Read the excerpt from "The Negro Artist and the Racial Mountain." But, to my mind, it is the duty of the younger Negro artist, i
f he accepts any duties at all from outsiders, to change through the 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 excerpt, Hughes is expressing the idea that
The idea of Hughes was to convince African American artists to celebrate both their inner selves and their heritage in their work. I hope my answer has come to your help. God bless and have a nice day ahead! Feel free to ask more questions.