An avid student of American and African American history, James S. Wright began the American Apartheid Series with American Apartheid in which he discusses the unfair and brutal treatment of Native Americans and Africans in the US. In his second book, No Land, No Mule, No Freedom: American Apartheid: The Saga Continues, he discusses the social, political, and economic dangers that African Americans still don’t understand today. In his interview with Weirding Word (SM), James talks about his passion for history and what inspired him to write about the histories of African Americans and Native Americans.
WW: Tell me about the series.
JSW: It started with American Apartheid, the title of which was inspired by the experiences of Native Americans, being the victims of apartheid in America. Native Americans’ lands and rights were taken from them by the Europeans when they “discovered” the country. For me, apartheid had been associated with South Africa in the late 40s, but apartheid started in America when Columbus got off the boat. It had more relevance for me because it was in this country. And, it inspired me to write history from the perspective of someone other than a European.
WW: How did you come to write American Apartheid?
JSW: The fact that I had a great great grandmother who was a full-blooded Cherokee led me to the history. But, growing up as an African American I really wasn’t associated with the feeling of being Native American. African Americans have suffered experiences similar to those of Native Americans. As I conducted my research, I found that history always came from the perspective of white people. When I was in elementary school, high school and college, it was from this perspective. And I thought, let me write some history from the perspective of my people - from the perspective of African Americans.
I spoke to my grandparents and others. History is really “as told to.” There’s not a lot of documentation out there about these aspects of history - of slaves and Native Americans. Frederick Douglas was a slave. Nat Turner was a slave. But the field hand was not educated. From his perspective, from her perspective, there was very little passed on. For instance, the middle passage. The stories about the voyages to this continent were passed on from the captains and crews through their logs. There is a book called The Middle Passage that was allegedly written by an African American, but as you research it, the book’s “as told to” a ship captain.
So, we don’t have a lot of written history. That’s why my books are written from an opinionated perspective of history, but I can’t change the facts. I always go back to slavery because slavery is the beginning of African American history in this country. Then, I go forward with different viewpoints and try to bring it up to current issues. So, in American Apartheid, in No Land, No Mule, No Freedom and in the upcoming third book, I focus on different topics that affect African Americans. I try to explain the reasons why we still have some dysfunctional issues that stem from slavery. For instance, our lack of trust of one another. The divide and conquer.
WW: Talk about the divide and conquer mentality more.
JSW: Well, it’s not something that I invented or discovered. During slavery, there was a field hand mentality and a house slave mentality. The field hands were the lower order, and the house slaves took care of the master’s family and lived closer to the main mansion rather than live in the dirt of the slave quarters. And that mentality was maintained throughout slavery. The house slaves thought they were far better than the field hands. Many of them were taught how to read and write so they could serve better. They were taught to play instruments. They were dressed in fine clothes. Often the house slaves would alert the masters to things going on in the field. The house slaves felt like a part of the master’s family - “That’s my missy,” or “That’s my so-and-so” - and they accepted this and never really felt oppressed.
WW: And so, you’re saying that they were kept separate to…
JSW: And it goes on through the years. Where you have the lighter skinned blacks feeling more superior. It’s gone on through generations and it needs to stop. It’s only happened because white slave owners rapped our women. We shouldn’t glorify this situation because it was rape. You didn’t get this in high school or elementary school. They glorify these relationships as romantic - like with Thomas Jefferson - but these women had no choice. They would be killed. It was rape.
I’ll never forget Sydney Poitier in In the Heat of the Night (1967) when he slapped the plantation owner. The owner said “negra” as though we were dirty and we needed to be cared for and can’t take care of ourselves. That’s the way most historians approach writing about us - as though we can’t take care of ourselves.
It’s part of what keeps me writing. Our children need to know, and white people need to know, that they took away our freedom. It’s what we, as Americans came here for and they took it away. The only reason they put blacks in slavery is race. Nothing else. We obtained freedom after the Civil War, but we’re still fighting that battle. We’re still not equal.
WW: How did you get published?
JSW: My first book was just a series of events. I met a gentleman who shared my interest in writing and introduced me to another gentleman, who helped me publish my book. The second book I published myself.
WW: Why did you choose to self-publish?
JSW: I sent queries to major publishers, but without…this is a difficult business. There are over a million books published each year. It’s very difficult to get into the publishing industry unless you have name recognition or are lucky. You have to have a hook and I haven’t found that hook. And I’m lucky. Both of my books are in the black. I’ve made three times over the investment in the first, and have doubled my money on the second. Hopefully, in my retirement, I can spend more time promoting the first two. For the third book, I’m soliciting an agent, but will self-publish if I need to. Hopefully, as a result of this interview, more people will become interested in James Wright and what he is about and you never know. You never know what the public’s going to be attracted to because they’re very fickle.
WW: What’s changed the most about your writing?
JSW: I’m more descriptive. More in tune with my audience. I had a college professor at Morgan [State University] tell me that with my first book, I was trying to reach a broad audience. And, she advised me that I was making a mistake. I have a certain audience who is going to be most interested and I need to concentrate on speaking to that small audience. She was right. I’ve been more successful concentrating on that smaller audience and meeting people who are really interested in what I have to say.
WW: At Weirding Word (SM), we believe that “language creates reality.” How does language create reality in your life? In your writing?
JSW: Well, I make a statement that “knowledge is power and education is the key to knowledge”. And the written word is the background for all of that.
WW: How do you balance a day job with producing and promoting your book?
JSW: Believe me, it is very difficult. That’s why I’m looking forward to retirement. I could not jeopardize the lifestyle that my wife and my son have become accustomed to by becoming a full-time writer and allowing that to pay the bills. My day job takes care of that lifestyle. Unfortunately the books suffer. My family and extended family, church and community receive the most attention. My job the second. And the books come third.
Hopefully, in the future, my books will be my job. I’ll be able to travel. I’ll be able to be more available to my readers. I can go across the country delivering my message to other venues.
WW: What would you say is the idea you want people to take away?
JSW: History needs to be taught in more than one color and from more than one perspective. We need to know our history because history is destined to repeat itself and we need to be prepared.
Learn more about James S. Wright and the American Apartheid Series, and purchase copies of the books, on his website.
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