Tina McElroy Ansa offers inspired critique of black culture
Latest book, You Know Better, seeks to spark meaningful dialogue
By Kevin Jones
Diversity Institute Fellow
07.29.02
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| Tina McElroy Ansa stresses a point about writing. |
Passion.
Sex.
Drama.
These are all themes covered in Tina McElroy Ansa’s most recent novel, You Know Better.
For those who are not familiar with Ansa, she is a celebrated African-American fiction writer, emerging into one of the brightest commentators on black culture. Ansa has a particular flair for telling stories that are colorful and rich with unforgettable characters and touching dialogue.
Ansa, the self-proclaimed Southern girl who always knew that she wanted to be a writer, is very charming and personable. She speaks from her experience with much candor and wit, drawing upon her Southern roots to illustrate her life lessons.
Recently, Ansa visited the Freedom Forum in Nashville to discuss her writing and how her latest novel is an expression of her concern for African-American culture. The Freedom Forum is a foundation that promotes free speech, free press and free spirit for all people.
Ansa believes that her generation, a generation that grew up during the 1950s and 1960s, has essentially “dropped the ball” when it comes to parental responsibility.
“It used to take a village to raise a child ... there is no village anymore,” says Ansa, who believes many parents have failed to make their children their first priority.
She feels that many younger mothers are particularly guilty of not fulfilling their roles, too often focusing on their careers, men and social lives to give sufficient care to their children. This phenomenon, according to Ansa, has created many problems within African-American families.
Ansa said much of the dilemma seems linked to the more negative facets of Hip-Hop culture and its influence on the thinking of younger men and women. These problems, she said, range from the disrespect that hip-hop artists often have for authority figures to the misogynistic way that they treat women – especially in their song lyrics and music videos.
This is all part of what Ansa considers to be the residue of misplaced values that growing numbers of African-American mothers have seemingly embraced. Too many children, she believes, have grown up in households where there is no father and family stability. Instead, she said, children see their mothers bring strange men into their homes, habits that only create more confusion in the minds of children about appropriate values and behavior.
This, she concludes, has only given rise to the types of problems facing many young people today. And she sees her work as a writer as one way to begin meaningful dialogues about these issues.
Ansa relies on spirituality and intuition to guide her in the writing process.
“The spirit is moving all the time…,” Ansa said. “When you’re open to things, you can see more.”
Warm and insightful, Ansa confronts some of the most important issues of our day with much honesty and truth. While some may argue that her message may be lost on many audiences, the timeless values of caring and sharing that she embraces leave something for everyone to reflect on.