1962. Following an interview he gave for 'PlayBoy', an editor contacted Alex Haley to propose him to write the biography of the man who considers then1962. Following an interview he gave for 'PlayBoy', an editor contacted Alex Haley to propose him to write the biography of the man who considers then himself as being the most angry Black man in America: Malcolm X. Why not?
Haley submitted the idea to Malcolm X, who answered barely two days after thinking about it: he agreed. The two men would then meet each other, three hours a day, for more than a year. The result will be this surprising and powerful 'Autobiography'.
The writing process was far from being easy! Malcolm X, despite agreeing to reveal himself, doesn't hide his suspiciousness towards 'intellectuals', a class Haley belongs to -these 'uncle Toms' that he often accused of being 'White people's petty pets'. He took time for the journalist to earn his trust. More, because of his then recent engagements, Malcolm X was under a serious period of stress. Convinced that he was spied upon by the FBI, he was also receiving death threats from his past allies, who didn't hesitate to torch his house before, finally, assassinate him. We guess: the book, written in an atmosphere as tense as it was paranoid, ends up very brutally too.
Now, of course, if the murder of Malcom X was tragic, it was, also, the end point of a life mostly fed by hate and violence.
From the murder of his father (a Baptist pastor, belonging to Marcus Garvey's movement) by the Black Legion (a violently racist group akin to the KKK) to his teen years, when he was a delinquent taken from foster house to foster house, and until his criminal life in Harlem ghetto, we first follow here the journey of a young Black man like there were far too many in the USA back then: ignorant, lost, futureless, and those hope itself got caught in a racist society. And yet, amidst this shady life, a 'eureka' moment will occur.
1946. He is sentenced to 10 years in jail for robbery... and prison will change him. This is where, indeed, he discovered Islam.
Now, the 'Islam' in question is everything but moderate! Criticised even by Muslims from the Middle-East, he joined in fact a sect of fanatics -the Nation of Islam- led by Elijah Muhammad, and those ideology is tainted by racism anti-White. For these Black Muslims indeed, White people are but devils with human faces, and, they preach nothing but their own kind of racial segregation to immune themselves against their influences.
When he is freed -on probation- in 1952, Malcolm X (who had changed his name while in jail) would travel across the country, founding mosques, preaching Elijah Muhammad's message, spreading his racism. His successes, his charisma, catapulted him as number two in the sect; and, as this sect was then booming, it was only natural, then, that he became a highly mediatised figure. The man, both popular and hated, made scandal, divided, became a Black figure in the centre of the civil right era. The thing is, another U-turn awaited him...
Racist and accused of preaching hate, a pilgrimage to Mecca back in 1964 will, again, transform him indeed. Rejecting violence, he will then abandon his racist prose and, therefore, take his distance from the Nation of Islam and his leader, with whom relationships were already strained anyway. Followed then a period of threats and tensions, and, if Malcolm X attempted to create his own movement, such violence would ultimately get back at him: members of the sect would murder him during a meeting in 1965.
It's impossible to close this book within feeling as if we have read nothing but a wasted life. Here was a man who, despite his experience, despite his charisma, had gave himself up to violence and populist ideas... for nothing. Yes, in the end, he saw light and changed -but what about his heritage all throughout? ...more
Stanley Tookie Williams was, in 1971, the co-founding member of the Crips, nowadays one of the most powerful and violent gangs not only in the USA, buStanley Tookie Williams was, in 1971, the co-founding member of the Crips, nowadays one of the most powerful and violent gangs not only in the USA, but, also, across the world. Arrested back in 1979 for murder (although he always claimed being innocent), sentenced to death, he would ultimately serve 26 years in jail before being executed.
His case caused many controversies, not only for who he was (a young Black criminal, leading a dangerous gang those atrocities on the streets are still ongoing) but, also, for who he had become. In jail indeed, he started a whole redemptive process which he took to such a point that, even from his cell in death row at San Quentin, he became one of the most active militants anti-gangs (publishing books for children, broadcasting videos...). Here's his autobiography, then, a life story divided in two parts which perfectly sum up his life: 'Blue Rage', telling about his gang life, and 'Redemption', where he explains his radical transformation.
He retells the history of the Crips (the drugs, the prostitution, the cycle of murders going with it all -e.g. Raymond Lee Washington, the other co-founder of the Crips, was killed by a rival gang shortly after Tookie was incarcerated). He, above all, expresses his regrets for such a fate, and dares condemning violence to show, based on his onw life story, that it's nothing but a useless waste.
The interest of the book, what makes it a worthy testimony and not one of these vulgar autobiographies of self-centred past gangsters, is that he has the intelligence to put his life back into perspective, frame it within the civil and political history of African Americans in order to try and explain why he became what he became. It doesn't excuse him for sure, yet the process is insightful to better understand him. The thing is, born in New Orleans in the 1950s before moving out to grow up in a ghetto in LA, his life was typical of many young Black men of his generation -fuelled by an oppressing racism. Many would then join various groups campaigning for civil rights (we're in the 1960s-1970s). Him, though, still a young teenager grossly ignorant of both politics and history (especially his own), lost at the bottom low of the social ladder of a society which despises him, will instead take refuge into drugs and delinquency.
