A pair of Black writers won the esteemed Pulitzer Prize in their respective disciplines this week, both featuring works that deal with race, class and even politics. Colson Whitehead won the Pulitzer for Fiction for his critically-acclaimed The Underground Railroad book, while Lynn Nottage‘s Sweat play won the Pulitzer for Drama.
The Pulitzer Prize has come under fire for its overwhelmingly white and male selection of winners in times past. This year, five people of color, including three women, were among the seven total winners in the wide category of the arts. Joining Whitehead and Nottage are Hilton Als, Heather Ann Thompson, Tyehimba Jess, Mathew Desmond, and Hisham Matar.
Whitehead’s book gained considerable traction after Oprah Winfrey declared the work to be part of her Oprah’s Book Club Selection. The tale focuses on the journey of two slaves making a bid for freedom from a Georgia plantation. Nottage’s Sweat weaves the story of a group of workers in a small Pennslyvania town wrecked by economic woes.
See the full Pulitzer Prize winners list by following this link.
—
Photo: Powell Burns/CC by 2.0
