Influential Black Person (a local essay contest)

For a local essay contest, my topic is about an influential black person. I want something that stands out, not something boring like Martin Luther King Jr. or George Washington Carver. I don't want to write about Obama either because it would be too soon to say he is influential. I want to write about someone who will really grab the readers' attention. I'm no great writer, but I can be great. My writing is very inconsistent. Today I got an essay back from my teacher and had a 1.5 of 6. For the standardized writing test I took last year, I got a 6 of 6 on an essay about paper. I think I write worse on sensitive topics. That 1.5 was on an essay about how manners of Americans are going away, or at least how the prompt maker dude thought, in response to Kanye West and Serena Williams. That paper essay was about how an innovation of my choosing changed the world. I'd really appreciate the help.

The prompt says: "Choose an African American who has made a positive difference to our nation. Think about what difference you think the person has made. Now write to convince your reader that the person you chose has made a positive difference."

I would suggest Jimi Hendrix if you are a music geek like me.

Try it out, You could add much more flavor to an essay that way rather than the good old Rosa Parks or Malcom X stories!

How funny! I am a music geek! I might actually write about him or Junior Kimbrough, but I do kinda want to write about civil rights. Do you know any black bassists?

MALCOM X

Fredrick Douglas is a good one if you want to read some good literature.

Now that I have all of my facts for what I'm writing about, I'm starting my essay. I'll be writing about Jimi Hendrix. I want to write about his music while still stating the fact that he was black. He didn't really have any setbacks for being black that prevented him from being a musician, so that makes it difficult to state he was black. Could anyone help me with a good thesis, please?

W.E.B Dubois! Not only was he a famous African-American figure during his time, but he is also a well respected historian AND Sociologist. I'm sure this would make a great topic... Oops. Well... if you decide that Jimi Hendrix isn't for you, go for Dubois.

Thanks. I'll think about that. I'm not fully decided on Jimi Hendrix though.

Well, one good trick is to make the essay about Hendrix, but ACTUALLY make it about much more. Use Hendrix as an example of someone whose life teaches many lessons. We can learn from his successes and mistakes. See if you can get inspired by treating this as though it is an essay about fighting personal demons and tapping into artistic inspiration. You don't necessarily have to focus on adversity that came from skin color; that is what everyone else is doing...

Hendrix would be an unusual and interesting choice. He faced *a lot* of racism. He was expelled from school for holding hands with a white girl. He grew up in Washington state where racism wasn't as prevalent as in the deep south, but he still had issues when he toured. He was called "the Wild man of Borneo," a racist slur in its own way. After he became famous, people either treated him as superman, less than a man, but rarely as just a man.

He made a significant contribution to the way rock music was played. People played mostly "clean" before Hendrix tore things up with distortion pedals--he even invented the wah wah. He died when he was only 27. Imagine what he could have done if he had lived longer.

Hendrix was half black and half Native American, by the way, but I wouldn't think that would matter here.

That is some excellent discussion Eric. You are really going to be contributing well in whatever field you enter with your history major. Maybe you should plan on political science, actually. You can be a teacher as a politician, as long as you don't care at all about fame or money. You might be a perfect fit, actually, for a double major in history and pol. sci.!! You have a good name for politics.