Gregory Alan-Williams

I am a black female and I was surprised and very delighted to find a balanced story on black writer/actor Gregory Alan-Williams (“Hero Role in Riots Pushes Actor Onto a Larger Stage,” March 23). It’s about time the media began to highlight the views of all black Americans, not just the few who claim to speak for us all.

In his quest to publish his book, Alan-Williams ran up against the same ideological brick wall many of us knock our heads against every day. It was built for us (for our own good) by so-called compassionate, liberal thinkers in our society--both black and white. These are the same fair-minded people who are loath to acknowledge the diversity which exists among black Americans.

If they stopped to really think for a minute, they’d discover, as Alan-Williams has, that some of us think it more important to define ourselves as we see fit; as decent human beings first, for example, before black Americans. To their surprise they’d also find that some do not accept the victim label or even desire reparations for such perceived victimization.

But these are not popular words to spout these days, much less write down in a book. So Alan-Williams shouldn’t be surprised by the overall rejection he is receiving.

LENA C. JORDAN

Hawthorne