Harriet Tubman: Live in Concert

One of this novel’s most important thematic arguments is that African American identity is not a monolith and can encompass a wide variety of traits, characteristics, beliefs, and experiences. Darnell wrestles with this idea for much of the narrative, never feeling “truly” Black until Harriet and the band help him to understand that “African American” is a multi-faceted identity that looks different for different people. Through Darnell’s struggles, the author argues that it is possible to approach religion, sexuality, culture, and even activism differently and still be “authentically” Black.

Darnell’s personal struggle to figure out his own place within Black America derives in large part from the discomfort that he has long felt as a queer, Black man in a nation that marginalizes both African Americans and members of the LGBTQIA+ community. In the hyper-masculinized space of Hip-Hop in particular, he feels his queerness is taboo, but he also doesn’t feel accepted as a gay man in his family or his family’s community. It is not until he opens up about his sexuality to Harriet and the band and finds both personal acceptance and broader awareness of how different identity looks to different African Americans that he feels a sense of peace about who he is, within the