Getting Back To Our Roots
By Felicia Younginer
Literature often has an impact on the way we see the world. It has a way of challenging us to think about issues we
would rather ignore. Literature causes us to question our existence and search for answers throughout the world. At times,
literature may even inspire people to greatness. Throughout history, books such as Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neal
Hurston and The Color Purple by Alice Walker showed the world how being Black in a racist world affects our families, our
customs and our ability to advance the causes of our race. However, few books have had the lasting long-term effects that
Roots: The Saga of an American Family by Alex Haley has had on the African American community and beyond. Roots showed us
that those sold as slaves, considered chattel by their owners, were once kings and queens in their native land.
Before Alex Haley penned the novel Roots, many African Americans believed there was no way we as a people would
ever know the rich history from whence we came. Kunt