Roll, Jordan, Roll: The World the Slaves Made by Eugene Genovese

Roll, Jordan, Roll: The World the Slaves Made 

Eugene Genovese 

Published 1974 

American non-fiction 

The Well-Educated Mind Histories

⭐⭐⭐⭐ 

This was a massive read, in both content, context, and page length (850+). Unless you have to write a thesis or are motivated to read a tome on American slavery, then this probably won't be on your TBR any time soon. 

The only reason I read it was because it is on TWEM history list, and I stayed with it because it was intriguing, interesting, and informative. Genovese is true to providing a topic sentence at the beginning of each paragraph, and then introducing abundant examples of supporting evidence from numerous sources. 

I'm going to be honest about my experience with Roll, Jordan, Roll. I read through it with lightning speed. I did not take notes or stop to ponder anything. I underlined and stared points and topics, but I had no intention of going back. I did what Susan Wise Bauer describes as "grammar stage reading." One time, quickly through. Done. 

If I have to tell you what Genovese's main point is, it is about the world that black slaves made for themselves in America: "a separate black national culture" under "racist oppression" and "within the narrowest living space and harshest adversity," and what they did to survive it, including their creative achievements, religion, work ethic, and the relationships they forged considering how they were forced to live. Genovese also described how their world affected the white families that they lived with. The slaves were one community that depended upon the slaveowner and his family and vise versa. 

Genovese also incorporated evidence for the evolution of the black Christian religion, hymns, preaching, and community; folksong and folklore; the important duties, work, and skills of the slaves; the family structures under slavery; their spiritual hope; and so much more than I am including here. 

The theme of paternalism repeated throughout these 800 pages, and I mention it here because I learned in my study of Land of Hope, by Wilfred M. McClay, that after the the War of 1812, world Christianity was changing and adopting the Social Gospel, which is also a paternalistic idea that Christian nations or Christians in general are called to care for poorer societies. As the institution of slavery evolved, slaveowners saw themselves as the father of both their own families and the slave families that lived with them. I'm wondering if Social Gospel seeped into the American South at some point. I do not remember if Genovese mentioned it, but I wonder. 

I gave this four stars because I recognize the enormity of the work involved. So, if you are looking for a comprehensive work on American slavery, include this on your list of books to read, but expect to be at it for a long time. 

I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou

I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings 

Maya Angelou 

Published 1969

American Memoir  

 ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 

I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings is a coming of age story for Marguerite Johnson, a black girl growing up during the 1930s and 40s.  She was born in St. Louis, Missouri, but when her parents divorced, she and her older brother Bailey were sent to live with their grandmother, an independent and self-sufficient woman living in a little segregated town, in Arkansas. 

Maya (a nickname) and Bailey were intellectual, and their grandmother fed them a healthy diet of literature. They loved to read and often escaped through books. Maya said she "fell in love with Shakespeare." 

In Arkansas, a wiser, older woman, Mrs. Flowers, befriended Maya. Maya liked her because she showed her it was ok to be yourself. She told Maya that 

words mean more than what is set down on paper. It takes the human voice to infuse them with the shades of deeper meaning. 

She encouraged Maya to read books aloud and "in as many different ways as possible," to embolden her to find her voice. Maya had stopped talking after a horrific crime was committed against her when she was only eight-years old. Mrs. Flowers also gave her a book of poems to memorize and recite. I love how Maya described the joy of reading. She said:

To be allowed, no, invited, into the private lives of a stranger, and to share their joys and fears, was a chance to exchange the Southern bitter wormwood for a cup of mead with Beowulf or a hot cup of tea and milk with Oliver Twist. When I said aloud, 'It is a far, far better thing to do, than I have ever done...' tears of love filled my eyes at my selflessness.

Maya said Mrs. Flowers "had given [her] her secret word which called forth a djinn who was to serve [her] all [her] life: books." 💜 

But aside from the joy of reading, there were severe issues to confront in the story. Racism was one of many. Growing up in a segregated town, Maya said she knew "whites were to be dreaded." She said they were not referred to as people because they were "see-through, had small feet, and walked on their heels." They were "folks, not people," "pale creatures," "aliens," the "un-life."

In fact, whites were referred to as "powhitetrash." It was easy to understand why Maya could write so sharply about the white race. When she was ten, she had a painful experience with white kids mocking her grandmother. She also had to learn "female training" while serving a white woman for a short time, though this woman humiliated and disrespected Maya terribly that Maya "found a masterful way to be released from her service." 

