Reader discussion: Black no more

Public reader discussion about Black no more in the WeRead Catalog by George S. Schuyler.

Black Pulp Fiction

By brown_mirror

Just wrapped up *Black Empire* by George S. Schuyler (Penguin Classics, 2023). He was an African-American journalist/writer from the 30s–40s, but this book feels way more like stuff you’d see in old pulp magazines. It turns out it’s kind of two books in one—*Black Internationale* and *Black Empire*—serialized in a Black weekly newspaper from 1936 to 1938. The plot is wild: an African-American millionaire is basically trying to build a Black empire across Africa and take down white supremacy everywhere. I kept thinking it almost felt too ahead of its time, like it might’ve come out in the 1960s instead. Also, I guess he wrote another sci-fi book, *Black No More* (also in Penguin Classics), about a process that could make Black people white.

Did any prominent Black people oppose the civil rights movement?

By carefulthread3

I don’t think Booker T. Washington was totally against the civil rights movement, but his early big push definitely got a lot of backlash from the leaders who later became the civil rights crowd (Du Bois being the obvious example). He leaned into the “Atlanta Compromise,” like basically agreeing to segregation and discrimination in exchange for getting a decent education and keeping most legal rights. It doesn’t feel like he was aiming for equality as much as a kind of cooperation, just not up close—more like helping both communities’ economies. And I wouldn’t say he outright opposed civil rights, but his whole strategy of building power by taking a worse position first and hoping things improve later didn’t go over well with the more “academic” Black leaders.

Black No More by George S. Schuyler

By hiddenDeer60

Just finished this book and I’m kind of surprised I didn’t see any discussion about it anywhere. I honestly think it’s one of the best things I’ve read recently—really emotional but also dealing with something important for everyone, and it even manages to be funny sometimes. I keep expecting someone to have brought it up. Has anyone else read it? What did you think?

Greer Barnes - "No more Black men"

By silver_cougar4061

They were up 15-13 in overtime 😂🤣