THE AFRICAN AMERICAN VICTORY: AN ANALYSIS THE CRISIS AND "THE NEGRO SPEAKS OF RIVERS"

          In “The Negro Speaks of Rivers,” Hughes mentions four different rivers that have significant meaning to the African American culture: the Euphrates, Congo, Nile, and Mississippi rivers. By using these historic waterways that are scattered across the world, Hughes is able to portray the African American culture having that same global reach and importance as the rivers. The poem was first published in The Crisis, founded in 1910 by W.E.B. DuBois and endorsed by the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, in the June 1921, vol. 22, no. 2 issue. The magazine was intended to be more of a political publication than a literary production, and it succeeded in its goals as the magazine is “arguably the most widely read and influential periodical about race and social injustice in U.S. history" (Modernist Journals Project).

            DuBois, as the editor, focused on pieces of work that featured the use of historical memory because he was trying to establish a relationship with the readers by correcting the racial stereotypes that had been formed about blacks through the media. He understood that African Americans were an integral part of America and its establishment, so he did not want the African American history to be lost. The Crisis and its editors were very focused on instituting a sense of pride and promoting the education of African Americans using historical memory so black people could live a better life. It was historical memory that “The Negro Speaks of Rivers” and The Crisis used to build a collective identity for the African American race which would decrease the security of the predominantly white society and allow for the African American’s to win their spot in American society.