Here's a book mostly targeted to young gang members, to show them the absurdity of violence as much as showing them the importance of education. Yet, it will also interest anyone concerned by history, and, beyond, concerned by social problems such as poverty, racism, or, again, violence (they too often go hand-in-hand).
Nominated 4 times for a Nobel Price for Peace, and 3 times for a Nobel Price for Literature (for his campaigns and writings), Stanley Tookie Williams was executed on the 13th of December 2005, despite a legal battle and strong support from various personalities ranging from Snoop Dogg to Jesse Jackson, and Winnie Mandela to Desmond Tutu. The death penalty, of course, leaves no room for forgiveness. His books, though, at least or so we hope, may inspire many to don't waste their own lives as he did.
The first volume of an autobiography in six tomes, in which Maya Angelou retells her childhood.
After the separation of her parents, her and her brothThe first volume of an autobiography in six tomes, in which Maya Angelou retells her childhood.
After the separation of her parents, her and her brother would be taken from Arkansas to California, living with their grandparents, then father, then mother. A young little Black girl growing up during racial segregation, this book of course exposes the poverty and racism she was often victim of. We also discover, though, her hunger for life as much as the strength connecting communities kept at the bottom low of an unfair social order.
It's nice to read, but I didn't 'click' with her writing style. I never found it enthralling, and so I found myself flying over it all instead of being truly taken in. It surely is a powerful life story, and maybe I had expectations which were too high; but, in the end, it didn't grab me as I thought it would. In terms of writing, this was a disappointment for me (the prose is too easy and shallow). In terms of structure, I certainly have nothing against people narrating their life, but, without any further insight or perspective apart from just retelling events, I quite don't see the point....more
Well, we all know about it: 4th November 2008, Barack Obama was the first African-American to have been elected president of the United States. BehindWell, we all know about it: 4th November 2008, Barack Obama was the first African-American to have been elected president of the United States. Behind such a monumental achievement, one may wonder, must stand a very unique man, hiding no less monumental successes over his life. What about it? Here is his autobiography.
The idea of the book came to him after he had been elected at the head of the 'Harvard Law Review', the prestigious legal review published by the no less prestigious Harvard University. He was, here again, the first African-American to have been elected to such a post, and the event had him to reflect upon his journey and achievements so far. This book made a buzz during the 2008 presidential election, yet, far from being a propaganda tool, we must indeed remember: it had been written way before, before, even, he had thought about a career in politics (it ends with his marriage, in 1992; he joined the Democrats only in 1996...). As such, it escapes the worse -it wasn't a book written purely for electoral gain, full of opportunism and self-serving stances. As such too, the result was therefore a very insightful read, honest, and those simplicity contributed in fact to make whom became one of the most powerful man in the word... accessible.
Divided into three chapters, each centred on the three most important chapters of his life ('Origins', 'Chicago', 'Kenya') we discover his family history made up of various cultural backgrounds, itself intermingled within History -from the fate of African-Americans in the USA to that of Kenya, both when colonised and independent. Son of a White American woman and of a Black Kenyan man, growing up between Hawaii and Indonesia, torn in between two identities (one, American, Western; the other, Black, African), studying at Harvard, and, above all, some time living in Chicago (a key period, the seed to his later political engagement) both his unusual life story and his rather common experience as a mixed race person turn out to be very touching, retold as they are in a very sensible and sensitive way. It's true: Barack Obama has charm and charisma. It's true too: thinking back about his own personal biography coupled with that of Kenya and African-Americans, the USA did turn a big historical page when electing him.
A politician like many others perhaps; but a life like no other for sure.
End of the 1950s, USA. While the country is about to enter into a traumatic civil rights era, John Howard Griffin, journalist, asked himself: how is iEnd of the 1950s, USA. While the country is about to enter into a traumatic civil rights era, John Howard Griffin, journalist, asked himself: how is it to be a Black person in the South?
The question may sounds quite dumb. After all, plenty of essays, from sociology to politics and else have been written on the topic, highly controversial yet creeping at the forefront back then. The thing, though, is that John Howard Griffin will try and answer it by adopting a radically new angle: he, a White man, will become Black! Crazy? It surely was! But then again, it resulted in this absolute must-read of a testimony, very unique indeed in many respects. In fact, I saw in here three different layers.
The first is about his reactions and feelings in knowing he is now Black that is, looking at himself in a mirror and no longer see a White person. Here's more than a physical transformation, as, crossing the racial line, he will also find himself cut off from his family, his wife, and his children, because Whites. Two world cohabits, yet never mix with each others.
