The B-Boy Blues series is distinguished by the
writing style Hardy uses, incorporating an abun-
dance of slang, specifically hip-hop vernacular, to
lend the books verisimilitude and street flavor. By
virtue of their identification as B-Boy’s (a term as-
sociated with break dancers in urban culture), the
characters in his novels most likely would use this
language; as a result, Hardy’s linguistic code shift-
ing is appropriate. Additionally, individuals who
might not be inclined to read literature written
solely in standard English are reading these books,
and in the case of The Day Eazy-E Died, they are
perhaps coming to a better understanding of AIDS
pathology. This is how AIDS in black literature is
an example of art that not only is political but also
can save lives.
The popular science-fiction author SAMUEL
DELANY also plays with the complexities of lan-
guage in an attempt to incorporate AIDS into
his work. For instance, in his novella The Tale of
Plagues and Carnivals, or: Some Informal Remarks
towards the Modular Calculus, Part Five (1985),
Delany writes, “AIDS is like... the wrath of Khan”
(187); Delany’s statement has dire and potentially
galvanizing meaning for fans of science fiction.
Perhaps no other black gay author has con-
tributed more to discussions of AIDS in black lit-
erature than ESSEX HEMPHILL. Hemphill, who died
from AIDS in 1995, wrote about the disease in a
variety of forms, including poetry, performance
pieces, and essays. In his poem “Now We Think,”
he details how the reality of AIDS has altered his
sex practices. In the landmark film “Tongues Un-
tied,” he freely discusses his thoughts not only as
a black gay man, but as a black gay man living
with AIDS. One of Hemphill’s more poignant
comments on the culture and reality of AIDS is
his essay “Does Your Mama Know About Me?,”
wherein he contends
Some of the best minds of my generation
would have us believe that AIDS has brought
the gay and lesbian community closer and in-
fused it with a more democratic mandate. That
is only a partial truth that further underscores
the fact that the gay community still operatesfrom a one-eyed, one-gender, one-color per-
ception of “community” that is most likely to
recognize blond before black but seldom the
two together.
Some of the best minds of my generation
believe AIDS has made the gay community a
more responsible social construction, but what
AIDS really manages to do is clearly point out
how significant are the cultural and economic
differences between us; differences so extreme
that black men suffer a disproportionate num-
ber of AIDS deaths in communities with very
sophisticated gay health care services. (40–41)Although this essay was published more than a
decade ago, it maintains relevance and currency,
particularly in highlighting the socioeconomic
disenfranchisement and racism prevalent in gay
communities.
Although the Norton Anthology of African Amer-
ican Literature concludes with excerpts from Essex
Hemphill’s poetry, the chosen excerpts focus more
on his black gay subjectivity than on his work on
AIDS or his status as HIV positive. The bibliog-
raphy prefacing those excerpts does not mention
that he died from AIDS. Such avoidance is indica-
tive of the silence surrounding AIDS in black com-
munities, a silence to which Hemphill’s work, and
that of others contributing to discussions of AIDS
in black literature, speaks.
Whether situated in a fictive narrative or dis-
cussed in the form of autobiography, AIDS in
black literature is an indication that blacks are
aware of the disease’s reality and are creating art
in response to it.BIBLIOGRAPHY
Delany, Samuel R. The Tale of Plagues and Carnivals,
or: Some Informal Remarks towards the Modular
Calculus, Part Five. Flight from Neveryon. Hanover,
N.H.: Wesleyan University Press, 1985.
Gates, Henry Louis, and Nellie Y. McKay, eds. The
Norton Anthology of African American Literature.
New York: W. W. Norton, 1997.
Hardy, James Earl. The Day Eazy-E Died. Los Angeles:
Alyson, 2001.AIDS 9