We live in a time of social transformation. After ages of protest, issues of equality are now coming into light, and it is only through persistent engagement that these issues are finally being addressed. Impartiality is now fought by the majority, a group made up of continually oppressed minorities. There have always been two groups in the world: the oppressor and the oppressed. The oppressors are those with the best socioeconomic status, those with education,a characteristic that immediately puts you at the forefront. The oppressed make up the lower end of the social spectrum, struggling to survive on a day-to-day basis. Education for the oppressed becomes a luxury, rather than a necessity in the eyes of the wealthy. It is through educational standing that our society and social construct are shaped, and unfortunately, those without have little authority. So now, we arrive at our question, why should minorities write?
Literature is how we learn and conceptualize the world. It is powerful and a direct connection to the past, stemming back to the earliest prehistoric transcripts. One respectively contemporary example is the British colonization of India. The Charter Act of 1813 gave the British East India Company authority to rule in India, but the company's means of containment and education was through literature—a tactic to educate, control, and form India. This example is not an attempt to sympathize with the morality behind British actions, but to rather illustrate the power of literature and its influence. In our modern day society, The New York Times' review column is one of the most read publications in the world. The effect it has on shaping societal perspective is remarkable, influencing its readers to control the world we live in, instead of the ignorant and unaware.
People read because they are searching “for a personal meaning, for some kind of map to a moral landscape.” – Richard Oman
Those who identify themselves as second-class citizens have accumulated immense power over the years, but through literature and writing, minorities could reshape modern day society. Those of high socioeconomic class are dictating policy and reform. Appealing to them (within their own realm of education and literature) will have a different impact—a powerful impression. Through a collective effort, demanding egalitarianism, social reformation, and equal representation, the sway of literature has come to be a force to be reckoned with. Today, there are resources such as social media, which have consumed our being. Now, what we chose to do with it is on us...but if there really ought to be a positive change, it is through networks like Facebook and Twitter, where the world will start to take notice.
It is important that we understand literature in its most broad sense. Books, Facebook posts, tweets, blogs, essays, graphic novels, poems, whatever have you, let your voice be heard. Writing is not meant for any one person, or someone with some fastidious trait. Writing is an action everyone is capable of performing. It only takes that individual one time to find their voice, and then writing suddenly becomes natural. It is then that the world becomes a better place.
