The legacy of Black literature and Black book publishing is a testament to the resilience and creativity of Black communities. For generations, Black writers and publishers have carved out essential spaces in literature to affirm identity, reclaim history, and challenge systemic oppression. Their work stands as a beacon of justice and cultural preservation. In his remarks, W. Paul Coates, founder of Black Classic Press, reflects on the importance of amplifying resistive Black voices and the ongoing work of Black publishers to preserve narratives that celebrate the depth and diversity of the Black experience. By recovering forgotten stories and elevating aspirational perspectives, publishers like Universal Write Publications continue to ensure that Black voices resonate within and beyond literary spaces. The contributions of icons such as Frederick Douglass, Sojourner Truth, and countless others remind us of the enduring importance of storytelling as a means of empowerment. Their narratives are vital, not just as cultural artifacts but as living expressions of truth and resilience. Supporting and promoting Black literature ensures these voices remain central in shaping both historical and contemporary discourse. Sharing the acceptance speech by Paul W. Coates, Publisher & Founder of Black Classic Press, accepting the 2024 Literarian Award to the American Literary Community from the National Book Foundation on November 20th, 2024 in New York City, NY.

Remarks by W. Paul Coates
The National Book Awards, November 20th, 2024

Let me begin with a bunch of thank yous and by acknowledging someone who is here tonight only in spirit, Glenn Thompson of Writers and Readers Press. Glenn was half insane and a fanatic about Black book publishing. Dan Simon, Kassahun Checole, and I flew to London in 2001 to be with Glenn as he became an ancestor. His spirit and his commitment to always move Black book publishing higher is ever present and is alive in this room tonight. My focus is resistive Black voices that assert and confirm the right of Black people to advocate and express themselves in a world quick to deny their humanity. Thank you, Rosalyn Coates, my soulmate, lover, and wife, for always loving and supporting me. I love Walter Mosley. His introduction means the world to me. We published Gone Fishin’, an Easy Rawlings prequel, together 28 years ago and became friends and brothers. My journey through life is better because of you, Walter Mosley

And let me thank the National Book Foundation and its Board for this year’s celebration and for the work you do every day to make this world livable for the entire literary community. I thank you for that work and for your acknowledgment of me. Neil Baldwin, former director of the National Book Foundation, Brenda Green from the National Black Writers Conference, Troy Johnson of AALBC, and PGW, our distributor, thank you guys for being here lending me your support. Those voices are all Black Classics to me. Black Classic Press is part of a group of old-line Black book publishers that includes Third World Press, Africa World Press, and Just Us Books. These legacy publishers are survivors from the Civil Rights and human rights battles of the sixties and seventies. Along with newer presses like Universal Write Publications, we work every day to maintain and expand Black self-narrating voices. We each have a different focus. My focus is resistive Black voices that assert and confirm the right of Black people to advocate and express themselves in a world quick to deny their humanity.

For Black people, our enslavement was what we call the Maafa, a great catastrophic event. To survive that great disaster, my ancestors had to have stories of something better; stories of the past, and stories of the future, which during the Maafa could only be expressed aspirationally. To survive that great disaster, my ancestors had to have stories of something better—stories of the past, and stories of the future. Despite penalties of torture and death, those aspirations later found their way into print as stories about ourselves and our view of the world, from our perspective.

Using self-narrating voices, in 1827, John Russworm and Samuel Cornish founded Freedom’s Journal with the declaration, “We wish to plead our own cause… For too long others have spoken for us.” David Walker used that voice in 1829, and Marcus Garvey in 1919. Carter G. Woodson captured and used it in 1921 when he established The Associated Publishers to publish books written from the perspective of our self-narrating voice. To do this work, to be supported by my community as I have been since 1972, and to be recognized for that work tonight is humbling. It is an affirmation to me that all books and all voices matter. Thank you all, and thanks again to the National Book Foundation.