"That we are to bless others": Sutton E. Griggs on the Offerings of Black Introspection

In his address Building Our Own: A Plea for a Parallel Civilization , minister, writer, and publisher Sutton E. Griggs brings attention to the self-aggrandizement some white Americans exuded through commentary on US imperialism during the long nineteenth century. Griggs argues that those empowered by Jim Crow believe they have a divinely-appointed duty to pass on their "great civilization" to other nations. While Griggs does not call on African Americans to participate in or mimic such imperialistic actions, he does call on them to adopt a language that sees beauty in Black cultures and to develop a nationalistic sense of racial pride to spread across the diaspora and the world. His understudied 1901 novel Overshadowed invites African Americans to reject the language of Jim Crow and practice positive racial introspection.