In the movie Brother to Brother, it shows how hard it is for Black writers to tell their own story and the pressure they face to tell a story that matches white Americans perception of Black Harlem. Wallace Thurman, Zora Hurston, Langston Hughes, and Bruce Nugent all worked very closely on this project. They all wrote about topics like gay and lesbian, cross dressers, prostitutes, and homeless people. There were things that their community didn’t believe should be showcased. Wallace and Zora both went to a publisher in hopes that their side of Harlem would get recognition.
The white publisher, named Mr. McAllister, wanted both authors to censor or change what they had already written and rewrite it for white people instead of Blacks. The publisher told Wallie that “I read the manuscript , a few minor adjustments, and I would seriously consider publishing it”. He told wallie that he wanted to “play up the nightclub atmosphere making it darker and more menacing” to show that Harlem was a place to fear because it was dangerous, and it was “dirty”. The publisher told Wallie that the whites had a ‘hunger for the reality of Harlem life, telling it like it is” when really the publisher was stereotypical and not thinking what Harlem actually was, a place of love, music, and diversity not the dark violent images that people associated with Harlem. The publisher told Wallie that “the public wants danger, sex, and violence form the Harlem stories. A good writer has to make concessions to what the public wants.” The publisher didn’t realize that to Wallie the public was his community. The publisher tried to make Wallie see that a “Negro writer has more insight into their world would better than a white writer,” which of course is right, A white person cannot live the life of a black person. The publisher was just so full of it, trying to have a black man write that all the stereotypes of their race were true. The publisher also did this to Zora Hurston stating that her writing was eligible for a “white” person to understand. “How hard is it to translate it so it’s something everyone can understand?” He didn’t understand that she was writing for the people that understood Harlem, not for the people who would only judge it. He told her that she would have to rewrite her manuscript because it was in a language that he didn’t understand. He told them that “you wanna know what the bestselling book has been for a couple of month? Nigger Heaven, from a white author. Imagine how the public would embrace the authentic Negro perspective” He never really understood the value of their perspective. He saw his stereotypical perception of their world as the only option.
Wallie and Zora both did not react very well when they heard that this publisher wanted them to completely alter the story they presented. Wallace reacted when McAllister told them to change the club scene Wallie said”It‘s completely untrue to the character. He is opening up to the club to turn his life around.” McAllister had no idea what this story even meant. He just wanted the overall “white” community to have this stereotype and have it be out there. McAllister also talked to Zora about her piece and said it isn’t “English”. Zora exclaimed “It is English, Negro English…… It’s old Negro tradition the people who are a part of it recognize it, I’m not speaking for these people, I am these people”. She is saying that she cannot stop writing like this because it is who she is. She can’t stop being who she is just to get published. They both left McAllister’s office not signing with him because they did not agree with his ideas.
I agree with Wallace and Zora. They have to right to write whatever they want without being censored. They had pride in their work and were right not to let McAllister take it away from them. They chose their pride over the money they would have gotten. It shows something very significant about these two characters. They are striving to be heard and don’t care about what they get in return. I think that more people should do something they love, and not think about how much money they are going to make, or what else they are going to get in return. I also think that Mr. McAllister contradicted himself. He said that he wanted the real truth about Harlem, but when they gave him a view of life of Harlem as it really is. He wanted them to change it and make it more dangerous or easier to read. This movie is a great example of truth and the importance of love for what you do