I think a most heartbreaking moment for Maya was when a white dentist refused to care for her while she suffered a painful toothache; he adamantly refused to see black patients. She described how this dentist treated them and how he spoke to Maya's grandmother. It was disheartening!

At twelve-years old, Maya graduated co-valedictorian of her eighth grade class. The guest speaker was a white politician who talked only about how the boys would go on to be great athletes. Aside from only talking about the boys, Maya felt like her graduation was for nothing. If one wasn't athletic enough to be an athlete, he could be a farmer or a handyman; and girls...they could be a maid or washer woman. 

Nothing else mattered anymore. Not "Invictus," "I am the master of my fate, I am the captain of my soul." Not the valedictory address, "To be or not to be."

Hadn't he heard the whitefolks? We couldn't be, so the question was a waste of time.

And later, another prejudiced incident occurred, this time to Bailey, which prompted him to ask questions like what colored people did to white people in the first place, and "...why do they hate us so much?" 

This caused Maya's grandmother to take Maya and Bailey to their mother, who was now living in San Francisco. Their mother, Viviane, was a self-reliant, self-determined worldly woman, and San Francisco was a culture shock. Maya said that San Franciscans did not think racism existed in their city, but evidently, it did. 

For a short time she went to stay with her father and his girlfriend, in Los Angeles. That did not turn out well, and Maya ended up on the street for a month, though she learned a few valuable life lessons, including tolerance. 

Then it was back to San Francisco to live with her mother. At sixteen, Maya was determined to do something that no other black woman had done before. Her mother's advice was this:

That's what you want to do? Then nothing beats a trial but a failure. Give it everything you've got. I've told you many times, "Can't do is like Don't Care." Neither of them have a home. 

Maya said "it was the most positive encouragement [she] could have hoped for." What Maya went through next was a most disturbing series of events, which I had to continue reminding myself that this was the 1940s. I was very proud of her for her persistence because it paid off. 

While her memoir ended soon after, at seventeen, she experienced another major live change, albeit, after a very unexpected decision; but I don't want to share any more because I have already shared too much. If you do decide to read I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, just be forewarned of heavy topics on race, child rape, and sexual curiosity.

I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings is such a popular book and already an American classic. At times it is provoking, yet also absorbing and inspiring. While there are trials, they are not without victory. Graceful and seamless, it is a story that will stay with every reader long after she is done reading it. 

Crusade for Justice: The Autobiography of Ida B. Wells

Crusade for Justice: 

The Autobiography of Ida B. Wells  

Edited by Alfreda M. Duster  

Published 1970

American biography  

⭐⭐⭐⭐

The more I read about Ida B. Wells, the more impressed and inspired I am.

Ida was born into slavery after the beginning of the Civil War, 1862. Following emancipation, she lived with her parents and seven younger siblings in a home built by her father, in Mississippi. Her parents placed high values in education, civic duty, and Christian principles. 

Regretfully, in 1878, her parents and youngest brother died from yellow fever. Neighbors and friends offered to take some of the children to care for them, but Ida was determined to keep the family together. With the help of her father's savings and a teaching job, she was able to care for them. She was only sixteen. 

In the early 1880s, while teaching in Memphis, Tennessee, her first fight for equality presented itself when she insisted on riding first class on the Chesapeake and Ohio Railroad. To the cheers of other passengers, she was physically removed and thrown out of the car. She sued the railroad and lost her initial dispute in court; but later it was reversed and she was awarded damages. Unfortunately, the railroad appealed and judgment was reversed in the Tennessee Supreme Court. She wrote in her journal: 

I felt so disappointed because I had hoped such great things from my suit for my people generally. I have firmly believed all along that the law was on our side and would, when we appealed to it, give us justice. I feel shorn of that belief and utterly discouraged, and just now, if it were possible, would gather my race in my arms and fly away with them. O God, is there no redress, no peace, no justice in this land for us? Thou hast always fought the battles of the weak and oppressed. Come to my aid at this moment and teach me what to do, for I am sorely, bitterly disappointed. 

Soon Wells began writing for a church paper, where she discovered her journalistic capabilities. And so did others. She was offered an editor's position for a small newspaper, to which she became part owner. After criticizing the Memphis school board for segregation, she was dismissed as a teacher. It was just as well because she was in the right place to bring light to what was becoming a disturbing darkness in the South: lynching. 

