U.S. Online - The Lecturing Tours of Black Abolitionists

"A Scene of Tumult and Uproar": Mapping the Gruelling Lecturing Tours of Black Abolitionists

This article gathers together the lecturing information of Frederick Douglass, a “lecturing genius” on antislavery who was previously enslaved. The writer of the article, Hannah Rose-Murray, used an interactive map on a website called ZeeMaps to plot the information she had gathered from resources such as local newspapers. By doing this she has created a platform on which we can look at a glance and see patterns of how Douglass travelled the country. It is a visual embodiment of the lengths he put in to ensure the abolition movement was successful.

This is relevant knowledge as we can determine how Douglass used the growing industrialism in Britain to make his travelling easier. It demonstrates that industrialism was key to the growing abolition movement and network, ensuring the word of antislavery spread as efficiently as possible at the time.

Murray notes that, on the map, “each [pin] has a variety of detail ranging from who spoke, where, the time, ticket price and whether the meeting in question was on behalf of a specific society.” This gives us an indication as to how extensive the abolition network was, with many people giving lectures all over the country, as shown on the map. It also demonstrates the key role that these abolitionists played in getting to word out to people in quieter areas. Murray alludes to this when she states that Williams Wells Brown gave a lecture on the Isle of Wight, in “a tiny town where few people would have ever seen a person of African descent before.” By including these people in their antislavery audience, they recruit more supporters, whether they have seen a black person before or not, but they are still invaluable to the movement through word of mouth.

By using reports in newspapers as a resource for this project, Murray gains more than just dates and times. For example, a lecture that Douglass gave created a “scene of tumult and uproar”, this is indicative of how delving into the events, and looking past the basic facts, can paint an image of what it was like to be in the room and give a sense of the atmosphere. This then leads to a more vivid understanding of the times and the attitude towards antislavery.

The article is important as it raises awareness of how integral speaking to large audiences via lectures was, and how key it was to ensuring enough people condemned slavery, to cause a change, and to promote antislavery across the country. It gives us an understanding of the effort the black abolitionists put into this movement to end the suffering.

Hidden Figures

Hidden Figures

https://youtu.be/5wfrDhgUMGI

A trip to the cinema recently took me to see Hidden Figures, a film telling the story and triumph of three black female astrophysicists, Katherine G. Johnson, Dorothy Vaughan and Mary Jackson, working for NASA in during the 1960s.

The film is centered around the Cold War space race between America and the USSR where America attempt to send the first American, John Glenn, into space. The three ladies break down the barriers of race and gender in this film as it shows their rise in the ranks of NASA.

The film opens and sets the scene by showing the ladies in their youth depicting the segregation of black and white schools in West Virginia at the time. There are many visual references towards segregation during the beginning of the film that help colorize the scenario African-Americans were in at that point in time, such as separate water fountains and bathrooms for whites and ‘coloured’ people. Additionally, one of the scenes that follows the introduction to the film shows the trio driving to NASA and their car breaking down; A racist police officer stops and asks for identification. When they explain that they work at NASA, he changes his tune; he's surprised they hire black women, but he's impressed. He seems very well-versed in NASA and asserts that the Americans have to beat the Russians in the Space Race. He asks if they've met the astronauts; Mary answers that they have but it's clear from the others' expressions that they're kept separate from them. Dorothy manages to get the car up and running and the police officer provides them an escort -- lights and sirens blazing -- to the NASA Langley Research Center, which they find ironic since it's not usually a group of black people speeding to follow a police car.

We clearly see when they arrive at NASA and start work that they are currently working, doing math with many other black women in a job that is way under their mathematic potential, working in a segregated wing to whites.  Vivian Mitchell (Kirsten Dunst), Dorothy's boss, comes in to talk to Dorothy. She tells her the Space Task Group needs a new computer who can do analytic geometry. Dorothy assigns Katherine because she knows analytic geometry and she's the all-around best at numbers. She is then put in a room to work with only white men. Katherine Gobel is sent and she has to deal with segregation and racial bias. But she not only does a good job, she also solves several problems. One of her co-workers in particular sets to make life difficult for her by making her proof read masses of his work with some sections crossed out as he says it’s ‘classified’ information, meaning Katherine must work out masses more work in the same time as everybody else. And her co-worker, Mary Jackson, an engineer, is asked to help with the space capsule. And when she figures out what is wrong with it, the head engineer wants her to apply to the engineering program. But she is told that she still needs a few more credits to qualify. And the only schools where she can take the courses don't allow "colored" to attend. So she sets out to break the barrier and successfully does so. Of course, this is reminiscent of many triumph of desegregating schools and universities during that era, and the film provides a detailed insight to one important example.

