The Power of Indignation

Richard Wright, the author of the novel Native Son and the autobiography Black Boy , pioneered an influential school of protest literature. He became the first Black writer to pen a bestseller that overtly criticized racism and white supremacy. Born into dire poverty and oppression in segregated Mississippi, his journey to international success was so unlikely that upon meeting him the most famous sociologist of the 1940's asked, "How in the hell did YOU happen?" Following his success, Wright grew disillusioned with the United States, and, in 1947, relocated to France. Before his death in 1960, at age 52, he coined the phrase "Black Power" in support of African anti-colonial revolutions.

In this dramatic reenactment by Santa Fe Poet Laureate Emeritus Darryl Lorenzo Wellington, Richard Wright talks about racism, poverty,  civil rights, American imperialism, and a visionary post-colonial future — topics important then and now.

2021-2023 Santa Fe Poet Laureate Darryl Lorenzo Wellington has spent over 20 years as a journalist, syndicated  columnist, playwright, poet, and performance artist.  Darryl Lorenzo Wellington’s essays on poverty, economic justice, race relations, African American history, and civil rights history have appeared in The Nation, The Guardian, The Progressive, Christian Science Monitor, The Atlantic, Dissent, Crisis (NAACP’s magazine), and many more places. He has appeared on the Tavis Smiley radio show and Democracy Now.,  His latest book of poems is Psalms at the Present Time (Flowstone Press, 2021).

The Power of Indignation:  Richard Wright, Black American novelist

Sunday October 4, 2025 at 5:00 p.m.