Our Nig; Sketches From The Life Of A Free Black By Harriet E. Wilson:
Our Nig; Or Sketches From The Life Of A Free Black, In A Two Story White House, North, Showing That Slavery's Shadows Fall Even There, Was Self-Published By Author, Harriet E. Adams Wilson, On September 5, 1859.
This Was The First Novel Written By An African American, To Be Published In The Unitied States And The First Novel Written By A Black Female.
Wilson Published The Book In An Effort To Raise Money To Save Her Dying Son. She Wrote The Book's Preface:
"Disabled by failing health, I am forced to some experiment which shall aid me in maintaining myself and child without exstinguishing this feeble life."
Wilson's Son Died At The Age Of Eight, Six Months After The Book Was Published.
Despite Its Historical Importance, The Book Remained In Obscurity Until 1983, When It Was Republished By Henry Louis Gates, Jr.
"In Order For Black History To Live, We Must Continue To Breathe Life Into It." -- Huert Gaddy, Jr.
