The Niggerati.

In the early 20th century, at the height of the Harlem Renaissance, the Black bourgeoisie sought to distance themselves from slavery by adhering to respectability politics and White middle-class values. Bolstered by the Talented Tenth theory, many of them believed the way to advance the race was to only put forward the “best” of what (and who) Black people had to offer. The Niggerati, which included Langston Hughes, Zora Neale Hurston, and Wallace Thurman among others, were a group of Black literary contemporaries who rejected respectability and embraced all aspects of Black history and culture. Sporting a diversity unusual for its time, this group of Black bards had a wide range of skin tones, socioeconomic statuses, gender presentations, and sexual orientations (depending on who you ask). While the formal group was short-lived, their work has impacted every artist who has an expansive vision for Black, prosperous futures. I count myself as part of that tradition, and I’m proud to assert myself as a spiritual member of the Niggerati.