A new study traces the history of Black American literary groups.
The great minds behind Cave Canem, the literary non-profit celebrating poets of the African diaspora, have commissioned a new study tracing the history of Black American arts organizations.
“Magnitude and Bond: A Field Study on Black Literary Arts and Service Organizations,” was assembled with input from five leading Black literary groups. The study “embraces the fundamental role of Black literature, and seeks to ensure the longevity of Black literary organizations for generations to come.”
The survey spans 140 years, beginning with groups that sprouted in the Civil War’s aftermath, care of the short-working Reconstruction Amendments. The report also enjoys national jurisdiction, touching on Harlem Renaissance salons and West Coast Black Arts Movement spaces to every place in between.
By reviewing the strategies, practices, characteristics, and financial resources of Black literary groups through the ages, “Magnitude and Bond” means to locate inspirational praxis for today’s non-profits. And most important? Create more sustainable models for the future.
It shouldn’t shock you to learn that a major study takeaway is that culturally specific arts orgs have always operated in adverse conditions. Per the 52 page report summary, “non-profit literary arts organizations at large have historically been underfunded, understaffed, and overlooked, particularly in the case of culturally specific organizations.” Yet despite erratic funding sources and institutionalized burnout, many groups have been able to flourish. The question is how.
Researchers spoke with directors, staff, audience members, founders and and pertinent experts working in the field today to explore this question. They discovered that at a majority of organizations surveyed, employees work on a part-time basis. And staff lean heavily on a fleet of volunteers. Groups have been able to harness goodwill mainly thanks to innovative methods and hyper-focused missions. But to ensure longevity, something’s gotta give.
As for funding? (That poltergeist bedeviling every non-profit?) “Magnitude and Bond” shows that individual donors and federal grants provide the lion’s share of resources for today’s Black literary orgs, with both clocking in at around 17%. Merch, partnerships, and corporate sponsorships amount to another 39% all together—but most everyone is operating on a shoestring. All the working groups surveyed operate with a yearly budget of less than $500,000.
The most successful groups have been able to redistribute that money as needed. Another key takeaway? Philanthropic dollars offered for general operations go farther than specifically earmarked contributions.
Few collectives currently operating have a succession plan in place, which also threatens their longevity. Looking at legacy organizations, researchers clocked that the longest-surviving institutions strategized with an eye to the next generation.
The study is the product of Cave Canem, Ithaka S+R, and the Getting Word collective, which represents the union of five Black literary groups: Cave Canem, Furious Flower Poetry Center, the Hurston/Wright Foundation, Obsidian: Literature & Arts in the African Diaspora, and The Watering Hole. As a collective fundraising body, Getting Word aims to provide long-term support for Black artists and communities.
We needn’t debate the value of spaces like Cave Canem and The Watering Hole, nor their antecedents. Culturally specific programming builds community, empowers emerging talent, and creates safe spaces for those working outside hegemonic institutions. And that safe space is all the more important to protect as just about everyone these groups service is under active threat: non-profit and arts workers, cultural dissidents, and particularly immigrants of the African diaspora.
Let’s celebrate anyone scheming to meet this challenging cultural moment.
Image via NYPL Digital Collections
