Stay Back

STAY BACK is an urban coming of age novel (1915 -1922) concerning Black-on-Black racism (a legacy from slavery), frustrated romance and Marcus Garvey.

The first time Aaron sees Elizabeth, she instantly becomes the love of his life. But her family, determined to keep young Elizabeth away from him, firmly shut their door against him.

Fourteen-year-old Aaron is too naïve to realize the reason is that Elizabeth and her family are light-skinned and he is not, until one day Elizabeth's brother and a group of his light-skinned friends gleefully jeer him with the chant:

"If you're white, you're alright,
If you're brown, stick around,
If you're black, stay back!"

Stung, he soon realizes that this is his first step into the real world where black-on-black racism, based on skin color alone, will mirror every word of the jeering chant. Aaron vows he will never "stay back" merely because of the color of his skin. As he matures, and despite Elizabeth's family's "No," - there is a part of "No" that he will never understand as he continues to pursue her.

But during his efforts to establish his personhood and worth in the face of white and black racism, Elizabeth gives herself to a white man. Crushed and dispirited, Aaron finally resolves to leave college and join the charismatic Marcus Garvey's controversial Back-to-Africa Movement. - To a place of hope and promise where Black is still Beautiful.


Elwood Corbin is an attorney admitted to the bar of Pennsylvania and New Jersey. Before entering the legal profession, Corbin served a stint in the Navy. Subsequently, he attended Temple University, where he obtained a master's degree, and taught high school English and journalism for a number of years. His student newspaper -The Ink Spot - won several awards.

Corbin is the author of Too Scared to Tell: the dark side of telling the truth, and The End of Yesterday. He is married to his inspiration, Stephanie, and they are the parents of three millennials.


youth, race, love, anger, discrimination, war, education, determination, family