Then, the main one of course, is the account of his journey across the South, travelling from Mississippi to Alabama. It's engrossing, yet a truly terrifying experience too, with even the most innocuous daily acts being no longer granted (e.g. where to use public bathrooms, where to eat and drink, how to use public transports...). Everywhere he goes, he will be harassed, humiliated, brutalised, this, even by White people who are everything but racists yet so wrapped up into their own prejudices that their attitude is unsettlingly patronising. It's both shocking and chilling.
Last but not least, there are his personal reflections about racism -why is it the way it is? How does it operate? What are its root causes? How can it turn into a perverse cycle? His might seem short and simplistic at times, but it certainly doesn't mean that, combined with his first-hand experience of the issue as a victim, what he has to say here is irrelevant, even nowadays. The book, in fact, concludes by an overview of the reactions it had sparked, both in the USA and abroad, and, tellingly indeed, here are reactions that are still pretty much alive despite segregation itself being no more.
Racism is a social disease. For as long as it will exist, then, this book will never cease to inspire and put us in front of our own prejudices. Again: a must-read. ...more
Martin Luther King Jr never wrote his autobiography, but he left sufficient books, essays, articles, sermons, interviews, letters... in a word: such aMartin Luther King Jr never wrote his autobiography, but he left sufficient books, essays, articles, sermons, interviews, letters... in a word: such a vast array of documents, that they can allow to retrace his life with quite a remarkable precision. That's exactly what Clayborne Carson, historian specialist of the Civil Right Movement in the USA, has done here; asking himself the question: what if such campaigner, 1964's Noble Prize Winner, had written his autobiography? The answer is this brilliant book.
Using the first person singular, he tells his fight against racial segregation - from the boycott of Montgomery's buses in 1955 until the march on Washington in 1963, all through his actions in Albany, the Birmingham campaign, and so many others. He gives us insight into the creation and evolution of his organisation (The Southern Christian Leadership Conference). He allows us in his meeting with Ghandi, Kwame Nkrumah, John F. Kennedy, Lyndon Johnson, Malcolm X... He offers us to see a pacifist whose fight, always non-violent, went way beyond the struggle against racism to also touch to helping the poor, and opposing the Vietnam war.
Each step of the pastor's life is dealt with in short chapters, all introduced by a brief chronology telling about the events that will be described. The whole is at times interrupted by letters, speeches, extracts of interviews, and other first hand materials that, far from being a distraction, provide more depth and insights to the text. Skilful, Carson in fact transcribes the documents he had access to in the first person; without, ever, taking the pen for King, give vent to his own positions and preconceived ideas of what the man may have been and thought. Indeed, such biography can be unsettling because of the use of the first person, but the author never sounds simplistic, futile, and/ or wordy. He goes straight to the point, made himself the voice of a man who transformed America, knowing perfectly well when to step back when necessary. Many could have failed miserably; not him. The historian, brilliantly, tackles his challenge perfectly well: telling Martin Luther King Jr by Martin Luther King Jr, not by Clayborne Carson.
Do we hold here the autobiography the pastor would have written himself should he had done so? In any case, it's a must read for anyone interested in the topic!...more
Martin Luther King Jr was not only a civil right activist; he was also, first and foremost, a pastor. This part of his personality is often overlookedMartin Luther King Jr was not only a civil right activist; he was also, first and foremost, a pastor. This part of his personality is often overlooked (if not forgotten) yet it's crucial to fully understand him. Indeed, his faith fuelled his political engagement and militant activities.
Here's a short collection, then, gathering some of his most representative sermons. We discover a man deeply shaped by his Christianity, to the point of using the Gospels as a weapon to deeply transform an unfair society. Luther King Jr being quite smart, open minded, and everything but a bigot, it's a book which is very interesting to get to grip with his motivating convictions; from his views on Communism and the Cold War to the relevance of Jesus in addressing societal issues plaguing then the USA (the book dates back to 1964), as seen through the prism of his Christian faith.
Now, of course, as an atheist, I couldn't but smile at his reading and interpreting of the Bible (e.g. his cherry picking to suit his prejudices) and at his own contradictions when it comes to science and religion. Personally, I also found him annoying at times (e.g. his disregarding of Humanism). Having said that, these are personal criticisms stemming from personal opinions that were not his (I am everything but a spiritual person). My disagreements, then, were predictable; although they don't take anything away from the relevance of his core message.
All in all, then, here's a good read to help understand him better....more
Following what he had done in Montgomery a few years prior, here's MLK applying his remedy to Birmingham, probably then one of the most segregated citFollowing what he had done in Montgomery a few years prior, here's MLK applying his remedy to Birmingham, probably then one of the most segregated cities in the USA. Led by 'Bull Connor', a vile White supremacist, here was a town indeed where, between 1957 and 1963, 17 bomb attacks against Black churches and civil rights campaigners went unpunished, a bastion of the racist/ segregationist South, yet that will become the symbol of a non-violent revolution.
