally come into contact with the human-like inhabitants of Camazotz and their ruler, IT, their sense of individuality and purpose is challenged. On the planet, IT has created a world where people have "given up" their individuality, and they are physically punished for having individual desires and wants. He tells the children that Camazotz is a place with one mind (his), where there is no war, unhappiness, or confusion because people are no longer separate, individual people. His argument is that difference has been replaced by complete sameness, so his world is more peaceful than Earth. Meg, however, shows that maintaining individuality is essential to survival.
In the real world, various people from both sides of the political fence agree with IT, believing that if we could all just be the same and become one with the melting pot, then all the world's problems would be over. This results in leniency towards colorblindness, which is counterproductive, and towards assimilation, which erases and destroys people's histories. From this logic, Black girls are consistently told that they should try to be the same as or better than their white peers. If not, they may be punished, just like people in Camazotz (ask Dejerria Becton, Niya Kenny, and Shakara). To ensure conformity, Black girls are named Sarah instead of Quvenzhané for fear of being ostracized and misnamed by their teachers. They are told to speak properly, to dress in certain ways, and to wear their hair in certain styles (literally, Black girls are constantly suspended for their hair). They are told to be less angry, less emotional, and less loud. They are told to diminish all traits that don't mirror dominant norms to ensure that their individuality is minimized and their existence is easier to digest.
SO - How can we validate our Black girls’ individuality? How do consistently uplift them and attend to their needs?
When Meg and her crew finally come into contact with the human-like inhabitants of Camazotz and their ruler, IT, their sense of individuality and purpose is challenged. On the planet, IT has created a world where people have "given up" their individuality, and they are physically punished for having individual desires and wants. He tells the children that Camazotz is a place with one mind (his), where there is no war, unhappiness, or confusion because people are no longer separate, individual people. His argument is that difference has been replaced by complete sameness, so his world is more peaceful than Earth. Meg, however, shows that maintaining individuality is essential to survival.
In the real world, various people from both sides of the political fence agree with IT, believing that if we could all just be the same and become one with the melting pot, then all the world's problems would be over. This results in leniency towards colorblindness, which is counterproductive, and towards assimilation, which erases and destroys people's histories. From this logic, Black girls are consistently told that they should try to be the same as or better than their white peers. If not, they may be punished, just like people in Camazotz (ask Dejerria Becton, Niya Kenny, and Shakara). To ensure conformity, Black girls are named Sarah instead of Quvenzhané for fear of being ostracized and misnamed by their teachers. They are told to speak properly, to dress in certain ways, and to wear their hair in certain styles (literally, Black girls are constantly suspended for their hair). They are told to be less angry, less emotional, and less loud. They are told to diminish all traits that don't mirror dominant norms to ensure that their individuality is minimized and their existence is easier to digest.
SO - How can we validate our Black girls’ individuality? How do consistently uplift them and attend to their needs?
2. Meg is an example of what could happen if we loved Black girls.
By the end of the novel, Meg is tired. Particularly, when she is told that she is the only one who can save her brother from IT, she feels as though the weight of the task will be too great. She doesn't believe that she will be able to defeat the darkness, save her brother, or save herself. However, her three guardians give her a gift that the oppressor doesn't have - love. Anger helped her to save her father, but love will help her to save herself. She had the love of her family, and she had the love of her friends, but most importantly, she had her love for them and her love for herself. Thus, Meg was never alone because the love enabled her to fight against the darkness and ultimately win.
Black girls in society are constantly told they are not worthy of love. This may or may not be outwardly said, but societal actions are loud enough. As previously mentioned, everything about them, from their hair to their skin to their speech is positioned as lacking. They experience persistent media representations of themselves that tell them they are unintelligent, angry, greedy, lascivious, and ghetto. They also see #BlackGirlMagic and positive representations, but, of course, those voices are often silenced or villainized in popular discourse. However, compassion from others, for others, and for the self is important to help Black girls thrive against the oppressive forces that wish to steal their joy and take their magic and power. They need love in order to fight against the outer and inner forces that consistently work to beat them down so they can ultimately win in a society hell-bent on their failure.
SO - What could happen if we truly loved our Black girls? What would that look like?
By the end of the novel, Meg is tired. Particularly, when she is told that she is the only one who can save her brother from IT, she feels as though the weight of the task will be too great. She doesn't believe that she will be able to defeat the darkness, save her brother, or save herself. However, her three guardians give her a gift that the oppressor doesn't have - love. Anger helped her to save her father, but love will help her to save herself. She had the love of her family, and she had the love of her friends, but most importantly, she had her love for them and her love for herself. Thus, Meg was never alone because the love enabled her to fight against the darkness and ultimately win.
