The legacy of August Wilson

                A famous 20^th century writer/playwright who extensively covered the lifestyle and history of African-American culture and struggle, August Wilson has left a tremendous impact on society today. Creating 10 plays(one for each decade of the 20^th century), Wilson depicted the lives of blacks and raised consciousness through the theater. Genuinely caring about the message that the audience took from his work, Wilson hoped to offer a different way to look at black Americans. Basic aspects of life – love, honor, beauty, etc. – were all presented through his characters throughout the 20^th century. Wilson’s legacy isn't just defined on how many people watched his plays or the awards he received, but the everlasting impression he’s had on society as a whole. Wilson’s ambition and integrity has set the bar high playwrights everywhere. Even today, after his death, August Wilson’s work is shown in multiple cities across the United States. The renaming of the Virginia Theater to the August Wilson Theater is a commendable highlight that honors his life and legacy.

                Writing on morally sensitive topics such as race and struggle, Wilson made people think about important aspects of race, power, and language. In the article “Language, Power, and the Performance of Race and Class” the relation between these concepts was generalized on how society perceives them. If you are a black man you are expected to talk differently than a Latino in language, and if you are a certain race you are grouped by power/status. Wilson positively expressed black language in his plays, not using dialect to separate and differentiate a certain race, but to take pride in your language. August Wilson showed the everyday life of African-Americans and basic ideas of living, bringing to light the conception of equality between race, power, and language.