It's astounding to think that African-Americans were still subjected to such a racial yoke, especially at a time when, in the rest of the world, Black people were in the process of earning their independence from their past colonial powers. The hypocrisy of the government might have been truly angering; the clock being constantly set back by some States utterly frustrating; and so it was no wonder, of course, that it had reached such a boiling point. And indeed, who doesn't have the images still burnt into their minds, that of racism exploding onto their screens thanks to TV, which was then a relatively new media? Protesters attacked by police dogs and sprayed with water canons, women beaten up to the ground, children even as young as 6 being put under arrest... The horror will set in motion a whole process that will ultimately lead to the signing of the Civil Right Act.
It's astounding, too, to think that such violence and hatred are not so far back in time. Still in Birmingham, 1963 will end up by the bombing of a church (killing four little girls), the murder of a boy and by the police in broad daylight, while another boy will be killed by a racist mob, with the authorities having no care for these three cases. Hopeless? Not so much.
Birmingham, again, was indeed where the racial question exploded into the face of a country still having its head buried in the sand, where the brutality of racism was fully exposed, and where, despite all such violence, a case was made in favour of non-violent action to serve a cause. As always with MLK, here's more than a book -it's a privilege. The privilege to hear about it all from one of the key actors to such events.
In 'What is a Man?', the first essay, the pastor tries and answer the question of what it is to be human. ReliTwo very short essays and a little text.
In 'What is a Man?', the first essay, the pastor tries and answer the question of what it is to be human. Religious, he obviously adopts the expected answer: a little less than divine, a little less than God, but crowned with glory and honour that is, a biological being yet endowed with reason. From then on he warns: let's not reduce him to a mere animal like any others (an error made, according to him, by materialists) or, on the contrary, elevate him to a state of demi-God (an error made by, according to him, Humanists). It then all turns into preaching, a call to find again the link unifying us with God so as to be fully human.... Mmmh? Well: yawn. It's not convincing. His views of materialism are simplistic to the point of being annoying, and the worse remains his reject of Humanism, which, if expected from a pastor, contradicts all his speeches about being human! Indeed, if our ability to reason is what makes us such 'wonderful creations', then shouldn't we submit to reason instead of blindly to a given faith? His thinking is not very clear.
'The Dimension of a Complete Life' is the second essay, where he carries on with his view. What is a fulfilling life? To him, it can be narrowed down to three conditions: to love oneself, to love each others, and to love God. He sees it all like a triangle: stability through three angles, with God being the top one. Well... Again: yawn. I am too much of an atheist to be taken in by such simplicity! I mean, are people fulfilling the two first conditions really less happy than whose adding a third one (faith)? I don't think so. He sounds here very prejudiced, if not a tat holier-than-thou.
'Parting', the last text, is ten lines long but very powerful. Showing a man having faith as sole motor, there's not much in here either; but this is the text that became famous since he always ended his speeches by it, until that fateful day in 1968 when he was assassinated.
'So I'm happy tonight. I am not worried about anything. Im not fearing any man. "Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord".'
Isn't that a beautiful optimism tossed to the future? It is, in any case, a very appropriate way to end this very little book.
So what about it all? Religious readers will keep it at hand; it's simple and straightforward enough. Others... Well, personally, his misunderstanding of materialism annoyed me; as a humanist he completely missed his target; and as a strong atheist his preach about God fell into 'mine' deaf hears! ...more
In 1967, a Canadian radio invited Martin Luther King Jr to talk freely about topics of his choice. The pastor will take the opportunity, and, chose toIn 1967, a Canadian radio invited Martin Luther King Jr to talk freely about topics of his choice. The pastor will take the opportunity, and, chose to deliver speeches about matters of importance to him: racism, the Vietnam war (that he firmly opposed), the key role of youth in changing society, and the reaffirmation of the core principles pertaining to a peaceful engagement, at a time when African-American activism is tipping towards violence and riots. To wrap it all up, he ends by a sermon for Christmas, calling for peace in the world.
'The trumpet of conscience', then, is the crucial book to read to fully understand the pastor and his key core beliefs. Short and extremely accessible, it may lack in energy and warmth at time (you can tell that, here are words he has repeated over and over again, to the point of being tired of it himself!) but that will nevertheless resonate with anyone standing up against racism, poverty, and violence.
Learning to live together like brothers, or, dying all like imbeciles: is it that a difficult choice to make? This should be a must read. ...more
By the end of the 1960s, you would have think that non-violent actions truly had been successful when it comes to the fate of African-Americans and thBy the end of the 1960s, you would have think that non-violent actions truly had been successful when it comes to the fate of African-Americans and their civil rights. Racial segregation was ended in most buses across the South, Freedom Rides had expanded such desegregation for journeys across States, coffee shops and restaurants were subjected to the same process, the Civil Right Act had been signed, Jim Crow laws were officially abolished, the Voting Right Act had been implemented, so-called 'breadbaskets operations' were in full swing... And yet...
