As a child, Maya Angelou was denied treatment by a racist dentist, Dr. Lincoln. He said, “I would rather stick my hands in a dog’s mouth than in hers”
In an interview with the Guardian, Amy Tan expressed her experience in high school. She said, “being different was less tolerated; you’d be teased with racial jokes. People found it disgusting if you ate fish with the head still attached to it. Teenagers can be very cruel.”
In Toni Morrison’s documentary Toni Morrison Remembers, Toni talked about her experience with racial discrimination and skin privileges when she went to University. In campus, they would be ranked socially based on the colour of their skin.
In a Vice interview with Anna Castillo, she talks about her experience walking in public spaces. She said, “more and more I’ve been really disrespected in many public spaces, by strangers. It’s very telling of the world we live in. I don’t think I look like a purse-snatcher. I think I go out in the world well- groomed. Yet I can’t tell you how many times white women will pull their purses close to them when they see me approaching. It’s so common, it’s like a tick.”
Women of Colour in Literature
Women of colour have been overlooked in Literature. My thesis takes 10 prolific female writers of colour and illustrates their experiences with discrimination. This is to show that their stories are needed to create social change.
