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Hay Festival Of Literature And The Arts -2014

Source: Matthew Horwood / Getty

In 2015, we’re still reaching many milestones in Black History. The latest comes from Columbia University addingToni Morrison to its updated Literature Humanities Syllabus, making her the first black author to be included. Morrison’s addition also makes her the first author beyond the Modernist period to be added, so that’s two milestones.  According to the Columbia Spectator, Morrison’s addition comes along with other revisions.

Toni Morrison’s Song of Solomon was added, as well as John Milton’s Paradise Lost, Euripides, and more. The new updates follow years of criticism that Literature Humanities does not include a more diverse selection of texts.

I’m happy for Toni Morrison, but this was long overdue. However, Morrison isn’t the only author of color being excluded, and the perfect example why we still need African Studies courses and majors. I’m just saying, Zora Neale Hurston, Virginia Hamilton, Richard Wright… and the list goes on.

These are good first steps, but we still have a lot of work to do.

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