And yet, Blacks, by the 1970s, were still mostly living in ghettos, their unemployment rate was as high as their infant mortality rate (twice that of White people), those working were still earning twice less than their White counterparts, and performed surveys about the racial question were everything but hopeful: 88% of White people reported not wanting their children to be in a relationship with a Black person, 80% that they would feel uncomfortable should a friend or relative be in one, and 50% admitted to not wanting Blacks as neighbours. The conclusion to be drawn was very bleak indeed: equality in rights had not brought about equality in facts. Was it any wonder that the civil right movement itself was then entering into a crisis phase?
The crisis was so deep, that it would personally affect MLK himself, as his message centred around non-violence was becoming seriously challenged. What was he to do with racial and urban riots such as Watts (1965) or, the new slogan 'Black Power', hiding a growing resent and hatred towards Whites over a coherent and workable political approach? Violence had fed violence, and the cycle seemed then to be about to lead the whole country down a path to hell -again.
Reflecting upon it all, MLK's book makes, here, for a sad read, especially when it comes to his bitterness in seeing his message being betrayed by a new generation of leaders. Yet, beyond his contained rancour (or so I felt), lies a clever and relevant analysis. What's to blame, for him, is certainly not pacifism and non-violent deeds -far from that! What's to blame is poverty. And it worked both ways.
His diagnosis, here, was rather simple, and yet quite correct. For as long as Blacks will be ostracised into ghettos, treated like second class citizens, fed an inadequate education, having but very poor access to decent public services, let alone work opportunities, then they will be pushed into, from crime to resent towards Whites, a cycle that will keep feeding White racism towards them. On the other hand, for as long as poor Whites, too, will be made resentful of Black by wrongly perceiving them as competitors when it comes to political attention, education, jobs, and housing, then they, too, will be pushed into racist populisms feeding hatred, while not solving anyone's problem. But then again: cui bono? Again, the pastor faces a sad, bitter truth; that of a government back then far more concerned about a war in Vietnam than addressing its problems at home.
I truly liked this book, which, I think, might be his best. This is not only about defending non-violent action and warning against hatred and violence feeding nothing but hatred and violence; it is, above all, about a brilliant analysis which is still valid today: poverty is a terrible scourge, and refusing to address it can only feeds a whole set of other societal diseases, those consequences can be far reaching indeed. Once again, then, MLK's message will never get old....more
1st December 1955, Montgomery, Alabama. Rosa Parks, a black woman, refused to give up her seat to a white man. She wasn't the first one to do so, and 1st December 1955, Montgomery, Alabama. Rosa Parks, a black woman, refused to give up her seat to a white man. She wasn't the first one to do so, and so the usual procedure was well followed: the driver stopped the bus, called the police, she was arrested, spent a night in jail, and went to court the next day to be sentenced to paid a fine. End of the story...
… Beginning of History.
Rosa Parks was indeed a member of the NAACP. She was also, as a Baptist Christian, member of a strong church community unafraid to campaign on various issues affecting then black people. The two movements will combine to support her; and it will trigger the whole Civil Right Movement that would ultimately transform the segregationist USA.
Where to seat, if at all, in buses? It will take one year of clashes, pressures, and violence before racial segregation in public transport to be declared unconstitutional by the Supreme Court... and for Rosa Parks to become a whole symbol of political freedom.
This autobiography is at the image of such a courageous lady: simple, humble, yet dignified and truly brave. A lesson in humanity....more
December 1955, Montgomery, Alabama. Under full racial segregation, a young Black woman, Rosa Parks, is arrested for having refused to give up her seatDecember 1955, Montgomery, Alabama. Under full racial segregation, a young Black woman, Rosa Parks, is arrested for having refused to give up her seat to a White person in a bus. We all know the story: if she wasn't the first one to do such a thing, she will be the one triggering a storm that would engulf the USA.
Rosa Parks indeed would, because of her activism, believes, and acquittances, attract the support of the NAACP (of which she was a member) besides that of most pastors from Montgomery, those leaders were already fighting on the front line to improve the lot of the Black communities. By a domino effect, all the organisations, associations, and activist groups in town would therefore follow suit, finding in her case a common goal to achieve beyond their petty divisions. They would, in fact, gather to create a new organisation, the Montgomery Improvement Association (MIA), chose, as their leader, a young pastor until then completely unknown -Martin Luther King Jr.- and then decide before to boycott the city buses until their demands were met:
-passengers to be allowed to sit wherever they want, and without Black people to have to give up their place to White people when no seating space remained; -drivers to be more courteous and polite towards Black people; -Black people to be employed as drivers, at least on the routes serving Black neighbourhoods.
