Exploring language and literacy in the Song of Solomon, the life of Frederick Douglass, the Push and Slave narrativesAfrican Americans contribute to literature American for hundreds of years. From Gustavus Vassa, or Olaudah Equiano, in 1789 to Sapphire in 1996, writers have told their stories. The influence of minority writers and speakers on literature, literacy and language is certainly notable. First, black American literature helps “others” hear the minority voice and indirectly share the minority experience. The typical white reader fails to understand what the black race endures daily and generationally; however, literature can bring the white reader into the world of the minority by tapping into his or her imagination and sympathies. The primary purpose of slave narratives is to allow readers to share the experiences of slaves and, as a result, arouse sympathies so that the reader will consider and hopefully act on abolitionist ideals. In the preface to Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, An American Slave, William Lloyd Garrison writes of Douglass and the northern whites "whose sympathy and affection he strongly secured by the many sufferings he endured, ... whose minds he has enlightened on the subject of slavery, and who have been melted to tears by his pathos, or roused to righteous indignation by his moving eloquence against the enslavers of men" (ix). Douglass was certainly aware of his mission to stir public opinion and win the hearts of others (xii). He achieved this goal through his voice that unflinchingly told the pitiful story of his experiences as a slave. How could his audience turn a deaf ear to such eloquence and power? Like Douglass, Sapphire shares the minority experience with the privileged population. She achieves this feat through the character Precious and her unique voice. The voice of the minority is distinct and inevitable, because it is the voice that tells the story. For example, Precious compares her life experiences to those of the ruling class: "What is a normal life? A life where you are not ashamed of your mother. Where your friends come to visit you after school, watch the TV and do their homework. Where's your normal looking mother and don't hit you over the head with the iron pan. I would like in my fantasy a second chance Since my first chance goes to mom and dad" (Sapphire 114-115 ). These powerful statements from the voice of an eighteen-year-old African American girl bring the white reader into the reality of minority life..