--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Literature has been a treacherous site…" description: "\"Literature has been a treacherous site for black Americans because literary production has been so tied with the project of proving our humanity throug..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e9b/glenn-ligon-10867_black-americans_literature-has-been-a-treacherous-site-f_1265299.png" --- # Literature has been a treacherous site for black Americans… ![“Literature has been a treacherous site for black Americans because literary production has been so tied with the project of proving our humanity through the act of writing.” quote by Glenn Ligon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e9b/glenn-ligon-10867_black-americans_literature-has-been-a-treacherous-site-f_1265299.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e9b/glenn-ligon-10867_black-americans_literature-has-been-a-treacherous-site-f_1265299.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e9b/glenn-ligon-10867_black-americans_literature-has-been-a-treacherous-site-f_1265299.png) > “Literature has been a treacherous site for black Americans because literary production has been so tied with the project of proving our humanity through the act of writing.” [Glenn Ligon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-ligon/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Black writers have historically used literature to assert humanity against systemic dehumanization. **In simple terms:** Writing proves humanity. Key Takeaway Write to claim identity. Themes identity resistance literature Mood thoughtful critical Type analytical philosophical When to use this quote - academic discourse - creative writing - activism Key Concepts racial justice self‑definition Questions to Reflect On - How does writing shape personal identity? - What other forms can assert humanity? A Different Perspective Literature alone cannot dismantle oppression. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Black americans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/black-americans/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Humanity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humanity/) [Literature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/literature/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [British people have a really sophisticated sense of humour, because we're exposed to much more than Europeans and Americans, not least in our literary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frankie-boyle/british-people-have-a-really-sophisticated-sense-of-humour-because-we/) [Frankie Boyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frankie-boyle/) > [Excessive literary production is a social offense.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-eliot/excessive-literary-production-is-a-social-offense/) [George Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-eliot/) > [I have the conviction that excessive literary production is a social offence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-eliot/i-have-the-conviction-that-excessive-literary-production-is-a-social-2/) [George Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-eliot/) > [I have the conviction that excessive literary production is a social offense. ... Everyone who contributes to the 'too much' of literature is doing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-eliot/i-have-the-conviction-that-excessive-literary-production-is-a-social/) [George Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-eliot/) > [“6 criteria to upgrade literary production; Correct language, the power of the idea, the fluency in expressing, the connection between ideas and the depth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maryam-abdullah-alnaymi/6-criteria-to-upgrade-literary-production-correct-language-the-power/) [Maryam Abdullah Alnaymi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maryam-abdullah-alnaymi/) > [As a writer, I'm not convinced that we are the best equipped to understand how we go about the business of literary production.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-self/as-a-writer-i-m-not-convinced-that-we-are-the-best-equipped-to/) [Will Self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-self/) > [“Physicians, patients, and ethicists must also understand that acknowledging abuse and encouraging African Americans to participate in research are compatible goals. History and today's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harriet-a-washington/physicians-patients-and-ethicists-must-also-understand-that/) Harriet A. Washington > [“Abraham Lincoln struck off the chains of black Americans, but it was Lyndon Johnson who led them into voting booths, closed democracy’s sacred curtain…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-caro/abraham-lincoln-struck-off-the-chains-of-black-americans-but-it-was/) [Robert A. 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In this regard, they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornel-west/the-need-of-black-conservatives-to-gain-the-respect-of-their-white/) [Cornel West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornel-west/) > [The welfare state has done to Black Americans what slavery (and Jim Crow and racism) could not have done. . .break up the black…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-stossel/the-welfare-state-has-done-to-black-americans-what-slavery-and-jim/) [John Stossel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-stossel/) > [I was adopted my black Americans, I feel that I'm a 'Hybrid'. When I'm around Africans'I suddenly feel very black American. And when I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kola-boof/i-was-adopted-my-black-americans-i-feel-that-i-m-a-hybrid-when-i-m/) [Kola Boof](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kola-boof/) ## More by Glenn Ligon > [Throughout African-American literature, the writer has, in a sense, been burdened by the necessity of pleading the case for the whole race. For example,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-ligon/throughout-african-american-literature-the-writer-has-in-a-sense-been/) [Glenn Ligon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-ligon/) > [Race is not something inherent to one's being: One does feel more or less colored, depending on the situation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-ligon/race-is-not-something-inherent-to-one-s-being-one-does-feel-more-or/) [Glenn Ligon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-ligon/) > [I think there's an interest right now in the performance aspect of artworks, instead of just hanging things on walls. We're in a moment…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-ligon/i-think-there-s-an-interest-right-now-in-the-performance-aspect-of/) [Glenn Ligon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-ligon/) > [A key text for me is James Baldwin's essays. And, in particular, his essay Stranger in the Village. It's a text that I've used…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-ligon/a-key-text-for-me-is-james-baldwin-s-essays-and-in-particular-his/) [Glenn Ligon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-ligon/) > [It's a great idea: to feel the rhythm of something by seeing how it flows on a page.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-ligon/it-s-a-great-idea-to-feel-the-rhythm-of-something-by-seeing-how-it/) [Glenn Ligon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-ligon/) > [So much of my work has been about disappearing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-ligon/so-much-of-my-work-has-been-about-disappearing/) [Glenn Ligon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-ligon/) > [I'm interested in when language fails, when it is opaque.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-ligon/i-m-interested-in-when-language-fails-when-it-is-opaque/) [Glenn Ligon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-ligon/) > [In writing, something is always left out: it can't be articulated in the space of an essay.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-ligon/in-writing-something-is-always-left-out-it-can-t-be-articulated-in/) [Glenn Ligon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-ligon/) > [Willem de Kooning paintings are a language to be learned. When they were first shown, they were ridiculed as being just drips and splatters…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-ligon/willem-de-kooning-paintings-are-a-language-to-be-learned-when-they/) [Glenn Ligon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-ligon/) > [Much of my work is engaged with 'America' - the idea of America.