In 1892, three black businessmen were lynched. She wrote a contemptuous commentary on those responsible for the lynching and the white community that encouraged and condoned these actions. Her own business was targeted and her life threatened. At the time she was out of town, but she vowed to keep speaking out and bringing light to the truth. She was asked to travel abroad, which she did. 

Wells went to England and to talk about lynching in America. She was inspired by how the English women formed civic groups to address political and social issues. When she returned to America, Wells urged her followers to do the same. The first black civic club was named the Women's Era Club.

Ida also focused on why blacks were not able to participate in Chicago's World's Fair. She produced a booklet called: The Reason Why the Colored American Is Not in the World's Columbian Exposition -- the Afro-American's Contribution to Columbian Literature. You should read her scathing preface of the book. It is too long to include, but you can read it HERE. 

Wells returned to England in 1894 and an Anti-Lynching Committee was organized with citizens of Great Britain, who supported her work wholeheartedly. Upon returning to America, she continued lecturing throughout the North and organizing anti-lynching committees. She decided to settle down in Chicago where she continued writing, publishing A Red Record: Tabulated Statistics and Alleged Causes of Lynchings in the United States, which was a history of lynching since the Emancipation Proclamation. It was a warning to the world over mob violence, which is exactly why lynching culminated. Her hope was "to eradicate this form of barbarism."

In Chicago, she met and married a lawyer named Ferdinand Barnett. Together they had four children. This is where Ida really impressed me, even more than she had already! After her second child was born, she decided to take a break from her busy work to focus on the equally hard work of homemaker and mother. She firmly believed in the importance of the presence of a mother in the home during her children's impressionable years. Here is what she had to say about that: 

I had become a mother before I realized what a wonderful place in the scheme of things the Creator has given women. She it is upon whom rests the joint share of the work of creation, and I wonder if women who shirk their duties in that respect truly realize that they have not only deprived humanity of their contribution to perpetuity, but that they have robbed themselves of one of the most glorious advantages in the development of their own womanhood. I cannot begin to express how I reveled in having made this wonderful discovery for myself or how glad I was that I had not been swayed by advice given me on the night of my marriage which had for its object to teach me how to keep from having a baby. 

By the way, on several occasions, Ida had to bring her children to work. She once had to hold her young baby while giving a speech, and she also travelled with her five-month old to meet President McKinley, in D.C. 

In 1910, Ida established the Negro Fellowship League, with intent to aid uneducated blacks and teach them leadership. She sought financial support from upper class blacks, but found them indifferent or unwilling to venture into the lower class areas of the city to dedicate time to work with the less fortunate. Ida expected affluent individuals to be well mannered, of good morals, and good sense, not using their status to pay their way into upper society. She believed ministers should also be held to high standards and did not shy away from withdrawing support if she found they were living contrary to what they were teaching. 

She worked hard to motivate men to register to vote. She organized the first suffrage club of black women. She was friends with Susan B. Anthony. She and her husband were also friends of Frederick Douglass, Booker T. Washington, and W. E. B. Du Bois. 

Frustratingly, she felt like her work was in vain. She wrote her memoir to preserve black history, but felt like she accomplished nothing with her time or effort trying to change her nation. But it is not true because she lead the way for others who came after her. She would be pleased if she saw the progress today, which to us seems commonplace because we do not know otherwise. 

The only issue I think would be disappointing to Ida is that we have lost our values and standards as a nation. If Ida were alive today, it would devastate her to have to witness such accepted mob violence and immoral behavior; and I know she would shamelessly call [you] on it. 

The Souls of Black Folk by W. E. B. Du Bois

The Souls of Black Folk 

 W. E. B. Du Bois

African-American History 

Published 1903

The Well-Educated Mind Histories

⭐⭐⭐ 

I finished this book in 2019 as part of TWEM histories. 

W. E. B. Du Bois (1868-1963) was an American author, born after the Civil War. After writing The Souls of Black Folk, he helped organize the NAACP (1904). He was involved in multiple occupations, including civil rights, peace activist, historian, and sociologist. He was a productive writer whose works affected history.

Personally, The Souls of Black Folk was one of the most cohesive and engaging books I have read in a long time. I can tell by how much I wrote on the pages. Half of my pages ended up like this:

I did not always agree with the author, but I understood why he thought the way he did. He made his case clearly. He was truly impassioned and zealous about his arguments. 

Some of the major ideas or arguments addressed by Du Bois included: 

How it felt to be a problem.

