Go There To Know There

"Our union must know no clime, boundary, or nationality… let us hold together under all climes and in every country." (Marcus Mosiah Garvey, Jr. 1887-1940). Born in St. Ann's Bay, Jamaica, Garvey's father was a mason; his mother a farmer. Of the many siblings Garvey had, only his sister survived to adulthood. When Garvey reached 16, he had cultivated his passion for reading, having benefited from the extensive libraries his father and uncle kept. Throughout his young adulthood, Garvey kept varied jobs as a master printer and foreman for a printing house; then as a printer for a Government publication. He later commenced his own newspaper, The Watchman , but it lasted only a short time. Garvey traveled from Jamaica to Costa Rica, where he worked as a timekeeper on a banana plantation. His travels throughout the Caribbean and Latin America convinced Garvey that to unite the Africana population was the only way to advance the diaspora beyond its current socio-econ...

The Reconstruction 'decade' as it was called, lasted from approximately 1865 until 1877: the 'official' end of this period was marked by the removal of Union troops from the South. The Reconstruction Act of 1867 created the Freedman's Bureau, which opened schools and set up cooperatives to help newly freed African Americans make a successful adjustment to freedom and citizenship This era saw the rise of the first Historically Black Colleges such as Fisk, Howard, Talladega, Tuskegee, Morehouse, Atlanta, and Hampton (544). Three important laws were passed in the early years of Reconstruction. The 13th Amendment made slavery illegal; the Fourteenth Amendment extended the government's protection to African Americans; the Fifteenth Amendment extended the vote to black men. The latter, as our text points out, caused a rift among progressive organizers, particularly feminists. Government preferred to give the vote to black men only (and usually only those who owne...

"Commenting on the literally hundreds of slave narratives published during the antislavery crusade, Ephraim Peabody, a contemporary writer, noted that they were 'calculated to exert a very wide influence on public opinion' because they contained 'the victim's account of the workings of this great institution.' Among the autobiographies  by former slaves, a few were especially effective in presenting a clear picture of the nature and operation of that 'peculiar institution.' The most famous were Frederick Douglass'   Narrative , published in 1845, William W. Brown's   Narrative , published in 1853. Northup's account is considered one of the most authentic descriptions of slavery from the viewpoint of the slave himself. Ulrich B. Phillips, who doubted the value and authenticity of many of the slave autobiographies wrote of Northup's book: '...this one has a tone which engages confidence. Its pictures of plantation life and labor a...

New York City-based writer, Colson Whitehead, has experienced a phenomenal success in the last year, with his New York Times number one best seller, Underground Railroad receiving not only the Pulitzer Prize, but also the Carnegie Medal for Fiction, and the National Book Award. His writing career began after graduating from Harvard, when he worked for the Village Voice as a reviewer of 'music, books, and television' ( 1 ). He was born and raised--and currently resides--in Manhattan. Underground Railroad is the featured novel in the program Memphis Reads. It is Whitehead's sixth book; the preceding six were all recipients of awards.  They are:  The Intuitionist John Henry Days Apex Hides the Hurt Sag Harbor Zone One Colson Whitehead will be speaking in Memphis during the month of September at Christian Brothers University (9/5) and Rhodes College (9/5).

Tuesday, April 3 Universal Life Building Ribbon Cutting, 10 a.m., corner of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue and Danny Thomas Boulevard An iconic building in Memphis, the Universal Life Building, has undergone an extensive renovation to return to its original glory. It will serve a new purpose as the hub for minority business development in Memphis. Mountaintop Speech Commemoration, 6 – 9 p.m., Mason Temple, 930 Mason Street The ceremony will honor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s prophetic Mountaintop speech on the night of April 3, 1968. The program will feature national leaders, artists, and dignitaries.  Wednesday, April 4 Reenactment of “I AM A MAN” Photograph, 8 – 11 a.m., 333 Beale Street The Withers Collection Museum and Gallery will celebrate the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and the 1968 sanitation workers with a reenactment of the iconic “I AM A MAN” photograph from the 1968 sanitation workers strike. The photo will be taken from a helicopt...

"The most militant voice among the early African American protest writers belonged to David Walker, whose call to violent resistance against slavery so alarmed authorities in the South that they were reputed to have put a price on his head" (Gates, et al. 159). As many African American activists would later intone, the key to overcoming oppression was solidarity and autonomy: one had to stand together with his fellows, secure in the knowledge of his own rights and potential and assert against a common enemy. Only then would freedom be attained. David Walker (1796-1830) would be among the first to risk his life to bring the message of freedom to African Americans and to challenge, head-on, a white power structure determined to prevent his success.  Walker was born in Cape Fear, NC, to a free mother and an enslaved father who passed away before David was born. The law of the land dictated "partus sequitur ventrem" (that which is brought forth follows the wom...