I finished and scheduled last week’s newsletter, which I called “Our New Reality,” on Thursday afternoon. Late Friday morning, a number of hours after that newsletter went out, the Roe v. Wade judgment was publicly delivered. Suddenly, those words “Our New Reality” ended up conveying something more serious than my original intent.
My recommendation is How the Word is Passed by Clint Smith. Written by a black historian and poet, this book examines how the US reckons with the history of slavery by visiting historical tourist locations, each with a different perspective on this history: Monticello, which has gradually acknowledged the Hemings/Jefferson relationship; Whitney Plantation, which foregrounds the experiences of enslaved people through both history and art; Angola Prison, showing the link between unfreedoms of the past and present; Blandford Cemetery, where the Confederate dead are memorialized; Manhattan for a discussion of the North’s complicity in slavery; Galveston, Texas for Juneteenth celebrations and black community; and Goree Island to discuss the Transatlantic slave trade and how American slavery is viewed abroad. Smith’s poetic and empathetic narrative style makes the book a pleasure to read even as he travels through the nation’s darkest history. I think every American should read this book and would love to see it taught in High Schools.
I've had the Dumas Malone volumes on my shelf for twenty years but haven't managed to get to them yet. I sure like how they look on my shelf, though...
Where would we be without these historical figures that we venerate? But at the same time, where would we be without them or with different versions of them? Could it all have been done differently by the same people in the same circumstances? Does free will even exist?!? Haha, inside joke.
But in all seriousness, how do we get to a point where we aren’t afraid to learn ALL of it no matter how it makes us feel? We shouldn’t be afraid of our feelings about things to change over time. I still want and maybe even need heroes, people that inspire me and encourage me to do better. Maybe these people can still do that, flaws and all.
My recommendation is How the Word is Passed by Clint Smith. Written by a black historian and poet, this book examines how the US reckons with the history of slavery by visiting historical tourist locations, each with a different perspective on this history: Monticello, which has gradually acknowledged the Hemings/Jefferson relationship; Whitney Plantation, which foregrounds the experiences of enslaved people through both history and art; Angola Prison, showing the link between unfreedoms of the past and present; Blandford Cemetery, where the Confederate dead are memorialized; Manhattan for a discussion of the North’s complicity in slavery; Galveston, Texas for Juneteenth celebrations and black community; and Goree Island to discuss the Transatlantic slave trade and how American slavery is viewed abroad. Smith’s poetic and empathetic narrative style makes the book a pleasure to read even as he travels through the nation’s darkest history. I think every American should read this book and would love to see it taught in High Schools.
I have "Most Blessed of the Patriarchs" cowritten by Gordan-Reed in my to read pile. I hope its good! Have you read this one yet?
I've had the Dumas Malone volumes on my shelf for twenty years but haven't managed to get to them yet. I sure like how they look on my shelf, though...
Where would we be without these historical figures that we venerate? But at the same time, where would we be without them or with different versions of them? Could it all have been done differently by the same people in the same circumstances? Does free will even exist?!? Haha, inside joke.
But in all seriousness, how do we get to a point where we aren’t afraid to learn ALL of it no matter how it makes us feel? We shouldn’t be afraid of our feelings about things to change over time. I still want and maybe even need heroes, people that inspire me and encourage me to do better. Maybe these people can still do that, flaws and all.