How the black man saw himself in this world.

What were the real causes of the Civil War.

What should the nation do with the newly freed slaves.

How government complicated everything?

Why the right to vote was most essential to the black man.

Why Du Bois disagreed with Booker T. Washington.

How wealth (or desire for wealth) is destroying the black man.

How should the Negro college respond?

Why Du Bois disagreed with capitalism.

What the causes of poverty were.

How blacks and whites interacted.

Segregation (the color line)

The characteristic of black religious life

The social history of blacks

Why blacks live a double life (black and American).

Why Freedom became Du Bois' religion.

What was the "shadow of the veil."

What the black folksong can tell us.

Why Du Bois went back to Africa.

More difficult arguments were against Booker T. Washington, whom I respect very much. Du Bois claimed that Washington placed the black man's problems squarely on his shoulders alone; whereas Du Bois argued, and quite intelligently, that the responsibility belonged to the North, or the United States government. 

Frankly, I accept both arguments equally. The government was responsible for the evils of slavery and the post-Civil War mistakes, which caused the difficulties that followed; but it was also wise to teach personal responsibility, as it made one more diligent, independent, and resourceful in the end.

Du Bois saw the desire for wealth as a stranglehold on black Americans, keeping them in slavery. He did not support capitalism, obviously, and believed it was one of the causes of racism. Instead he believed socialism was a better way to racial equality. (This I strongly disagreed with the author also.)

The book is bursting with arguments and evidence. It is well written and quite arresting. I only touched on two ideas. 

Should You Read This Book?

Americans should read it for an engrossing perspective on American history, especially African-American history. If you are interested in topics on slavery, post-Civil War and American history, African-American poetry and folksong, sociology, politics, and economics, you will want to read this. Again, it is very well written and probably a great example of how to write persuasive ideas in captivating and pleasing way. And in that case, if you want to be a great writer, read something by W. E. B. Du Bois.

Hunger of Memory by Richard Rodriguez

Hunger of Memory: The Education of Richard Rodriguez  

Published 1982     

American Autobiography

The Well-Educated Mind Biographies

⭐⭐⭐⭐

In honor of Richard Rodriquez, though I did not know it, yet, I checked his autobiography out of the library.  

Richard Rodriguez was born (1944) in San Francisco, California, to Mexican immigrant parents. As a six-year old child with limited use of the English language, he was disconnected from the American public.  That changed when he attended Catholic school, and Irish nuns forced him (and his parents encouraged him) to learn and speak English publicly, even privately at home; this changed his life drastically.  He traded his private life for a public one.  He ceased being a minority, in a cultural sense, when he decided to use his public voice and take advantage of his educational benefits.  

Mr. Rodriguez covers quite a few major social topics in his book: public v. private lives, minority status (class v. race), religion (Catholicism and Protestantism), Affirmative Action programs, and literature. Reading through his autobiography was like having a pleasant conversation with Mr. Rodriguez about these issues.  As he presented his experiences and ideas and opinions, I thought about them and most of the time agreed with him. Yet, even if I did not agree, I still appreciated the conversation.  

Mr. Rodriguez thought it was personally unfair for him to be considered a minority - and receive benefits through Affirmative Action programs - simply because of his Mexican heritage, when he had more opportunities than those who were living in poverty, including poor non-minorities.  People, he said, are stuck in poverty because they are not taught to use their public voice; opportunities are not available to them because they remain stuck in their private lives, kept apart (in order to keep their identity) from the rest of the American culture.  They must be encouraged to mix publicly, in language and culture, instead of being stuck in their own private worlds.

Speaking of mixing, he does not like racial labels either because he believes we are all a little bit like one another.  If we study our histories deeply, we find that our stories are intertwined, not separate; maybe we are not all that diverse after all.  

On a personal note, for example: when I read early American history (when American colonists were British), I cannot help but feel a kin to Britain, even though my Italian ancestors did not come to America until the late 1800s and early 1900s.  It feels like British history is my history, too. And when I read Russian lit, I feel a little Russian.  What connects us all together is the human story that we relate to.  We are all connected - and I would add, we are all mixing.  Today there are no names for these mixed races and cultures and histories, and yet some want to label people with words that do not even describe us anymore.

Mr. Rodriguez related his personal struggle with skin color, especially because his mother was most conscientious of his dark complexion.  It reminded me of how my brother and I were teased for our dark complexion, where we grew up in a predominately Irish neighborhood in Brooklyn.  It did not really bother me, but today every one seems extremely sensitive about skin color or race.  To repeat: we are all mixing anyway, and soon there will be no names for us anymore.  

