Introduction: Expecting More: African American Literature in Transition, 1920–1930

The Chicago Defender began the year 1920 by presenting a startling headline to its readers: “Nine Ex-Soldiers Lynched.” The paper protested the wave of anti-Black violence that took place the preceding year and highlighted the soldiers who, after fighting for the United States during World War I, were “assassinated on [their] return to [the] land of democracy.” The editors noted that, despite the increase in violence, a sense of possibility was invading Black communities across the nation. They briefly considered a word then being readily attached to African Americans before determining that the term was inaccurate: “‘new’ is a misnomer; the better word is ‘awakened.’ 1919 has given us much for which we are thankful; we are expecting more of 1920”.