A new children’s biography about famed Oklahoman and "Invisible Man" author Ralph Ellison is now on bookshelves.
"Ralph Ellison: More Than Invisible" written by Quraysh Ali Lansana traces Ellison’s journey from Oklahoma City’s historic Deep Deuce neighborhood to literary greatness. It also introduces young readers to difficult conversations about race, history and identity.
Tulsa Community College’s Thomas K. McKeon Center for Creativity recently hosted a Q&A with Lansana and former Tulsa World editor Jason Collington to discuss the book.
The evening included musical accompaniment by a jazz quartet, a fitting tribute to Ellison, whose writing was deeply influenced by jazz.
Ellison's love for jazz led him to the Tuskegee Institute where he played the trumpet.
During his free time studying at the Alabama HBCU Ellison read "Crime and Punishment" and fell deeper in love with literature.
This literary education received by Ellison could feel impossible to find for present day students wanting to challenge themselves.
Ellison's story is difficult to tell today for educators due to the legal implications.
“It’s fairly illegal to teach Black history in Oklahoma,” Lansana told the audience. “It’s being erased across the country.”
Oklahoma House Bill 1775, which prohibits certain concepts about race and gender being taught in Oklahoma schools, has caused concerns with one OU legal study saying it "reeks" of a discriminatory purpose.
Earlier this year the Washington Post reported President Donald Trump's administration removed the famous “Scourged Back” photograph, which depicts a formerly enslaved man with scars on his back, from an undisclosed national park site along with other signs and exhibits related to slavery.
The erasure of Black history, Lansana said, makes telling Ellison’s story more urgent.
Ellison, influenced by literary giants such as Richard Wright and Langston Hughes, brought a unique voice to American literature.
“The sophistication of the writing and the storytelling elevated Ellison to a status that perhaps no Black writer, even Richard Wright, even my mentor Gwendolyn Brooks, had achieved,” Lansana said.
Ellison won the National Book Award in 1953 for "Invisible Man," making him the first Black author to win the prestigious literary honor.
He came from a poverty stricken upbringing in Oklahoma City to shaking hands with Lyndon Baines Johnson while receiving the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
It was a long journey to the top of the literary world, but it's a journey maybe another kid could be inspired by.
Lansana hopes the book will spark conversations between children and their parents about tough topics such as segregation and civil rights.
“We need to not shy away from difficult topics with our young people,” he said. “But they have to be introduced in ways that are digestible and understandable. That often requires patience from the adults.”
This is not Lansana’s first foray into children’s literature. The author, who has written three other books for young readers, said he was inspired by journalist Linda Ellerbee, host of "Nick News," who was known for tackling complex issues in a way that respected children’s intelligence.
With "Ralph Ellison: More Than Invisible," Lansana hopes to honor the author's legacy while helping a new generation understand the struggles and triumphs of a Black man who shaped American literature.
