Just Because I'm Black

Book excerpt: The author, Sully Grand-Jean, points out in his works that racism continues and Jim Crow and other discriminatory measures increased as the number of black literary works grow towards the end of the 20th century. The authors writing is, therefore, of great social and historical importance in understanding the African-American experience in the nineteenth and twentieth century. Author Grand Jean has unique and insightful verses that testifies to an evolving awareness as a man of color; from child to young man, from nave to seasoned civil rights activist, and from son to father. Frequently, the authors poetry expresses strong racial pride and respect for family. His informal style makes his work accessible to both adults and children as he reveals the past, present, and future as written in the good book, Holy Bible. V. Rucker, MEd