Written propaganda is something that has been circulated since the beginning of time. Throughout different eras of history, the written word has always been an influence.
On September 28th, 1829, American abolitionist, activist, and writer David Walker published a seminal work in African American non-fiction, An Appeal to the Coloured Citizens of the World. In the controversial pamphlet, Walker exposed the hypocrisies and atrocities of slavery in the United States of America.
During the 19th Century, anti-slavery or abolition propaganda, spoken and written, were outlawed in southern states. This made Walker’s work courageous and controversial at the time where circulation of this material was detrimental and dangerous.
The North Carolina History Project writes, “according to religion scholar Gayraud S. Wilmore, ‘Appeal to the Coloured Citizens of the World’, was ‘the most powerful piece of {anti-slavery} propaganda written by a black’…Wilmington native David Walker encouraged slaves to revolt against their masters… ‘Appeal’ uses religious language in putting forth an abolitionist message. With desperation, Walker calls for a slave revolt, for restructuring society, and for restoring true Christianity.”
Walker’s Appeal was a precursor to future written materials fighting for racial equality such as Frederick Douglass’s What to the Slave Is the 4th of July (1852) and Dr. Carter G Woodson’s The Miseducation of the Negro (1933). Although slavery would be abolished thirty-seven years after Walker’s work would be published, the remains of the systematic racism remain today. This begs the question of the relevance Walker’s work has one hundred and ninety-two years later.
Walker’s An Appeal to the Coloured Citizens of the World was a turning point for African American writing though the awareness of it has not stood the test of time. With the state of education in relation to the study and comprehension of African American history and culture, the rediscovery of events such as the publication of An Appeal to the Coloured Citizens of the World could not be more relevant today.
Furthermore, Walker’s work emphasizes the journey slaves had to endure when it comes to claiming their autonomy and agency. To think that this journey is on the verge of being permanently eradicated is quite unconscionable. However, what can be done to ensure the legacy of Walker’s words remain relevant starts with the integration of publications such as Walker’s work into the current landscape of the American popular culture.
