# The Negro — A Voice from the South character guide > The Negro in A Voice from the South by Anna Julia Cooper. **Role:** supporting **Also known as:** Negro, The Negro **First appearance:** 0002-our-raison-d-tre ## Snapshot The muffled chord in America's silent South—a people argued over by lawyers and legislators but rarely permitted to testify in their own defense. ## Who they are Cooper frames the Negro as the nation's 'sombre crux'—a plaintiff whose case has been exhaustively dissected by white attorneys on both sides while the client himself sits unheard. Within this collective figure she locates a more specific silence: the Black Woman, whose voice has been doubly muted, first by racial exclusion and then by the very men who speak for the race. The distinction matters because it establishes the book's central claim—that no verdict on the American problem can be just until the voiceless note in that muffled chord is finally allowed to sound. ## Relationships ### [Lo](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_voice_from_the_south_se/characters/lo) _social_ Lo interacts with the generalized figure of 'The Negro' as a representative of the Black community, often in dialogue about racial identity. ### [Unknown Narrator](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_voice_from_the_south_se/characters/unknown_narrator) _psychological_ The narrator uses 'The Negro' as a conceptual foil to explore racial and gender dynamics. ### [Maurice Thompson](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_voice_from_the_south_se/characters/maurice_thompson) _rivalry_ Maurice Thompson represents a white literary voice that stereotypes or antagonizes the figure of 'The Negro'. ### [Eve](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_voice_from_the_south_se/characters/eve) _social_ Eve and 'The Negro' are used to explore gendered and racial experiences within the Black community. ### [Maurice Thompson](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_voice_from_the_south_se/characters/maurice_thompson) _rivalry_ Maurice Thompson represents a white literary voice that stereotypes or antagonizes the figure of 'The Negro'. ### [Eve](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_voice_from_the_south_se/characters/eve) _social_ Eve and 'The Negro' are used to explore gendered and racial experiences within the Black community. ## In the story ### [Our Raison d'Être](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_voice_from_the_south_se/chapters/our-raison-d-tre) Referred to as a 'muffled chord' in the Silent South, the Negro's voice is present but not fully heard. ### [A Voice from the South](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_voice_from_the_south_se/chapters/a-voice-from-the-south) Referenced as the collective subject of racial oppression and the focus of the book's critique. ### [Womanhood a Vital Element in the Regeneration and Progress of a Race](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_voice_from_the_south_se/chapters/womanhood-a-vital-element-in-the-regeneration-and-progress-of-a-race) Discussed in terms of progress since emancipation, the need for self-improvement, and the responsibility to build a stronger future. ### [The Higher Education of Women](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_voice_from_the_south_se/chapters/the-higher-education-of-women) Referenced in the context of the need for educated Christian women to serve as teachers and homemakers among the people in the South. ### [Woman Versus the Indian](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_voice_from_the_south_se/chapters/woman-versus-the-indian) Referenced in the context of social equality debates and the historical burden of slavery; the black woman is portrayed as a silent and suffering figure. ### [The Status of Woman in America](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_voice_from_the_south_se/chapters/the-status-of-woman-in-america) Referenced as 'the average man of our race' and 'the black man,' representing the broader black male perspective on women's involvement in public affairs. ### [Has America a Race Problem; If So, How Can It Best Be Solved?](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_voice_from_the_south_se/chapters/has-america-a-race-problem-if-so-how-can-it-best-be-solved) Presented as a vital factor in America's race problem, contributing tropical warmth, emotionalism, respect for authority, and deep faith in God. ### [One Phase of American Literature](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_voice_from_the_south_se/chapters/one-phase-of-american-literature) Discussed as a subject of literary portrayal, with emphasis on the need for authentic representation by Black artists. ### [What Are We Worth?](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_voice_from_the_south_se/chapters/what-are-we-worth) Central subject of valuation; discussed in terms of economic worth, labor, and racial character. ### [What Are We Worth?](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_voice_from_the_south_se/chapters/what-are-we-worth) Referenced in the context of industrial training and the need to prove intellectual ability. ### [What Are We Worth?](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_voice_from_the_south_se/chapters/what-are-we-worth) Mentioned in relation to the historical influence of Puritan vs. Southern aristocratic values on Black character. ### [The Gain from a Belief](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_voice_from_the_south_se/chapters/the-gain-from-a-belief) Referenced in the context of the 'Negro Problem' and the need for leadership and faith in a divine destiny. ## Links - HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_voice_from_the_south_se/characters/the_negro - Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_voice_from_the_south_se - All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_voice_from_the_south_se/characters