Zora Neale Hurston and Racial EqualityOn the eighteenth of September, nineteen thirty-seven, Their Eyes Were Watching God, one of the greatest novels of this century, was published. It was met with mixed reviews. Major (white) periodicals found it entertaining and simple, while black literary circles said it "carries no theme, no message" (Wright, 1937). These assessments are not mutually exclusive, but rather demonstrate Hurston's conception of work as telling white people what they want to hear and not dealing with racism. Although Hurston received recognition during her lifetime, she died forgotten and was not considered one of America's greatest writers until recently. Why did luminaries like Richard Wright and Langston Hughes deny its value? And how do we know they were wrong? Hurston once told Nick Ford: "I've stopped thinking in terms of race; I think only in terms of individuals. Now I'm interested in you not as a Negro man but as a man. I'm not interested in the race problem, but I'm interested in the problems of individuals, black and white." Ford's response was, "If the Negro is to raise the world's esteem, he must continually be presented in a more favorable light, even in fiction. . . . Negro authors owe such loyalty to their people" (Ford, 1936). This response reflects much of his criticism. There are three important assumptions here: Perceptions of African Americans can be improved by writing about racial inequality, Hurston doesn't do that and has accrued a debt to do so. Literature can probably change the world's thinking about many things, and racial inequality could be one of them. For a book to work, it needs white people as an audience. But not just any white race... center of paper... rk: Chelsea House, 1986. 13-14.* Hurston, Zora Neale. Their eyes looked upon God. Philadelphia: JBLippincott, 1937. New York: Harper & Row, 1990.* Hurston, Zora Neale. “What White Publishers Won't Print.” I love myself when I laugh... Ed. Alice Walker. New York: Feminist Press, 1979. 169-173.* Locke, Alain. “Their eyes were looking at God.” Zora Neale Hurston. Ed. Henry Gates. New York: Amistad, 1993. 18.* Lawrence, Susan V. “To Impress an Uncertain China.” US News & World Report. February 6, 1995: 50.* Walker, Alice. “On refusing to be humiliated by second place in a contest you didn't design: a tradition now.” I love myself when I laugh... Ed. Alice Walker. New York: Feminist Press, 1979. 1-5.* Wright, Richard. “Their eyes were looking at God.” Zora Neale Hurston. Ed. Henry Gates. New York: Amistad, 1993. 16-17.