The Cadence of Language: An Interview with Julius Lester

Abstract

I first met Julius Lester at an academic conference on American Literature. He was one of the presenters in a session that focused on the works of Joel Chandler Harris. Three papers were presented during the session. 1recall that Lester s paper explained how as a child he had “discovered” Harris’s work in a public library. Lester went on to tell how finding people of color and stories he knew in a book introduced him to a world of possibilities. Ln fact stories told and heard by African Americans became a significant element of Lester’s body of work. Of the other two papers presented in that session 1remember them as being of the nostalgic-happy-darkies-singing-in-the-fields sort. Ln those papers there was no mention that Harris collected stories from Blacks; rather, the focus was a minstrelized evaluation of the authenticity of Harris’s depictions of enslaved people. Ln those papers Harris became author rather than collector, and he was praised for his “genuine” depictions of the good ole days of the South. After all three papers were given, Lester questioned the other presenters about their research. They assured him that they were great fans of Harris and that he, Lester, was taking everything too seriously. Lester then took them to task for their indulgent approach to Harris’s works. He carefully explained to them the history of enslavement in the United States and the history of the misappropriation of African American artifacts. Further, he elucidated the danger of perpetuating stereotypes, especially by academics. He did not back down.

When Michelle Pagni Stewart and I were contemplating this book, and we had settled on the idea of author interviews, Julius Lester was my first choice— both as someone who writes prolifically for children and someone who stands up for what he believes in. I contacted him, and he agreed to be interviewed via e-mail.