Invisibility and Visibility

For centuries African Americans have been recognized and treated as if they had no identity or an inferior identity in America. Black people throughout the world are “cut dead,” “erased” and/or “subtracted.” American history and institutions (e.g., schools, colleges, museum, concerts halls) which are supposed to teach Americans who they are, give visibility and sovereignty to their humanity, and show off their artistic and scientific fruits often do not, and for years did not include an authentic representation of the everyday African American child or adult. Decades ago, Ralph Ellison’s (1952) National Book Award publication Invisible Man spoke of this asymmetry between whites’ view of Blacks and Blacks’ view of whites and offered a concept: invisibility and visibility for understanding how white people see or refuse to see Black people.