One final point about Mr. Rodriguez that I like most is his love for literature.  When he mastered the English language (at an early age), he read voraciously for information.  Yet, when he matured, he developed a love and appreciation for literature, unlike reading for information.  In 1998, he had given a speech on University of California TV about books and learning.   He said, "You are not alone when you are reading a library book.  Think of all the people who have read that book.  Library books are about connecting lives."  And finally he said (in reference to his youthful quest for knowledge), 

"Books are written, one on top of one another.  Books are relational, intimate, personal, and are about the soul, . . . not about information."

If you want to delve more into these topics, pick up a copy of Hunger of Memory, by Richard Rodriguez, and join the conversation.    

The Autobiography of Malcolm X

 

The Autobiography of Malcolm X   

Published 1965    

American

The Well-Educated Mind Reading Challenge Biographies

⭐⭐⭐⭐

I am not going to water this down: this book made me furious.  For sixteen out of nineteen chapters I was raging MAD.  And up through that sixteenth chapter, this was the most hate-filled, racist book I had ever read - even more than Mein Kampf.   This book is burning with hatred for whites, Christians, America, successful blacks, and even women.

Malcolm X was born in Nebraska, 1925, and life for him and his family was clearly unjust from the very start.  However, he was intelligent, sharp, quick-witted, and at the top of his classes; but when a teacher discouraged him from a career in law, he discarded his dream.  After moving to Boston to live with his older half-sister, he quit school (15-years old) and worked numerous jobs, some of which he lost due to his hot temper.  Instead, he invested in his social life, personal appearance, music, drugs, and eventually hustling.  He even had a white girlfriend as a status symbol.

Soon, his hustling and house burglary caught up with him, and he was sentenced to ten years (but served seven), although he said his harsh punishment was really because he had a white girlfriend.  It was in prison that Malcolm X transformed himself.  He copied the dictionary, teaching himself to read and write, and spent the remainder of his prison term self-educating by reading books from the prison library.

During his time in prison, Malcolm became a follower of Elijah Mohammad, the Messenger of Allah, from the Nation of Islam, a man-made religion and forgery of the Arabic Islamic religion.  I am just going to say this plainly: the Nation of Islam is definitely of Satan.  This hate-filled, racist, rebellious movement against white Christian America was very attractive to broken men like Malcolm X.

The Nation of Islam relieved blacks of any responsible for their lives of poverty, crime, drugs, drunkenness, or prison.  The devil race (white America) designed the system so that black Americans had to depend on them. The devil race made it difficult for black Americans to get out of poverty or the ghetto or into business or worthy careers.  Meanwhile, black Americans who did move out of poverty, educated themselves, owned businesses, or had careers were called Uncle Toms, seeking approval from the devil race.

I will skip over the kooky made-up story about race and how white man came to over power the original African race.  But Malcolm X totally bought it.

While in prison, Malcolm maintained correspondence with Elijah Mohammad, and when he was released, they worked together, opening temples all over the nation, reaching black Americans with the message: embrace your black identity, know your black history, stand up for yourself, and stop appeasing the devil race, your enemy.  Because of Malcolm X, the Nation of Islam spread rapidly and grew strong, but Malcolm always gave credit to Mohammad.  He worshipped the Messenger.

Imagine his shock and dismay when he learned that the "innocent, harmless, gentle little infallible lamb," "the Messenger of god," had several adulterous affairs and fathered four children.  Yet, the man who punished other NOI members for their adultery would not be rebuked himself. Furthermore, Malcolm X began receiving rumors that Mohammad was speaking disrespectfully about him, and even threatening his live.

About the same time, three chapters to the end of the story, Malcolm considered the simplicity of pure Arabic Islam, and he decided to take a pilgrimage to Mecca.  His life changed drastically. Being a black Muslim from America, Malcolm X was treated like royalty.  He met heads of state and world leaders.  Everyone wanted to meet him and talk to him.  Surely, he was a novelty.  Meanwhile, he was shocked to find Muslims of every color worshipping together, as race was not a concern or issue.

