African American Speculative Fiction

        This week we read speculative fiction short stories (and an excerpt) from African American authors.

Black No More (excerpt) by George S. Schuyler

        This story is set post-Civil War in America after Dr. Junius Crookman discovers a method of turning black people white in just three days. Max, a young black man, is very interested in the procedure: no more Jim Crow! No more insults! More opportunities, and maybe even a chance to date the white woman from Atlanta that he is infatuated with!

        The procedure itself is one of artificially inducing and stimulating vitiligo, a disease that causes loss of skin pigmentation. This is a plausible premise, as we have seen that vitiligo can indeed turn the skin of a black person completely white, as happened with Michael Jackson (who I immediately thought of when reading this story). What was unrealistic about this theoretical procedure was the doctor’s insistence that it would also change stereotypically black features like hair texture, as well as nose and lip shape. Of course I was willing to give the story a pass on that one since the rest of the premise was highly believable.

        The doctor who invented this torturous procedure plans to get rich off black people’s desire to eliminate their problems with racism by conforming to white standards. But others are dubious about the procedure’s overall result, despite its obvious efficacy: it only works on the exterior of a person’s body, and doesn’t change their genes, so what will happen when tons of mulatto babies start appearing? Will there be outrage or acceptance? Will the newly white African Americans feel superior to their black brethren, as Max does following his procedure? Will these formerly-black patients truly be able to blend in, considering the media is intent on interviewing them and splashing their pictures all over the paper, or will there be a new type of racism aimed at people who look Nordic, as do the patients who undergo this procedure?

        I enjoyed reading this excerpt. It was interesting to see how distrustful Max’s friends were of him once he became white, as well as Max’s remorse for losing his acceptance in black culture, which he realizes more authentic and joyous than white culture. While some of the questions that this story raised were interesting, the part that I read seemed to lack depth and sophistication.

        I much preferred reading the short story, “The Space Traders” by Derrick Bell. This story got me thinking a lot. It’s about a future America that is on the verge of financial and environmental collapse that has repealed many of the laws offering equal protection to black citizens. In the story, a spaceship comes to America with gold enough to provide solvency, chemicals capable of un-polluting the environment, and a nuclear engine capable of fueling America for years to come. What they want in return is the entire population of African Americans living in the USA. They do not offer a reason or explanation for their demand, only giving the American people 16 days to decide whether to accept the trade.

        Right away, white and black people perceive the aliens in vastly contradictory ways: the white people view them as nonthreatening and benevolent, whereas black people view them as menacing. White people discount black peoples’ concerns as superstitions and foolishness in order to absolve their consciences of actually considering the deal. The President considers it a solution to generations of excess, as well as to the problem that the “great American racial experiment” has caused in terms of the country’s unity.

        The most interesting aspect of this story was seeingwhich factions would support or fight the trade, and why. The government, TV evangelists, , and environmentalists all support the trade, while black civil rights leaders, liberal whites, corporate America, the prison-industrial system, energy companies, and the Jewish population all fight against it, with varying degrees of altruism and selfishness motivating their opinions. I found myself thinking about this story for days afterwards. It was a really uncomfortable story to sit with, and I’m pretty sure it was meant to be. I found myself thinking that if something like that were to happen in real life, it would probably go down the way the author speculated that it would—with white Americans accepting the deal against the wishes of their intended sacrifices, the black population. It was a disheartening realization. I really recommend reading this story to everyone, as it is great food for thought.