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-ligon/much-of-my-work-is-engaged-with-america-the-idea-of-america/) [Glenn Ligon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-ligon/) > [My mother really didn't come from artists. Her famous quote to me was, "The only artists I've ever heard of are dead." The pottery…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-ligon/my-mother-really-didn-t-come-from-artists-her-famous-quote-to-me-was/) [Glenn Ligon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-ligon/) > [I like having a studio to go to. It's like having a job.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-ligon/i-like-having-a-studio-to-go-to-it-s-like-having-a-job/) [Glenn Ligon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-ligon/) > [I switched up so that I could work 12-hour shifts at the firm on the weekends so I could have days free to paint.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-ligon/i-switched-up-so-that-i-could-work-12-hour-shifts-at-the-firm-on-the/) [Glenn Ligon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-ligon/) > [I graduated from Wesleyan University with a b.a. in art. I was really headed toward an architecture degree, but when I did the requirements…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-ligon/i-graduated-from-wesleyan-university-with-a-b-a-in-art-i-was-really/) [Glenn Ligon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-ligon/) > [One of the interesting things about quoting in an artwork is that there is a repeated confusion about who is speaking - one essentially…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-ligon/one-of-the-interesting-things-about-quoting-in-an-artwork-is-that/) [Glenn Ligon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-ligon/) [Explore all 63 Glenn Ligon quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-ligon/) ## More Black americans quotes > [I was adopted my black Americans, I feel that I'm a 'Hybrid'. When I'm around Africans'I suddenly feel very black American. 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In this regard, they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornel-west/the-need-of-black-conservatives-to-gain-the-respect-of-their-white/) [Cornel West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornel-west/) > [As America prepared for war in 1941, discrimination largely shut black Americans out of job opportunities in the growing defense industry.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-perez/as-america-prepared-for-war-in-1941-discrimination-largely-shut-black/) [Tom Perez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-perez/) > [And if you want to make many of our black leaders angry, just tell them that racism is not the number problem that black…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shelby-steele/and-if-you-want-to-make-many-of-our-black-leaders-angry-just-tell/) [Shelby Steele](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shelby-steele/) > [“Abraham Lincoln struck off the chains of black Americans, but it was Lyndon Johnson who led them into voting booths, closed democracy’s sacred curtain…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-caro/abraham-lincoln-struck-off-the-chains-of-black-americans-but-it-was/) [Robert A. Caro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-caro/) > [“Physicians, patients, and ethicists must also understand that acknowledging abuse and encouraging African Americans to participate in research are compatible goals. History and today's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harriet-a-washington/physicians-patients-and-ethicists-must-also-understand-that/) Harriet A. Washington > [“Since neither black animosity nor the Left’s falsehood of “racial tensions” is based on the actual behavior of the vast majority of white Americans,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-prager/since-neither-black-animosity-nor-the-left-s-falsehood-of-racial/) [Dennis Prager](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-prager/) > [I'm an African woman, I suppose these thoughts torture me more than they do black American people, because it's like watching my own children…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kola-boof/i-m-an-african-woman-i-suppose-these-thoughts-torture-me-more-than/) [Kola Boof](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kola-boof/) > [Black Americans like me are free people with free minds.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vernon-jones/black-americans-like-me-are-free-people-with-free-minds/) [Vernon Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vernon-jones/) > [Black Americans have organized all across this country because we have an unequal justice system, not because anyone demands special privileges.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wayne-messam/black-americans-have-organized-all-across-this-country-because-we/) [Wayne Messam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wayne-messam/) > [“The United States is the least racist multiracial country in the world. It is probably the best place in the world for a black…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-prager/the-united-states-is-the-least-racist-multiracial-country-in-the/) [Dennis Prager](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-prager/) > [My fellow Black Americans are expected to fit a certain mold and think a certain way. We've been socially conditioned to blindly support the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vernon-jones/my-fellow-black-americans-are-expected-to-fit-a-certain-mold-and/) [Vernon Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vernon-jones/) > [The trip to Mars can only be understood through Black Americans. I say, the trip to Mars can only be understood through Black Americans.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikki-giovanni/the-trip-to-mars-can-only-be-understood-through-black-americans-i-say/) [Nikki Giovanni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikki-giovanni/) > [A very hurting thing for Black Americans - to feel that we can't love our enemies. People forget what a great tradition we have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bell-hooks/a-very-hurting-thing-for-black-americans-to-feel-that-we-can-t-love/) [Bell Hooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bell-hooks/) [Browse all 132 Black americans quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/black-americans/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Literature has been a treacherous site for black Americans because literary production has been so tied with the project of proving our humanity through the act of writing.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Glenn Ligon" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-ligon/literature-has-been-a-treacherous-site-for-black-americans-because/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Black americans" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-ligon/literature-has-been-a-treacherous-site-for-black-americans-because/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e9b/glenn-ligon-10867_black-americans_literature-has-been-a-treacherous-site-f_1265299.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e9b/glenn-ligon-10867_black-americans_literature-has-been-a-treacherous-site-f_1265299.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e9b/glenn-ligon-10867_black-americans_literature-has-been-a-treacherous-site-f_1265299.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Literature has been a treacherous site for black Americans because literary production has been so tied with…” — Glenn Ligon", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Glenn Ligon", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-ligon/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Literature has been a treacherous site...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-ligon/literature-has-been-a-treacherous-site-for-black-americans-because/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-ligon/literature-has-been-a-treacherous-site-for-black-americans-because/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```