Black girls in society are constantly told they are not worthy of love. This may or may not be outwardly said, but societal actions are loud enough. As previously mentioned, everything about them, from their hair to their skin to their speech is positioned as lacking. They experience persistent media representations of themselves that tell them they are unintelligent, angry, greedy, lascivious, and ghetto. They also see #BlackGirlMagic and positive representations, but, of course, those voices are often silenced or villainized in popular discourse. However, compassion from others, for others, and for the self is important to help Black girls thrive against the oppressive forces that wish to steal their joy and take their magic and power. They need love in order to fight against the outer and inner forces that consistently work to beat them down so they can ultimately win in a society hell-bent on their failure.
SO - What could happen if we truly loved our Black girls? What would that look like?
3. Meg is an example of the power of hope.
No matter what life circumstance or villainous entity came her way, Meg maintained hope. For example, her father had been missing for years, but she still believed that he was out there trying to come back to her. She had never heard of the three Mrs. other than the random early encounters with Charles Wallace, yet she follows them through the universe because she believed that they could take her to her father. In fact, her father tells her that he almost gives in to IT, but it was Meg’s rescue effort that returned his hope and faith. Basically, with each event, Meg had to maintain hope in order to survive.
Hope is what keeps many people going when things go wrong. It is the underlying motivational tool that helps people to keep working toward their objectives even when the attainment of the goal seems out of reach. It is the inherent motivational system that inspires us to see the myriad possibilities for change in the world. Many Black girls are in constant search of hope. They look to see themselves in sports, film, toys, novels, and so many other spaces. When you’re constantly erased, those representations provide hope that future existence is possible. They suggest that Black girls will not only endure, but that they will also thrive in whatever future endeavor they wish to pursue. Like Meg, Black girls need hope in order to survive.
SO - What can we do to assist Black girls in building and maintaining hope in a world that tells them they can’t win?
No matter what life circumstance or villainous entity came her way, Meg maintained hope. For example, her father had been missing for years, but she still believed that he was out there trying to come back to her. She had never heard of the three Mrs. other than the random early encounters with Charles Wallace, yet she follows them through the universe because she believed that they could take her to her father. In fact, her father tells her that he almost gives in to IT, but it was Meg’s rescue effort that returned his hope and faith. Basically, with each event, Meg had to maintain hope in order to survive.
Hope is what keeps many people going when things go wrong. It is the underlying motivational tool that helps people to keep working toward their objectives even when the attainment of the goal seems out of reach. It is the inherent motivational system that inspires us to see the myriad possibilities for change in the world. Many Black girls are in constant search of hope. They look to see themselves in sports, film, toys, novels, and so many other spaces. When you’re constantly erased, those representations provide hope that future existence is possible. They suggest that Black girls will not only endure, but that they will also thrive in whatever future endeavor they wish to pursue. Like Meg, Black girls need hope in order to survive.
SO - What can we do to assist Black girls in building and maintaining hope in a world that tells them they can’t win?
A wrinkle enables people to make connections between two disconnected spaces, bending the structure of space and time to ensure an expedient journey to a new place. Meg must travel through wrinkles to save the world, but she does it with the help of her friends, her family, and the three guardians; she is never alone. Our Black girls are like Meg. They are fighting to find themselves in a world of darkness that consistently tries to take over their existence and erase their personhoods. However, we can be like the Mrs., helping our Black girls reach their goals, valuing their individuality, ensuring they are loved, and fostering their belief in change. With us as their accomplices in this fight to prove that they matter, they will never be alone.
Ava Duvernay’s reimagining of A Wrinkle in Time is important because she inscribed racial difference into a story that was written without Black girls in mind, but it can’t stop there. It is our job to help foster this moment and turn it into a movement where our Black Girls consistently see the validation and love of their Black girlhood. More than likely, they are already in this fight, battling through fanfiction, memes, and Black girl joy, but it doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t ask them if they need some assistance. So, I ask, not what can we do, but what will we do to ensure that the moment survives?
Ava Duvernay’s reimagining of A Wrinkle in Time is important because she inscribed racial difference into a story that was written without Black girls in mind, but it can’t stop there. It is our job to help foster this moment and turn it into a movement where our Black Girls consistently see the validation and love of their Black girlhood. More than likely, they are already in this fight, battling through fanfiction, memes, and Black girl joy, but it doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t ask them if they need some assistance. So, I ask, not what can we do, but what will we do to ensure that the moment survives?
S.R. Toliver is a second-year doctoral student at The University of Georgia. Her current research is based in the critical tradition, analyzing representations of and responses to people of color in speculative fiction. Her research interests include young adult speculative fiction, Afrofuturism, and Black girl literacies. When she’s not working on her research or classwork, she is reading speculative fiction and writing about it on her blog, www.diversefutures.net.
She can be reached at: srtoliver@uga.edu
She can be reached at: srtoliver@uga.edu
The Summit is coming! There will be more information coming, a conference hotel, a outline of the program, presenter spotlights, features on the authors, great restaurants near the university, and a ton of Vegas shows to go see. Don't wait, bookmark this link and check back often!
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