Martin Luther King, Jr. dreamed that one day “this nation will rise up and live the true meaning of its creed – we hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal » (NAAL 1397). Authors of this period were more direct in their hopes of trying to end segregation. African American women writers were becoming more successful, and Native American writers were also beginning to receive recognition. Instead of focusing on inequality, these writers focused more on their heritage and culture. They helped redefine the reader's understanding of the world (NAAL 1081). An example of this can be seen in Alice Walker's Everyday Use and how it focuses on the heritage of African Americans through the use of a quilt made by the main character's ancestors. Many of Louise Erdrich's poems focus on the historical ravages of Native American life. This can be seen in “Dear John Wayne” when he reflects on the Native Americans being attacked in the film he is watching: “There will be no language. Only the arrows hiss, a deadly cloud of nerves swarming over the colonists who died magnificently, falling like weeds into the history that brought us all here together” (NAAL