These were clear demands, then, some of which being in fact already in place in other Southern cities (Nashville, Atlanta, Mobile etc.). Nevertheless, here was a punch into the face of racism, especially given that Montgomery was, historically, considered as the cradle of the South (it's there indeed that, in 1861, Jefferson Davis had proclaimed the birth of the Confederate States, starting thus the Civil War...).
The rest, of course, is more than well-known: after more than a year of police persecutions and brutality, an extreme violence when White supremacists burnt even churches with the full support of the KKK, Martin Luther King Jr and his movement would, by the sheer strength of non-violent means (inspired as he was by both Jesus and Gandhi) the Supreme Court would intervene to declare segregation in buses to be 'unconstitutional'. The blow was without precedent. Montgomery would become a symbol, the source from where would flow the Freedom Rides of 1960-61 (to desegregate buses journeying between states) and launching the Civil Rights era that would define the 1960s.
This book is the story of such a long and hard battle, as told by Martin Luther King Jr himself, without hypocrisy nor egotism, but acknowledging the incredible team work achieved. He, in fact, insists upon a key point: here was not a victory for Black people only, but for human decency above all. Full of hope and optimism, it actually ends by a chapter titled 'Where do we go from here?', and where the pastor clearly shows that, if a step forward had been taken in Montgomery, many more steps remained then to be taken across the whole country. In other words: he already had his eyes set on new campaigning, new challenges! We all know where it all lead him. This is where it all started. Remarkable. ...more
In 1919 the militant Marcus Garvey, president and founder of the Universal Negro Improvement Association (UNIA) created the Black Star Line, a shippinIn 1919 the militant Marcus Garvey, president and founder of the Universal Negro Improvement Association (UNIA) created the Black Star Line, a shipping company whose goal was to help black people wishing for it to leave the racist USA to go and settle in Africa. To do so, obviously, he needed ships; and so he encouraged members of his associations to mail him money for investments. All went well, until one of those ship never got sold to him, investors lost their money, and the transaction went bust. Since it had all been made through mail, he was accused of fraud and sentenced to five years in prison. So much for the big dream!
The case was crucial, for it crystallised opinions regarding his person. Was he a genuine militant at the service of 'his' people, but so naïve an utopian that he got ripped by unscrupulous business men? Or just a scammer finally caught for his cheats? Once in jail, his wife Amy Jacques Garvey decided to fight for his honour: she went on to publish his speeches, letters, and notes to show who he truly was, his thoughts, his dream. The first volume of such endeavour was published in 1923, the second in 1925, both are here reunited in one single tome. Here we go: the ideas of one of the most famous (infamous?) Black man then alive...
For him it all started from a simple statement of fact: white people will never consider black people as their equals. Whose fighting for integration are, as far as he is concerned, mere uncle Toms; naïve, meek, clueless when it comes to racial issues. W. E. Du Bois, especially, gets criticised mercilessly... The solution, for him, lies in fact in segregation. If all 'races' are equal and capable of cooperating when necessary (eg trade) they must not mixed with each other, less interbreed. You get it: here's racism, defended by someone who should have known better. There is no excuse - when W.E. Du Bois is labelled 'a monstrosity' for being mixed race, or, again, you remember his negotiations with the KKK, you guess what to expect of his 'opinions'...
His ideas, for sure, are shocking and populist. However, one have to put them back into the context of their time. First, his racism. Being Jamaican, he just transplanted the mindset of a British colony, obsessed with skin colours and race, to the USA. Then, on the racial issue in America. The Reconstruction era was undeniably an utter failure; even decades later, during WWI, when black people went on to fight and die in Europe for their country it changed absolutely nothing for their rights back home. As such, his views were surely simplistic and crass, but they reflected a then boiling anger and frustration. Hence the reason he supported anti-colonial movements. Hence the reason why he would support the ideal of colonising Liberia. Hence the reason why the 'Back to Africa' exodus will have its share of popularity and gain some sort of momentum.
Populist leader and entrepreneur at the head of a movement that will count hundred of thousand of members worldwide, it's quite obvious he was considered as a problem - both for white segregationists, and, black people who had nothing to do with such delusion but campaigned for integration. His trial (those transcripts are reproduced in here) were then the perfect opportunity to get rid of him. Cunny politics surely, but then what? In my opinion, there's not much to gain from this book. It's long -more than 500 pages- and unsurprisingly and boringly repetitive. He nails his 'philosophy' again and again, the same points bashed like an old refrain which shows, bottom line, how poor his ideas truly were. Populism is an intellectual vacuum, whether black or white, regardless of the context. He played upon prejudice, especially racist, he could then, ultimately, only failed.
Here's a must read to understand him, but don't expect something deep and challenging!...more
Moses had led his people out of Egypt, Marcus Garvey (1887-1940) wanted to led 'his' out of the USA and back to Africa, which, freed from its colonialMoses had led his people out of Egypt, Marcus Garvey (1887-1940) wanted to led 'his' out of the USA and back to Africa, which, freed from its colonial past, would be restored to its past glory. We all know how it ended up: him being incarcerated for fraud.
