Words are Power: Remembering the Storyteller Julius Lester

Julius Lester (1939-2018) essayist, writer, 

folklorist, civil rights activist, and teacher

This image by Atlanta based artist Keef Crossley was commissioned to honor the life and work of Julius Lester.

Among the thousands of authors found in the Stuart A. Rose Library, Julius Lester (1939-2018) is a giant. An essayist, writer, folklorist, civil rights activist, and teacher, Lester’s work has been an integral part of helping African Americans maintain the oral tradition of storytelling.  Through his creative explorations into the past, we are more aware of the nuances of African diasporic history and culture.  Through his storytelling, he has added to the breadth and depth of our understanding of the interior lives of African Americans from slavery to the Civil Rights Movement and beyond.

By incorporating his art into his activism, in support of the movement for social justice and equality for people of African descent, Lester inspired generations to see their history and culture as meaningful and important. His fiction, non-fiction, poetry and children’s books have won a range of awards.  Books such as those highlighted here are representative of his tremendous productivity. We are fortunate to have access to these great literary works of art.

By honoring the memory and contributions of Julius Lester, who unexpectedly passed away on January 18, 2018, we allow his insight and his words of inspiration to enrich the lives of all who come into contact with his work.

Look Out, Whitey! Black Power’s Gon’ Get Your Mama! (New York: Grove Press, 1968)

“Black Power has become the microscope and telescope through which black people look at themselves and the world.  It has enabled them to focus their energies on something while they prepare for the day of reckoning.”

In this series of essays, Lester examines the evolution of black resistance throughout American history and the need for African Americans to claim their rightful place in the country through decisive actions.  Reaching back to David Walker and his appeal to the enslaved black masses to rise up against their oppressors, Lester makes a case for a continued radical approach to black liberation.  This approach was appealing to urban black youth, as well as a growing number of rural and southern youth participating in non-violent protests. 

Revolutionary Notes (New York: Grove Press, 1969)

“To protest,” Lester writes, “is to speak out against, to let it be known that you do not like a certain action of another.” However, to “resist is to become alive, truly alive for the first time.  It is to say not only will I not accept what you are doing, I will stop you from doing it.  No one shall sleep peacefully again until you cease, desist, and abdicate.”

Revolutionary Notes is a compilation of previously published articles by Lester in the underground press and for the Guardian.  Each essay represents a critique and/or personal reflection on some of the most relevant topics of the time.  From “necessary violence” to peaceful protest, to the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Lester shares his process for understanding the relevance of the actions of others to the unfolding of the black liberation movement.  

To Be A Slave (New York: Dell Publishing Company, 1968)

In To Be A Slave, Lester describes the experiences people of African origin were subjected to through the international slave trade, and the range of horrors associated with the institution of slavery in the United States. Enhanced by drawings by the award-winning artist Tom Feelings, To Be A Slave is a powerful collaboration between artists in an effort to awaken the spirit of perseverance, resilience, and resistance in the hearts and minds of African Americans.

Long Journey Home: Stories from Black History (New York: Dell Publishing Company, 1975)

In Long Journey Home, Julius Lester writes that “History is made by the many whose individual deeds are seldom recorded and who are never known outside their small circles of friends and acquaintances.” Inspired by true stories published by the Federal Writers’ Project in the 1930s, the personal narratives found in Long Journey Home are extensions of Lester’s accounting of the past through the individual efforts made by those lost to history. These “stories from black history” illuminate the challenges and contradictions, as well as the achievements of African Americans.

On Writing for Children and Other People (New York: Dial Books, 2004)

“In the storytelling experience we bind ourselves to others.  We need to share our stories because in so doing we hope to be understood, and being understood we are no longer so alone.”

In this autobiographical text, Julius Lester explores his life and how he came to be a writer and storyteller.  Writing children’s books was important to him, especially those that dealt with the history of black people and their struggles against racism, and the ongoing need to work towards freedom and justice. What is more, Lester provides a clear definition for why storytelling is a vital part of the human experience.  He believed that the power of storytelling was something we should all be aware of and acknowledge as necessary to our existence. 

Pellom McDaniels III, Ph.D. Curator of African American Collections at Emory University.  Please visit the Stuart A. Rose Library, on Level 10 of Woodruff Library at Emory University.