In combating American racism and damaging stereotypes, fictive work plays the important role of humanizing the Blacks who were being discriminated against. Non-fiction work is necessary in that it paints a picture of accuracy, however fiction has always been a more impactful avenue for social commentary. Survey Graphic, which focuses on social and political issues, uses different types of fictive work to comment on African American issues. Mixed in with academic essays, are poems and short stories depicting different aspects of Black life. Subjects such as racism, identity, youth and others are explored through different mediums. This allows for a deeper, more intimate, understanding of the African Americans living at the time. No longer are they numbers or statistics represented through graphs or tables, instead they are people who can give voice to their own experiences and struggles.

These new narratives artistically take shape in both the written word and illustrations. Illustrations especially give insight into how African Americans are seen. We see what the artist chooses to emphasize about their lives, history or even their physical features. Illustrations such as “The Laborer” by Mahonri Young (pg 640) gives the reader insight into all these ideas. From the image we can see that the man is a physical laborer, he holds what appears to be a hoe in his hand and although he appears to be tall and very strong, his stance is still and his pants strap is ripped — he seems exhausted even though we cannot see his face. This image speaks more about the labors of Black people than a simple census of “negro farmers” ever could. The name of the piece, “The Laborer”, paired with the exclusion of his face gives us a sense of anonymity — a sense of invisibility. He has no name and we cannot see his face but we are told that his occupation is a laborer, his only identifiable trait. The piece therefore communicates an intimate depiction of Black life, the common social and economic position of Black Americans as laborers or low wage workers. The picture is telling even in its simplicity.

Fictive work is also unique in that it conveys real life information in an easily digestible way. The short story “The Black Man Brings His Gifts” by W. E. B. Du Bois delivers a very comprehensive history of Black people’s contributions to society. The story, beginning on page 655 and continuing on page 710, tells the fictional story of a committee meeting in Indiana. The members are planning an American Pageant and invite a university professor to be chairman of the committee. As the members pose ideas to the chairman of what they believe to represent “American whiteness”, he continually intercedes and credits many of their traditions such as folk songs, poems, dances and inventions to that of Black people. The members become increasingly irritated at the chairman’s attempt at “lugging the negroes in”. Upon discovering that all aspects of American culture contain Negro influence, the comittee members become enraged and refuse to acknowledge the history at all. Now while this story may be fiction, Du Bois does an incredible job of not only sharing factual information, but does so in a way that comments on the racist climate of the age he’s living in. He paints a picture of a Black reality within a fictional frame, accomplishing and unveiling multiple things at once.