Their unofficial supervisor, Dorothy Vaughan upon learning that new computers, an IBM system, will be installed that can do the work her people usually does, which means her whole department will be phased out and everyone laid off. So she tries to learn how to handle the computer against the permission of her co-workers and boss Vivian. After weeks of trial and error by white workers to learn how to work this early computer system it is Dorothy that is the one that learns to understand the system, leading her to receiving the eventual promotion as official supervisor of her department.

One significant scene in this movie that challenge social prejudice and assimilation is the bathroom sequence. The bathroom sequence follows Katherine as she must walk a fair distance, to a different building, just to use the bathroom for coloured people. Of course, going this distance in all weather conditions multiple times a day has an affect on her work, leading Katherine to eventually pour her heart out at the difficulty of the scenario when questioned by her manager Al Harrison (Kevin Costner). Harrison’s reaction to this is to break the coloured sign down from the bathroom in front of black and white workers, which stand at opposing sides of the room. He then goes on to say that there shall be no more separate bathrooms- a small yet significant victory for African American workers at NASA. There are many scenes throughout the movie similar to this such as removal of segregated coffee machines etc. that all add to the racial progress within the institution alongside the main narrative of social mobility in the workplace for these African American women. Hidden Figures is a true story of breaking down barriers of prejudice and assimilation of African Americans into American culture and acceptance.

New Black Panther Party

Black separatism is an idea which seeks to create separate institutions for those of African descent in societies dominated by whites.

In July 2016 Micah Xavier Johnson ambushed and shot at a group of police officers in Dallas, Texas. He killed 5 of them and injured 9 others. It was reported that he claimed that the violence was in retaliation for the killings of blacks at the hands of police. He was later linked to the black separatist group The New Black Panther Party (NBPP).

This event, although isolated shows that the black separatist movement is still alive and well in modern day America. The shooting also links back to a famous speech by Malcom X where he says that African Americans should “bring about the complete independence of people of African descent here in the Western Hemisphere, and first here in the United States, and bring about the freedom of these people by any means necessary.”

The New Black Panther Party is one of the largest separatist groups in the USA and has been branded by some, including the co-founder of the original Black Panthers as “xenophobic” and “absurd”. The NBPP’s extreme policy points are listed on their websites including this one:

8. We want freedom for all Black Men and Black Women held in international, military, federal, state, county, city jails and prisons.

OFFICIAL NBPP BLACK POWER MANUAL  

We believe that all Black People and people of color should be released from the many jails and prisons because they have not received a fair and impartial trial. ‘Released’ means ‘released’ to the lawful authorities of the Black Nation

This website is a perfect example of there the separatist movement is today and shows the evolution of the movement.

Sources:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-36766437

http://www.nbpp.org/home.html

https://youtu.be/WBS416EZsKM?t=245

"Get Out" - Horror Film challenging modern day racism.

"Get Out" Film

The new upcoming film "Get Out" directed and scripted by Jordan Peele, challenges the contemporary African-American identity surrounding Chris (main character) and his attempts of assimilating himself with his girlfriend's family.

From the trailer we are already engaged with the doubts and fears that Chris has about being Black around her family. "Do they know that I'm black?" To which Rose replies "Does it matter?"  And begins to mock him suggests that Rose is happy to assimilate herself with Chris and to have a inter-racial relationship regardless of her family's opinions.

Further on, the police officer asks for Chris' Identification even though he wasn't driving, associating the separatism within society and acts as a reality of unfair treatment towards Black African-Americans within society which could be an association with the victim-shootings of Black African-Americans such as Rodney King as early as 1991 and Trayvon Martin who was killed in 2012, sparking the Black Lives Matter campaign.

When Chris goes to fist-bump Andrew he does not return the gesture in a stereotypical way that is often portrayed as a symbol of respect used by African-Americans. Instead, he shakes his hand, often associated as business-like and a more prominent gesture seen within White society.

