Wilson's Legacy

August Wilson was an inspiring person and did many great things in his life before sadly dying of liver cancer in 2005. Before Wilson died he left a legacy behind and one the big things he did was write a cycle of plays (NPR Podcast). This hadn't really been done before because other playwrights died before finishing their cycles so it was a big thing. Many people wanted to work with him and would constantly be playing his plays because of the impact and message they were sending (NPR Podcast). Wilson even had a theater named after him in Virginia. Another part of Wilson’s legacy was the August Wilson Center for African American Culture. The people of Pittsburgh were grateful for Wilson putting their town on the maps because of his work so it was their way of giving back to him so his legacy could live on even after he died (Schackner).

Growing up Wilson had a rough childhood which turned out good for him because of the amazing plays he wrote. His plays expressed a bigger message something the audience could take away and use in real life like the idea of racism. Wilson’s plays would show the struggle that people of color had to deal with whether it was name calling or being treated differently (NPR Podcast). His plays show how race, power, and language all fit together and how they can be a positive or a negative thing depending on how it’s used; for example when Lincoln Brown used the N word in a 6^th grade class to make them consider their own use of the word and to really think before saying anything that could hurt someone’s feelings (Bogira). Brown was trying to do something positive with this idea of race, power, and language but still was penalized for it. Brown didn't care though because his students got the message even if Mason (the principle) did not; Brown new he made a difference and that was all that mattered.