As I come to the end of my Butler’s Daughter’s experience, I want to reflect on how I began it: One of the reasons I joined the Butler’s Daughter’s course is because I am a science fiction junkie. I loved Ender’s Game and Stargate and The Uglies series but I was always somewhat alarmed that there was never any people of color there. What happened to the people of color in the future? Did they die off? Were they massacared in the genocide Hitler dreamed of? What exactly happened?
In many of the books I read, there was this every hipster idea that if we were all the same, there would be no more strife caused by silly divisions like race or gender or sexuality. There would be problems of course, but these problems would be on the scale of alien attacks and world domination. There was a cohesiveness amongst the citizens of science fiction that seemed to branch from the fact that they were all the same.
What I love about Octavia Butlers books, and Dawn in particular, is that nothing happened to the people of color: Lillith is right there, leading the way into the new future. Dawn is an entire book about how not only diversity survives; it is vital to the world. The Oankali cannot live without diversity and seek out partners in order to avoid stagnation. This is in direct contradiction with the redirect of most science fiction novels, where the destruction of diversity results in unity of the world. However this kind of unity is false, achieved only by denying difference and thus denying people their individuality. By embracing diversity, Butler creates a more realistic future and a more achievable Utopia, one that may not be pretty, but is on its way to being equal.
It’s been rewarding to be reading about people of color in the future, to have a story where we exist and where we are working towards gaining equality. I personally feel as more people of color writers are recognized for their brilliance, we will see more of the story lines become common place. I am excited for that day.
The Octavia E. Butler Society 