It is soon clear that the niche friendship group of the White people wish to perform a labotamy on Chris and replace him with white people through hypnotism while he remains within a 'sunken place'. This correlates with the new derogatory identification of 'Oreos', those who "sacrifice their heritage and instead has adopted the attitudes, values and behaviours" thought to be associated with the middle class White society however, Chris does not do this willingly.

The scene of people sitting in rows playing bingo is a reference to the enslavement of African-Americans in the 1700-1800s. Those who sit and raise their cards is associated with the bidding of a slave within society to benefit White Americans whether on the fields or within the cities. In reality they are holding a modern day slave auction and Chris is who they auction for. The references to poor treatment is continued through the film with the driver wearing a metal mask which is an association to the Ku Klux Klan and their harsh treatment towards African-Americans within society.

While Chris is restrained to the chair by leather straps, in order to prevent the hypnotism from working on him he has to forcibly pick the cotton. Again this is another reference to how African-American slaves were forced to pick cotton to evade punishment and in order to survive.

As seen within the trailer, it is clear that Chris wishes to assimilate within the White society, however, the niche society of the rich people that Rose and her family associate with, they separate themselves from him and only associating themselves with him in order for gain or the more underlining reason for "profit". This horror film is clearly associated with the problems, concerns and questions that are raised with African-Americans within society in America. The sense of "two-ness" spoken of by W.E.B. DuBois of the "negro man and the American man" is seen here throughout the trailers/film.

The tag line of the film "Just because you're invited, doesn't mean you're welcome" finalises this divide. Those who are not seen as one and the same within society are not accepted within society which correlates with the arguments outlined by Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr. MLK Jr. argued that 'he had a dream' that white and black people would be equal to one another (assimilation) whereas Malcolm X  argued that although the "negro man" lived within American society he should not associate himself with White people, re-enforcing the ideals of separatism.

Sources:
'Get Out' Film Trailer, 2017, Peele, J., https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=DzfpyUB60YY,  accessed 12th March.
'Are You An Oreo?', Dixon, R., http://www.clutchmagonline.com/2009/08/are-you-an-oreo/, accessed 12th March.
Souls of Black Folk, DuBois, W.E.B., A. C. McClurg & Co., Chicago (1903).
'A Message to the Grass Roots', Malcolm X, November 10, 1963.
'I Have a Dream Speech', King Jr., Martin L., 28 August 1963.

Hamilton: An American Musical

Lin-Manuel Miranda, the son of Puerto-Rican immigrants, wrote and starred in Hamilton: An American Musical. It is the retelling of one of the founding fathers, Alexander Hamilton’s, life through contemporary music. The unique selling point of this musical is the diverse cast. This Broadway musical is a key example of the assimilation of African Americans into society.

By using the diverse cast to portray the white founding fathers, some of whom had slaves, Lin-Manuel Miranda is purposefully reflecting the contemporary America of today. It may not be historically accurate to cast people of colour as the founding fathers, but it is a good cultural representation of who America is made up of now. It also allows people of colour and immigrants like him, to feel included in the story of the founding of their country. He utilises rap and R&B, pairing it with the diverse cast, by doing so, we get a feel of how varied in terms of race New York feels in this century.

The main thread that runs through the story of the award-winning musical is Hamilton’s desire to prove himself worthy of his position. This runs parallel to racial attitudes today that somehow, African Americans are inferior to whites and as such, they have to constantly battle with that prejudice and prove themselves to the rest of society. Miranda has done well to appropriately reflect issues of race in a political society that struggles to even acknowledge the issue, let alone explore it.

The legacy of this musical is that people of colour will feel more confident in auditioning for roles in which they would play a ‘traditionally white’ figure, leading to more effective assimilation into society. 

Ragged Dick - Critical Analysis

In his essay, Gordon Beauchamp notes that Horatio Alger’s novels make the male youth of America feel as they “any of them, too, could succeed in life, if, like the Alger hero, he… were good and brave and industrious and perhaps saved a banker’s daughter from a runaway horse.” This suggests that as well as the bravery, resourcefulness and honesty that Ragged Dick is known for, in order to be successful one would need to prove themselves to someone higher up in society. This is because bravery, resourcefulness and honesty is not enough to get people to believe in and trust you. The boys would need to get on the good side of a respectable gentlemen, like a banker as Beauchamp writes. This is evident in ‘Ragged Dick’ when Dick is trying to get change for the gentlemen he shined shoes for. The man behind the counter insisted he had given him a counterfeit bill. Dick would not have been believed by the manager had the man he shined shoes for not come in to back him up. Dick had to prove his honesty by having a sponsor who could vouch for him.

