African-American literary works born out of the ashes of World War I went on to spur the bold spirit of resistance

By Elizabeth J. West, Professor of English, Georgia State University. Aaron Douglas. “Aspects of Negro Life: From Slavery to Reconstruction.” Oil on canvas, 1934. The New York Public Library, Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, Art and Artifacts Division. Though we often discuss World War I through the lens of history, we occasionally do it…