However, in Mecca, he began to understand that race was not the problem, but American society made race an issue.  In other words, (and this is what REALLY upset me) Malcolm had wrongly believed that white people were automatically racist, and he could not accept or understand whites who wanted to join the movement to end racism.  He rejected them because they were inherently racist. Now he came to see "it isn't the American white man who is a racist, but it's the American political, economic, and social atmosphere that automatically nourishes racist psychology in the white man (and I would add today, in everyone)."  He agreed,

American society makes it next to impossible for humans to meet in America and not be conscious of their color differences.  And [he] agreed that if racism could be removed, America could offer a society where rich and poor could truly live like human beings.

It was because of what he experienced in Mecca that softened his heart and opened it to all people of different colors and different religions and no religion at all.  He found his new mission was "to make the Human Family and the Human Society complete" (which sounds like a hippie utopia to me, but it was a lot better than what he was spewing).

When Malcolm X returned from his very long pilgrimage, he officially left the Nation of Islam and started his own Black Nationalist organization, keeping his Muslim religion.  (Of course, the NOI website claims that Malcolm X separated from NOI over "confusion" of Elijah Mohammad's "private life;" and that the U.S. government played a role in the assassination of Malcolm X.  - They are so full of it! -  The killers were from NOI, sent by the wicked corrupt man who called himself a Messenger of god.)

Malcolm continued to build up and encourage the black community, although he still expected government deal with some race issues.  He also believed in violence, if other options did not work, even if others were harmed in the process.  

At the end of his biography, he talked of his readiness to die, and I suppose that was heavy on his mind because, like I said, he heard the rumors and knew his life was in danger.  So it is eerie that shortly after, in 1965, he was assassinated during one of his temple meetings.  He was shot 21 times, and died probably before he arrived at the hospital.

Keeping Racism Alive in America

Racism is big business in America.  Maintaining an emotionally charged, agitated, and divided electorate over race is what garners votes and keeps a major political party in power.

Malcolm X touched on this briefly at the end of his autobiography.  One political party panders exclusively to black Americans, keeping them dependent on government; yet, they never make their lives better.  This party tells black America that their socio and economic problems are not their responsibility, nor can they help themselves.   This is a lie!

If you didn't know better, you would think slavery ended yesterday and America was still segregated. Selfish, greedy self-interest groups, and the aforementioned political party, use hatred and division for political purpose and power.  Racism is conveniently applied to all areas of American culture and society.  It is as if racism has gotten worse; but if you examine it, you will notice that it is devised, exaggerated, and unfounded.

Life for black Americans has drastically changed for the better since Malcolm X's time. Unfortunately, racism is still used for political gain, and, by design, has generated resentment and restlessness, further perpetuating hatred and violence, preventing Americans from moving forward and realizing that ideal that Malcolm X imagined for America:

a society where rich and poor could truly live like human beings.

"The Ballot or the Bullet"

On April 3, 1964, Malcolm X gave his famous "The Ballot or the Bullet" speech, on the upcoming election.  Here is a portion of that speech:

The government itself has failed us, and the White Liberals who have been posing as our friends have failed us.  Once we see that all these other sources to which we have turned have failed, we stop turning to them and start turning to ourselves.

Your are the one who sent Kennedy to Washington.  You're the one who put the present Democratic administration in Washington, D.C.  The Whites were evenly divided.  It was the fact that you threw 80% of your votes behind the Democrats that put the Democrats in the White House.  When you see this, you can see that the Negro vote is the key factor.  And despite the fact that you are in a position to be the determining factor, what do you get out of it? 

Democrats have been in Washington, D.C. only because of the Negro vote.  they've been down there four years and all the legislation they wanted to bring up they brought up and got it out of the way, and now they bring up you.  You put them first and they put you last, cause you are a chump.  A political chump. 

The party that you backed, controls two-thirds of the House of Representatives and the Senate and still they can't keep their promise to you, 'cause you're a chump. 

After Malcolm X left NOI, he recommitted to the task of teaching black Americans to work for themselves and help each other in their communities. He believed the race problem in America was not a Civil Rights issue, which the government could fix, but it was a human problem that needed black people everywhere to organize and be involved.   Only they could solve their own problems.

Racism is not going to totally disappear anywhere on earth unless it is dealt with at the heart of the problem - in the heart of individuals and families and communities.  And it will never go away so long as political parties continue to use race for gain, and - in America's case - black Americans continue looking to a political party to provide for and lift them up.  Instead, they must believe in and do for themselves.  

On a Long Personal, Political Rant Note

The reason I bring this up is because I see the destruction that greedy perpetuation of racism causes. It angers me that the Democrat party in America has gained from its deception about race and the Republican party.