Cara Erdheim talks of how “Alger traced the rise of his boy heroes from penury to middle-class respectability.” This is particularly persuasive in that we can see from Ragged Dick that this is the route that his plot took. When we first meet Ragged Dick he is on the streets living in a box and spending the money he does earn on gambling and leisure activities, only just having enough for food. Throughout history, gambling has always been linked with poverty in a desperate attempt to build on what has been earned. Over the course of the novel, Alger allows Dick to see that saving and sensible living is a better way to live and build on what is earnt, this results in Ragged Dick referring to him at the end as Richard Hunter, Esq., a much more respectable name for a boy with a secure job and a lot in his savings.

John Swansburg questions in his article, “is it more like a mass delusion keeping us from confronting the fact that poor Americans tend to remain poor Americans, regardless of how hard they work?” This is an interesting question, but unpersuasive in terms of Ragged Dick. By living sensibly, working hard and trusting the right people, Dick builds up some savings and by the end of the novel is no longer poor. What Alger is suggesting in his ‘rags to riches’ novels is that you can better your position in society if you are determined enough and work hard enough to earn it. That is the entire premise of the American Dream. However, this doesn’t mean that there haven’t been people who were unsuccessful in bettering their position. Alger is merely proving that it is a possibility to achieve. 

Ragged Dick

Gorman Beauchamp

In reference to the idea of the American Dream and social/economic mobility, Gorman says, “Whether or not this myth is as uniquely American as sometimes claimed, it is nevertheless quintessentially American”. This notion is certainly portrayed in Ragged Dick with the most obvious case being that Ragged Dick is a story of individual social mobility which is set in America. This is also suggested with Dick’s personality and character. He is set-up to be filled with rugged American ideals of personality traits and character image. He is an honest, generous and industrious. He is also good looking and somewhat aristocratic. This suggests an idea strong American ideology of what a person should be like no matter of their working background of economic/social status. This ideology is set throughout the book too with generosity from others being shown such as when Frank gives Dick a new suit to replace his rags. Also the setting is uniquely American for the time as New York is a place that features varying levels of social status although they are somewhat more fluid than in other cultures. Dick is working his way through a place that Alger notes the buildings as being ‘palaces for kings and queens’. The fact that in this story a blue collar worker can rise to a higher social status in New York gives a strong sense of this being unique to America.

Cara Erdheim

Cara Erdheim’s article on ‘Why speak of American stories as dreams?’ again makes a particularly academic and interesting argument for a cyclical nature to the ideology of the American dream which is argued via culturally important American literature. We see this in Ragged Dick with the notion of being ‘pulled up by the bootstraps’ for status and social mobility. This is interesting as the idea of American Dream ‘rags to riches’ is just that. Riches. We always associate the American Dream with economic mobility however Erdheim is insinuating that this is more of a bi-product. This is certainly true in the case of Ragged Dick. The idea of ‘rebirth’ suggests something more to do with consciousness and aspiration from within, rather than the American Dream being a ‘must-do’ patriotic ideology as a general sense of American identity. Of course, this somewhat contradicts Beauchamp’s idea that the American thing is much more focused to just America and that this idea is somewhat cemented into the aspiration of Americans to succeed and be wealthy. It is this distinction of a cyclical nature that delves deeper into something more from within rather than an external cultural impression that Americans are surrounded by.

John Swansberg

“In the 19th century, the self-made man had an evil twin: the confidence man. Americans had to be on guard against those who sought to enrich themselves by preying upon the gullibility and greed of others.” Swansberg opens his analysis of Alger: The Bard of the Street Boys with a distinction which he begins to deconstruct. The distinction he makes is between hard-workers and the deceitful and sly. He says that Horatio Alger was ‘not a confidence man but a man who reinvented himself to leave behind a sordid past’. This quote backs up my previous point on Erdheim’s article that this American Dream social mobility that occurs in Ragged Dick is something less to do with American identity and more to do with individual development and consciousness. Dick is a shoe shiner in rags wanting to better himself for himself, of course, eventually becoming Richard Hunter, Esquire.