This is a review of several books and websites that have depicted the status of the Negro in the 1800s, 1900s, and present day. The books and websites include but are not limited to: The Future of the American Negro, by Booker T. Washington, Frederick Douglas's The Collected Works, and The Miseducation of the American Negro, by Carter G. Woodson. These readings have opened my eyes to many things that the K through 12 education leave out of their studies. It is hard for one to understand the challenges we face today without understanding the challenges and the "standards" that have been implemented and followed for the last 2 centuries. I am sure that most African Americans are unaware of the systemic practices that are ongoing and have been ongoing behind closed doors. I find myself growing fond of the HBCU alumni as they have learned the other side of the story that is omitted from the "ivy leagues" and "civilized" undergrad settings of higher learning.
Booker T. Washington was an American educator, author, and adviser to multiple presidents of the United States. In his book he spoke of the relationships between the slave and slaveholders in the South, as well as the impact of freeing the slaves. One of the more interesting things I learned was how many of the slave owners and white women were unequipped to fend for themselves when it came to daily duties. Many of the caretaking responsibilities were done by the blacks including, cleaning, cooking, and even tending to infants. The blacks possessed these skills especially with the labor and pass it to their next of kin as the bonds of slavery continued overtime. Meanwhile, the whites became accustomed to not having to tend to the daily duties of keeping up their homes, farming their gardens, and even raising their children. From ploughing the gardens to building furniture by hand, these skills left the South in many cases when the slave learned of his freedom. The first 30 years following the Civil War was pretty tough for the Southerner.
Carter G. Woodson's "Miseducation of the American Negro" piggybacks similarities to the following of slavery and what blacks and whites endured as they learned to coexist in society. It's obvious many blacks left the south and looked for homes and work in the north, assuming it would be more of an opportunity for them but that wasn't always the case. In reality, most whites worked with blacks in the south and even would shop their goods. Blacks who provided sufficient work and goods within the community actually thrived in the south, even more then in the north. Many southerners believed that slavery should not have ended, but a lot of whites had no problem paying for services of blacks and even treated them like a human in some cases. In the north, education was available for the blacks but what was the use of Latin, and Greek Literature in regard to the American day to day living.
The entire time the Blacks possessed the laboring skills that would have succeeded in the factories, or industrial atmosphere. The problem was that it was okay for the blacks to work in the field and forest, picking cotton and cutting logs, but if a black were to follow the cotton into the factory we were turned around and not provided with the opportunity to work next to a white man. Try following the wood to the mill and you would also be turned around in the north as well. A black man (Eli Whitney) invented the cotton gin, but blacks could not work on or with the cotton gin. This was the way of the past but similar characteristics are still prevalent today when blacks employ blacks or when they ate put in a supervisory role. Woodson also spoke of former slaves not wanting to change their mentality out of fear or just because anything out of the norm to them was unknown territory. I.E. Blacks were used to entering through the back of an establishment and after slavery some businesses allowed entry the front for blacks. In many cases many blacks would still choose to enter through back and frowned at blacks who entered through front, often down talking them as if they think they are better or different from the other blacks.
Even today in many cases our own fellow brothers and sisters will knock each other for their accomplishments and achievements in life. Instead of supporting each other's rise, or road to success, we choose to slander them and not support one another's businesses. One who looks to leave a certain neighborhood and provide a better living for his family can be viewed as a sell out for leaving a neighborhood that the person himself does not even want to be a part of. Jealousy and hate consumes people because someone else had plans and goals to achieve something, when the entire time all that person needed to do was ask or take it upon himself to set his own goals and work towards them. One would rather dislike someone then asking how they achieved their accomplishments or ask them to share their story.
In addition to the blacks learning the Latin scriptures and European playwriters, etc... There were minimum opportunities for the educated negro in the South and North. Some blacks were able to take advantage of their skills and craftsmanship by building and selling furniture. Others opened stores within the community. One of the problems with the stores though was once one person saw someone's store was successful, the other would open a store right next to the original store. Now, revenue has been cut in half and the new store will never reach its full potential. When it came to the factories, when blacks finally made it in, we were paid less and worked twice as hard. There was one factory owner that conducted a study where he put an African American in a foreman's role overseeing a team of African Americans. What was discovered was that a majority of the blacks would listen to the white supervisor, but when it came to one of their own they would tend to be lazy and defiant. At times, challenging the black supervisor, or assuming he thought he was better than the workers under him. These actions are similar today as we tend to not support each others businesses or acknowledge accomplishments. We'll like a post about a business but wont share it with our social following. We may even judge the business or look for the flaws as opposed to congratulating and motivating that person.
Now the Frederick Douglass Collected Works, has been a bit hard to read as he recalls his life from a 5 year-old and on up to adulthood. The plantation he was on was in my home state Virginia. Slaves were beaten for the smallest of things such as a horse not walking right, or a horse appearing to be hungry, etc... The lashings would draw blood upon striking the slaves skin and some slave owners would beat their slaves daily as if it was an after meal practice. As a child born into slavery it was common that the child was separated from his mother and raised on another plantation or by an elder woman on opposites sides of the plantation until he or she was able to work in the fields. Children often were not provided pants or shoes and walked the plantations with just a long shirt. Adults usually had 1 pair of jeans, one shirt, and shoes maybe, some two outfits for the entire year. They all slept on damp floors and Frederick spoke of using whatever he could for a blanket at night. Slaves worked from sunrise to sunset everyday of the week except Sundays. And never worked the week of Christmas at this plantation. Eventually Frederick was allowed to go to Maryland as a young boy and be under the care of another Slaveholder who's wife didn't treat slaves like they did in Virginia and other southern states. There the Slaveowners wife would began teach Frederick how to read. Starting form learning the alphabet to completing sentences. He spoke of how excited he was to be learning and how it became a double edge sword because he began to learn how cruel it was to enslave another human. In addition, he learned how poorly blacks were treated and the opportunities slaves never knew about or would ever know.
Eventually the slaveholder in Maryland, Mr. Hugh I believe his name was, found out his wife was teaching Frederick how to read and forbid it. Not because he didn't want him to learn, but because he worried about the consequences of someone finding out that they taught him as well as Frederick learning his and other blacks status in the country. Frederick said after she stopped teaching him to read he would challenge his white friends with in the community by saying he could write better then them or knew more words. That would cause them to share what they knew as if it was a game and he would learn from them each day. At times when he had to go into town he would leave early coming and going in order to secure reading materials and read during his travels. In his late teens Mr. Hugh fell ill and Frederick was returned to the violent slaveowner's possession and plantation in Virginia. This he states was his first time being treated like a slave as he was now older and had chores in the fields. He recalled his first beating after returning from Maryland, and how his head was whelped and the whelps on his back where blood poured out fluently. This was the beginning of him setting in his mind a plan to flee back to the north or even further for his freedom.
Today the black culture is different from the 1800's as we aren't afraid to go for our dreams and learn what we choose to learn, and believe what we want to believe. It was interesting to read writings from actual slaves and get a deeper understanding of their day to day activities. I cannot imagine living in those situations though. Frederick and Charles detailed similar feelings from the whites, when it came to them not wanting blacks to learn or the fear that they posed a threat. Rightfully so, as many historians depicted a different story than just chains and cleaning "Massa's" house. A lot of knowledge, inventions, and life altering advancements were made by people of color throughout the world since the beginning of recorded history, even before then. You wouldn't want the plan to be altered after so many years of inferior teachings would you, that would confuse everyone, so they say.
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