Racism is illegal in America; all discrimination to prevent anyone from education, employment, housing, and other benefits has been removed.  All Americans have access to free public education. Lower economic classes may apply for financial aid to attend community colleges, universities, or trade schools.  One may even work hard in high school and earn a scholarship for higher education.

Every American has a right and obligation to do something.  Don't just sit there and be a victim. Go out and find work or start a business.  Work hard.  Be a leader.  Stop complaining. Stop making excuses.  Maybe it's not someone else's fault; maybe you need an attitude adjustment.  Stay away from drugs and alcohol, don't have sex out of wedlock, finish high school, and contribute to society. For a long time, this was the message of the Republican party - a message that was deemed racist by Democrats and other groups that benefited from crippling black America into another form of slavery.

Black Americans were Republicans since the 1860's because Republicans ended slavery and encouraged black Americans to fit into society.  But blacks switched parties during the Great Depression, even though FDR's policies coaxed peopled into dependency on government. (Once you get on government, it's hard to get off.)  The Democrat party has benefitted from continuing these policies, and much of black America is still dependent on that party to make something happen.  My argument is, black America must stop looking to government, period, and make changes themselves. I believe this is part of the message Malcolm X had, as well.

Honestly, I can't speak for today's Republican party anymore because it has morphed into the Democrat party. By the way, that guy Donald Trump is NOT a Republican, either.  The Republican party is not very conservative anymore.  All I know is this: if I lived during the Civil War, I would have been a Radical Republican, a proud Abolitionist!!  

All men are equal in God's sight, and skin color has nothing to do with race.  We are all one human race.  The most important human traits are your character, how you treat your neighbor, and what is in your heart.  

P.S.  And my message to anyone (Hispanics, too) who thinks he is not considered American because he is not white: that is a lie, too.  Dump it, and don't let it define you.  If you are a legal American citizen, that is enough. Your skin color does not determine if you are American.  If you even love this country, you are American, in my book.  

P.S.S.  If you are curious how it came to be that we are different skin tones, here is a video (Answers in Genesis) that provides a biblical explanation on how this may have occurred.  It's short and interesting. 

Native Son by Richard Wright

Native Son 

Richard Wright

Published 1940

American Novel

The Well-Educated Mind Novels

⭐⭐⭐⭐

I. Grammar Stage Inquiry

Who is the central character in this book? Bigger Thomas

What is the book’s most important event? This is the event in which the main character changes the most.   The most important event is when Max, Bigger’s lawyer, speaks to Bigger in jail preparing his defense, and Max asks him numerous personal questions about his life; those questions cause Bigger to feel like his life has worth.  For the first time, he has hope and feels equal to other men.  He once thought everyone else was blind, but now he wonders if he was the one who had been blind all along.  Suddenly, he doesn’t want to die.

II. Logic Stage Inquiry

What does the central character want?

Bigger wants a lot of things throughout the story:

1. Bigger wants to be treated like a man.

2. He wants “to be free of everything that stood between him and his end, him and the full and terrible realization that life was over without meaning, without anything being settled, without conflicting impulses being resolved.”

3. He wants to know the truth if there was “some (similar) battle everybody was fighting”; “…did everybody in the world feel alike?”

4. He wants to tell others how he feels, how he lives, and about his life.

5. He wants “to merge himself with others and be a part of this world, to lose himself in it so he could find himself, to be allowed a chance to live like others, even though he was black.”

What is standing in his way, and what strategies does he use to get what he wants? 

Hate and fear are standing in Bigger’s way.  Hate is what causes men to fear, which causes them to do things that they really don’t want to do, but feel like they just have to do it to protect themselves.  Hate and fear are what blind men.  Bigger must make a decision to either keep hope alive in order to die free or to return to his shell and hide behind his fear and hate. 

Finally, Bigger opens up, after his sentence, and freely talks about his life to Max as he comes to terms with his truth about why he committed murder; now he feels he is no longer burdened by hate or fear.  He is finally free.

III. Rhetoric-Stage Inquiry

Is there an argument in this book?  

Argument One: Everyone wants the same things: to live in this world and be free; to be treated with respect and honor; and to know that his life has meaning or purpose.  

Argument Two: If those in power continue to oppress those groups they seek to control, eventually those groups will rise up and rebel.

Argument Three: Hate causes fear or fear causes hate; both cause blindness.

Argument Four: Reject religion because it keeps people blind and ignorant.  

 (Possible) Argument Five: People are a product of their environment.

