Marita Bonner

"On Being Young--a Woman--and Colored"

Contributed by Monica White
Last updated August 02, 2001

Marita Bonner’s essay “On Being Young--a Woman--and Colored” examines what it is to be a ‘race woman’ in the1920’s. Her concern is for the race woman and the obstacles a race woman must overcome, as well as her advice on how to fight against the oppression of being a race woman. Marita Bonner writes about the weight of oppression on the black female. She argues against racism and sexism and counsels her fellow black female to remain silent in order to gain knowledge, understanding, and truth to fight against the double oppressions of race  and gender. She concludes with her insight that a woman of the 1920’s, especially a black woman ,has no voice but must use the tools of knowledge, writing, and teaching to conquer this double inequality. She resolves that she may never see true freedom until she joins God in Heaven. This essay was published in 1925 in The Crisis, the journal of the NAACP, and won first place in the magazine's literary contest.

Bonner, Marita. “On Being Young—a Woman—and Colored.” The Norton Anthology of Literature by Women. 2nd. Ed. Sandra M. Gilbert and Susan Gubar. New York: Norton, 1996.1577-81.

Links about Marita Bonner:

http://garnet.acns.fsu.edu/~der2849/aa4.html
"African American Woman and Education: Marita Bonner’s Response to the ‘Talented Tenth’." This is an essay written by Judith Musser describing the uniqueness of Marita Bonner’s short stories, her attempt to set realistic images of African American women of the 1920’s, and the struggles they face (as in "On Being Young--a Woman--and Colored"). The essay compares and contrasts the characters she creates to the realities of the oppression of African Americans during the Harlem Renaissance. Also Bonner is compared to other writers of her time, showing her talent for individuality and how she felt about education and educating her fellow African Americans through short stories.

http://www.scribblingwomen.org/mbbio.htm
Features Bonner's play Hate is Nothing with a synopsis, literary interpretation, and historical and literary concepts. There is a brief biography of her life as well as a bibliography for further reading. For teachers, there are also lesson plans.  This page is part of the Scribbling Women website, published by The Public Media Foundation, Valerie Henderson, Executive Producer. It features plays and stories by American women writers for national radio.  The Marita Bonner page was created by James A. Miller, a professor of English and American Studies and director of the Africana Studies Program at George Washington University, Washington D.C.