Now, one thinks whatever one wants of this controversial figure (genuine militant or deluded pageant and populist) the thing is, his impact can not be underestimated. Rastafarians hailed him as a prophet, and from Malcolm X to Kwame Nkrumah many looked up to him as an inspirational character. 'Negro with a Hat' is an engrossing read, telling the life of this utopian (or was he?) who seemed to have made the wrong dream.
I just wanted a rough overview of his biography; a man that baffles me. I was here, despite my dislike for his ideas, swept in by Colin Grant's meticulous researches, putting him right back into the context of its time. A colourful figure, and a highly interesting read! ...more
Here's the classic by W.E.B. Du Bois, one of the most important intellectuals of the 20th century.
Already having gained for himself a strong reputatiHere's the classic by W.E.B. Du Bois, one of the most important intellectuals of the 20th century.
Already having gained for himself a strong reputation, after barely two books being published (including one about the suppression of slavery in the USA) a small publisher contacted him, to ask whether he had small essays/ texts available for a wider audience. Well, Du Bois, when it came to short essays and texts, he had some and aplenty! They just awaited to be sorted, and there goes... 'The Souls of the Black Folk', 14 essays written over a 7 years period, will finally come out in 1903.
To read, it can be quite messy. Some are studies, others are autobiographical passages, others again are chronicles or reflexions, and, the book even includes a short story! All, thought, despite their baffling disparity, allow us to get at the heart of Du Bois' thoughts about the African-American's condition at the turn of the century, a key period for them.
He keeps nailing it, and nailing it again and again: 'the problem of the 20th century is the problem of the colour line.' And indeed, that problematic 'colour line' went far, far beyond racism and its impact to touch, also, to the core identity of Black people themselves. How to be American and Black given how appallingly Black people are treated? What he calls 'double consciousness' is a dilemma that will engage a 'race' and a whole society for decades to come...
Here's a crucial read, then, also because it shows what the end of the Civil war and the emancipation that followed truly brought to Black people -the good, and the bad. He discusses the emerging of leaders to the cause (especially Booker T. Washington). He describes African American lifestyle, opposes it to that of White people, and questions the cohabitation of the two 'races'. He insists, above all, upon the necessity for those Black people who are educated enough (what he calls the 'Talented Tenth') to educate others so as to empower as many as possible, in a fight for civil and political reckoning.
The battle, as we know it, will contribute to define 20th century America, and might still be ongoing to these days. Here, then, is one of the key figures when it comes to activism, contributing to kick it all off. A must read! ...more
1865. End of the Civil war. Booker T. Washington, still a child, is, as every other slaves, emancipated.
Here was a sudden freedom, though, which was 1865. End of the Civil war. Booker T. Washington, still a child, is, as every other slaves, emancipated.
Here was a sudden freedom, though, which was then like a difficult burden to carry. Yes, slaves were finally free! But.. What of them now? The future, uncertain, seemed to be full of challenges. And yet... Booker T. Washington might have been just a child, but he understood something crucial: the key importance of education. Without education, one cannot go anywhere in life, and, so, started here for him a lifelong journey, that of educating himself and promote education as a way to empower oneself. Obviously, it wasn't an easy endeavour...
His family was poor. His step-father (his real father was a White man who never bothered to care about him) needed him to financially help the struggling family. He therefore worked in a coal mine. The work was tough, brutish, exhausting, but the child still found the time to go to school; one of these schools for Black people that were then blossoming all across the South, and where teaching was done mostly by ex-soldiers from the Northern army. It was very rudimentary, but never mind! He learnt how to read, and he read everything he could, sharpening his mind and growing more and more ambitious in the process. More: he wanted to attend a better school, with 'real' teachers.
Supported by his mother, he therefore went on to Hampton University. Here was a key turning point in his life. Hampton indeed was the first school founded by Black people. It was, also, the most prestigious of its kind. When Booker T. Washington was admitted, the principal was General Samuel C. Armstrong, a White man who had fought under the Union flag; and, Armstrong didn't mess about: 'mind, heart and hands', education to him was as much about sharpening the intellect as about learning a trade, and, gain solid moral values. Such vision will stay with Booker Washington for the rest of his life.
He was a brilliant pupil too; so much so that, when Samuel C. Armstrong decided to open another school in Alabama, he will be asked -when he was barely 25!- to become its principal. The school in question? Tuskegee University. The rest is history.
The rest is history, first, because he became thus the first African-American ever to manage a University. This wasn't an easy fate -he knew perfectly well that, were he to fail, his failure would reflect upon Black people as a whole. Then, because the pupil surpassed the master. At Tuskegee indeed, learning was more than about books. Girls were taught about household chores, boys about farming or construction works, and all about the importance of hygiene and health. Learning a trade or gaining practical skills were as important as sharpening the mind, and when students weren't busy engrossed in books, they were working on the constructions of the surrounding buildings! The school quickly acquired a reputation...
