Black Women Writers, 19th Amendment Celebrated By Manatee Library

BRADENTON, FL — The latest issue of "805," the literary arts journal published by the Manatee County Public Library System, celebrates the 19th Amendment, as well as the works of Black women writers and artists.

The library system is teaming up with the Humanitarian Women's Network to host a virtual reading by writers featured in this issue at 11 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 10. Those interested in attending should register in advance online. They can register through the morning of the event.

The library staff and volunteers who oversee the journal decided earlier this year that they would recognize the centennial anniversary of the 19th amendment, which gave women the right to vote. The amendment was ratified Aug. 18, 1920.

"We definitely wanted to do a women’s issue," said Stephanie Katz, librarian and "805" editor-in-chief. "Then we got to thinking about everything going on in the world. In the last few elections, Black women voters have been such a solid, influential voting bloc. They're also historically underrepresented in literature but are really a tremendous powerhouse in creating literature. We wanted to use our platform to amplify their voices."

She noted that the decision to publish only works by Black women in this edition of "805" is meaningful because Black women weren't granted the right to vote in 1920.

"They didn't get the right to vote with white women," Katz said.

The journal received more than 500 individual submissions, which were whittled down to works by 33 writers and seven artists from throughout the United States and the world.

Tampa-based author Sheree L. Greer, founder of Kitchen Table Literary Arts, had a poem selected for this issue. She said she’s excited to read at Saturday’s event.

"The 19th Amendment was an important one for women's suffrage, but Black women were still denied the right to vote freely — refused at the polls, met with violence, and more. Many of the lauded suffragettes were decidedly racist. Yet, the 19th Amendment did open the door a crack, and it incited many Black women — Mary McLeod Bethune, Hallie Quinn Brown and others — to knock the door down, applying pressure on the government to deliver on the promise of American democracy for all," Greer said. "The journal being in celebration of the 19th Amendment but focusing on Black women's voices feels like a way to acknowledge the voices that were ignored during the passage of the 19th, paying homage to the work that has been done, but also the work we still have left to do."

"805" was founded in 2015, putting Manatee County among the first public libraries in the country to publish a literary journal. Since its formation, they’ve published 24 issues, a mix of themed issues for adults and annual teen-only editions.

Though this current edition of "805" is only available digitally, Katz said they're seeking grant funding to publish a print version of it by early 2021.