But, to my mind, it is the duty of the younger Negro artist, if he accepts any duties at all from outsiders, to change through t
he force of his art that old whispering “I want to be white,” hidden in the aspirations of his people, to “Why should I want to be white? I am a Negro—and beautiful”? In this context, what is the meaning of “aspirations”? complexities
beliefs
curiosities
ambitions
Although the general meaning of aspiration is <em>something somene aspires to be(come), </em>in this context the author didn't mean to imply that the Negro people aspired 'to become White'. This <em>old whispering</em> was more of an unsettling statement that echoed in their minds for many centuries. What they <em>believed</em> they should become in order to be better accepted in society.
