This path was created by Aleya Washington. The last update was by David Squires.
Voice
The concept of voice speaks simultaneously to truth and subjective authenticity. For that reason, voice for black women characters must speak to particular intersections of racialized and gendered experience while also confronting the problem of giving expression to those experiences in a society that silences black women. Tamara Beauboeuf-Lafontant explains the problematic clearly when she writes, “voice is the expression of the ‘deep down inside’ that Black women learn to create as they ‘pick up’ strength. It reflects those points of view that locate Black women in their actual circumstances rather than in a timeless narration of struggle and caregiving” (135). When black characters are allowed to use this voice, their strength does not overwhelm their humanity. When they have voice, they are strong without falling into the strong black woman trope. However, more often than not, black characters are not allowed a voice.
The definition of voice for this project does not mean speech type. Miss Jane's speech type is particular, with its evocative use of dialect, but does not afford her a voice in Beauboeuf-Lafontant's sense. One can appreciate Miss Jane’s dialect while acknowledging the fact that her words are neither about herself nor expressed solely through her point of view, but through an editorial framework. The idea of voice here is almost interchangeable with perspective. However, it adds to the definition of perspective. It means not only the character’s viewpoint, but also their ability to speak through that viewpoint about themselves and for themselves.