Performance pedagogies for African American literature: Teaching Shange at Ole Miss

Radical Teacher, Winter, 2002 by Ethel Young-Minor

As I tried to convey the emotional, spiritual, and social sentiments impacting Black writing from previous generations, it became apparent that I alone looked at people and places in our immediate environment as representations of the transformation of history. Most students looked at these people as unremarkable. The historical landmarks were to them simply places to meet, greet and handle daily business. In spite of our unique geographic location, I soon discovered that students here often speak of racial affiliations as choices that do not necessarily shape reality, and many just do not get what the "big deal" is (or was) with race.

While their lack of awareness may signify progress in American race relations, these gaps in knowledge make it difficult for those of us who teach racially-grounded materials to share the full impact of how socio-historical contexts impact African-American writings. My lectures and our collective discussions on this literature were often received as information to memorize, package, and present back to me on tests and in response papers. Frustrated with classroom dialogues and student papers, I often thought of Johnny Paul's declaration in Earnest Gaines's Gathering Of Old Men: "But you still don't see.... You don't even know what I don't see" (89). In order to break through walls of emotional resistance, my teaching style and method has now been wrapped around my need to help students get formal considerations of the text, while at the same time calling attention to the emotional and spiritual weight of the writing.

THE MODEL: USING PERFORMANCE FOR TRANSGRESSION

The tool I find most successful in moving students to "getting" how African American texts speak from and to racialized identities is performance. I believe that all cultures contain organic models for educating that can be used to transmit the value of that culture's artistic and material productions. In African-American cultural history, we find repeated use of performance to educate, uplift, and challenge audiences.

The use of performance to teach African-American cultural history builds on the culture's subversive use of performance to transgress in Black communal spaces--including church preaching moments, hip-hop musical lyrics, and stand-up comedy routines. For example, in traditionally Black church settings, the preacher and choir members are responsible for embodying and performing for a congregation the excitement one receives from submitting to the will of God. In hip-hop music, lyricists educate young audiences by performing songs that challenge oppressive ideas. And, in contemporary comedy, the performance is a vehicle for acting out and ultimately challenging accepted knowledge. In each of these three cultural environments, performances are designed to educate, uplift, and expand the views of an audience. When the use of performance is transferred from the stage to the classroom, ideologies professed by students and instructors alike can be challenged.