Known as one of the most influential female writers of the Harlem Renaissance, Zora Neale Hurston has been acclaimed for her anthropological films and literature depicting the lives of black communities in the American South. One of these pieces, her essay How it Feels To Be Colored Me, investigates the complexities of being a black woman in America, and the relationship between her race and role in society. Hurston rejects the idea, which was common at the time, that being African American warrants pity. Instead she asserts that she does not want to be pitied, and that she also “forgets” her race unless in extremely white-dominated contexts - adding nuance and complexity to her identity. The main themes contained in the essay all point toward
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When writing the essay, while receiving her bachelors in anthropology from Barnard College, Hurston was amidst the precipice of the Harlem Renaissance, in the cultural capital of the United States. She was writing in contrast to many authors discovering and finally gaining recognition for new styles of literature, such as Langston Hues, Nella Larson, and Claude McKay who were depicting the experiences of black Americans and racism on a national scale. Amidst a “black renaissance,” it makes sense that Hurston only “felt” her race when in white contexts, like Barnard. She described the phenomenon: “Among thousand white persons, I am a dark rock surged upon and overswept, but through it all, I remain myself” (Paragraph 9). In using the metaphor for a rock submerged under water, she implied strength and “density” - a form of mental fortitude or groundedness. Despite being “overswept,” by white people, like the rock under water - which refers to instances of prejudice or discrimination - Hurston always remained herself, grounded in her strength, not her race, much like a rock on the floor of an ocean, lake, or river. Due to her community in Harlem, and her self confidence that allowed her to disregard discrimination or racism, and “remain herself”, she was able to overcome oppression and find success. Her personal temperament, relationship to race, and physical location in New York City during the Harlem Renaissance allowed Hurston to hold these politics, of the prioritization of strength over race and the decentralization of race, as key themes prevalent in her writing. These ideas can also be seen in her 1937 novel, Their Eyes Were Watching
When writing the essay, while receiving her bachelors in anthropology from Barnard College, Hurston was amidst the precipice of the Harlem Renaissance, in the cultural capital of the United States. She was writing in contrast to many authors discovering and finally gaining recognition for new styles of literature, such as Langston Hues, Nella Larson, and Claude McKay who were depicting the experiences of black Americans and racism on a national scale. Amidst a “black renaissance,” it makes sense that Hurston only “felt” her race when in white contexts, like Barnard. She described the phenomenon: “Among thousand white persons, I am a dark rock surged upon and overswept, but through it all, I remain myself” (Paragraph 9). In using the metaphor for a rock submerged under water, she implied strength and “density” - a form of mental fortitude or groundedness. Despite being “overswept,” by white people, like the rock under water - which refers to instances of prejudice or discrimination - Hurston always remained herself, grounded in her strength, not her race, much like a rock on the floor of an ocean, lake, or river. Due to her community in Harlem, and her self confidence that allowed her to disregard discrimination or racism, and “remain herself”, she was able to overcome oppression and find success. Her personal temperament, relationship to race, and physical location in New York City during the Harlem Renaissance allowed Hurston to hold these politics, of the prioritization of strength over race and the decentralization of race, as key themes prevalent in her writing. These ideas can also be seen in her 1937 novel, Their Eyes Were Watching