Do I agree? 

Argument One: Yes, to a degree.  It is human nature to desire freedom, honor, and purpose; and I believe most people do share this need.  I cannot speak for the others.

Argument Two: Yes.  Rebellion is also part of human nature that opposes powers that oppress the human desire to be free.  (ie. the American Revolution!)

Argument Three: Yes.  Absolutely makes sense.

Argument Four: No.  Religion, more specifically, salvation through Christ opens your eyes and frees you from your burden of ignorance.  Apparently, Richard Wright never understood this, and instead saw the church as a place to keep people ignorant and immobile.    

Argument Five: I do not like this argument, but I think there is some truth to it.  For one, black Americans in the 1930s lived in a different period than we do now.  Today, legislation has provided relief from many unfair practices, while the hearts of men have also changed dramatically with regard to race and other prejudices. They have!!!!  But the powers then were different; now government controls much of the private sector, and any oppression or suppression of opportunity is thanks to government being an obstacle.

In my previous post, I noted that I think government is still perpetuating the segregation, oppression, and keeping groups of people inferior by subjecting them to hopelessness.  Government has an interest in growing more powerful, and in doing so, it must keep its people dependent, which is possible if people remain ignorant and in poverty.  But ignorance and poverty are wearisome and miserable.  Hopelessness keeps people restless, and restlessness causes agitation, and agitation provokes hatred. Government is partially responsible for maintaining the hopeless environment in which so many people find themselves trapped.

However, and this is why I do not totally agree with the argument: ultimately, people are accountable for their own behavior.  One cannot completely blame his environment or upbringing for everything - I don't care how horrible it is.  They are responsible for not fighting for their lives and wanting to rise above it.  They are responsible for being lazy and careless and expecting [government] to take care of them forever.  And they are responsible for the evil influences they follow and the wicked decisions that they make.

Native Son by Richard Wright covers a short period of Bigger Thomas' life, a poor young black man living in Chicago, 1930.  He is offered a job as chauffeur to a wealthy white family.  When he finds himself in an uncompromising situation, he knows no other way out, but murder.  One crime leads to another and another until he is caught.  His lawyer, Max, takes his case in order to defend his life and the lives of millions of other black Americans who are living within this vicious cycle of racism and hate.  Max is Bigger's only witness, and his defense is to explain WHY Bigger committed murder in hopes of enlightening those who hold Bigger's fate in their hands and ending the cycle.  Extremely powerful and well-written about highly emotional issues that are still present today.

IMHO

Unfortunately, Bigger Thomas' condition still exists, but today I think the unfairness goes beyond race. There is a cultural and political divide in America that prevents people from reaching their FULL POTENTIAL, and it is led by a political ideology that says, "Some people, based on their "minority status," cannot make it in America without the help of government." Many believe the LIE that they cannot survive without government intervention and aid. Yet, all government intervention ever does is perpetuate the segregation, oppression, and immobility of its people. Government policy does not lift people up; it keeps (the very people it says it helps) DOWN!

This is not freedom; this is STILL slavery!

So, what has changed today, if anything?   In Bigger's time, it was the rich white man that controlled; but now it is government that targets labeled-minorities and tells them that only government can fix their problems.  But in the process they provide no encouragement or enlightenment.

When wealthy Mr. Dalton donated his money for ping pong tables for black youth in Bigger's neighborhood, it reminded me of elected officials in my time who wanted to set up basketball courts with lights in low-income neighborhoods.

Kids like Bigger don't need ping pong or basketball; they need and want options and opportunities just like everyone else.  Even our education system has been dumbed down to appease young people in these situations because government has taken control of our education system and is not in the business of building knowledge. They are in the business of controlling masses and keeping people ignorant.  This only leads to more apathy and poverty, which leads to more dependence on government, which is still slavery!

You only have one life!  Fight for it!

Look! Unfairness exists, and everyone is a victim of unfairness at some point - some more than others. Government cannot totally eradicate unfairness, but you can fight it yourself.  You can rise above it. Dwelling on it only keeps you miserable and feeling sorry for yourself. What matters is that you only have one life, and you must fight for that life.  Max, Bigger's lawyer, explained this to Bigger, and Bigger understood this; but by then it was too late.

If only Bigger could have read My Grandfather's Son by Clarence Thomas, he would have known what it looked like to rise above hate, unfairness, poverty, segregation, and racism, and take advantage of opportunity, make right choices, and fight for your life.