Legacies of August Wilson

            August Wilson has many different types of legacies. He has legacies that are physical and some that are intangible. One of his more physical legacies is the renaming of the Broadway Virginia Theatre. In the article Embracing the legacy of August Wilson the author states, “Romero immersed herself immediately in Wilson projects: the renaming of Broadway’s Virginia Theatre as the August Wilson Theatre” (Berson). The renaming of that theatre allows everyone to remember him just by going to that theatre. This means he has left a rather permanent legacy within the world of theater. Another less tangible legacy that he has left is the message of his plays. Many of his plays involve a character who is a middle class working American. This means that he brings his views to the common public so that the message resonates with as many people as possible. Along with his messages he brought the legacy of being the first writer to complete a cycle that mapped out the history of the African American community. He did so throughout ten plays that each covered a timespan of ten years throughout the twentieth century. This cycle is one of the most important legacies Wilson left due to the fact that it is the first cycle of its kind and it maps out and important time span of our nation’s history from the point of view that usually isn't focused on in plays.

            His legacy reveals the message that nowadays race does not matter when thinking about the arts. By creating his plays based on African Americans he showed how there is no more barrier between races for the parts that can be played in plays. He also was able to show that race is not something taken into consideration when someone has a theater named after them but instead it is solely based off of their works and how important they are in the world of theater. The legacy that he has left has also brought about a message within the language used in the United States. His works have shown the controversy of the “N-word” and have been able to show the background behind the meaning of the word. By doing this he has been able to start discussions on the meaning of the “N-word” today. Overall his legacy has been able to show the change in power between multiple races and show the history behind language that is losing it’s negative connotation within generations today.