Booker T. Washington, in fact, will use such reputation to raise founds and further his cause. For he was more than a pedagogue; he was, most importantly, an activist and campaigner, and education was at the heart of his ideas. When others were battling for political reckoning and civil rights, he considered all that as merely 'secondary causes'. It's not that they weren't important, but, his goal in educating the still then largely marginalised Black people was to teach them useful trades, requiring skills, and, therefore, rendering them indispensable to society. If anybody, including White people, could benefit from such education and usefulness, then, he thought, the rest -political reckoning and civil rights, let alone respect- would follow.
His ideas were scandalous at times, including among Black people themselves (e.g. his Atlanta speech, in which he asked them to don't engage in political lobbying, but, focus on vocational training instead, didn't go as well as he had planned...) he, nevertheless, attempted to be a bridge between Whites and Blacks, at a time when the country was still trying to recover from slavery. Booker T. Washington, of course, was deeply naïve when it comes to how strongly entrenched racism was; yet, there is no denying that his views on education were indeed empowering, if not as much as he would have wished. Here were the early days of emancipation, and a whole century of battle and challenges will follow, but his work, as such, remained a foundation stone, and inspirational to many. 'Up from Slavery' is a great insight into his views (it includes the infamous Atlanta speech).
The 'underground railroad' was a vast, clandestine, movement whose purpose, in the USA, was to help slaves escaping from the South to the North, incluThe 'underground railroad' was a vast, clandestine, movement whose purpose, in the USA, was to help slaves escaping from the South to the North, including to Canada. One of the main 'leaders' of such movement was Harriett Tubman (1820?-1913), who became since then a whole symbol. Catherine Clinton, American historian, retraces here the few that can be retraced about the life of this astonishing woman, nicknamed 'the Black Moses'.
First a slave, Harriett Tubman was in her twenties when he decided to escape. Traumatised by her experience, she decided to put her freedom to the service of a greater good: help those who stayed behind to escape as well. She therefore became a conductor in the 'underground railroad' (the only Black woman to have played such a key -and very dangerous!- role) and, for the next ten years or so, will free thus about an hundreds of slaves, leading some of her 'passengers' even up north to Canada.
A friend of John Brown (she was supposed to be part of the attack upon Harpers Ferry), brave, tenacious, generous, she would also serve during the Civil War, both as a nurse and a spy, in the Northern army, before opening up an hospice for Blacks people after the war ended. Feminist, she will also campaign for women to have the right to vote, alongside, notably, Susan B. Anthony.
Here's a straightforward biography, then, but of a woman who truly deserves to be far more well-known that she is! ...more
Fanatics? Hero? Terrorist? Martyr? Criminal mystic? John Brown, for sure, has never left anybody indifferent. Even W.E.B. Du Bois, in fact, dedicated Fanatics? Hero? Terrorist? Martyr? Criminal mystic? John Brown, for sure, has never left anybody indifferent. Even W.E.B. Du Bois, in fact, dedicated him this biography! But what about it?
Well, it's a very strong portrait. It hints towards the lyricism, and it offers, unabashedly, the view of a man painted as nothing less but a visionary, who gave his life in the name of a greater, noble, cause. Written and first published at a time when Brown was, by any account, considered as a murderous madman (1909), such portrayal was clearly a challenge to common prejudices, to say the least! But then again: isn't such a character still highly controversial, despite his good intent?
This is not a proper historical essay by any mean (it's far too emotional for that), but, as a brick thrown into a wall and by an intellectual whose legacy was no less impactful, it surely deserves to be discovered. John Brown, after all, still is a contentious figure....more
Peter Kolchin retraces here the history of slavery in the USA, from the arriving of the first slaves in Jamestown in 1619, up until after the Civil WaPeter Kolchin retraces here the history of slavery in the USA, from the arriving of the first slaves in Jamestown in 1619, up until after the Civil War, those ending, in 1865, had led to its abolition.
He retells about its origins, and offers a swift survey of its history back when the USA were still a British colony. He describes its impact during the American Civil War, then its evolution during the Antebellum. He explores how life was for slaves, their masters, and the strange relationships that tied them together. He shows how such 'peculiar institution' had shaped the South -politically, socially, economically- to such a point that southern states didn't hesitate to go onto war just so as to defend it. Finally, he recounts its abolition and its consequences, not only for African-Americans but, American society as a whole.
Divided into chronological chapters, themselves divided into thematical sub-chapters, his is a very simple approach that makes the understanding of such a complex topic quite straightforward and easy. In fact, he even compares it with other of its contemporary models, where whole groups were also 'enslaved' in the name of inegalitarian principles (e.g. in Jamaica, Haiti... but also serfdom in Russia) in an endeavour which might seem surprising at first, but, reveals itself to be very enlightening, so as to fully understand the true horror and particularism of American slavery.
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