February 2007 Archives

Celebrating Black History Month at the VCU Libraries

Reviewed by Kevin Farley, Collection Librarian for the Humanities

Richmond, Virginia, by local author Elvatrice Parker Belsches (part of the Black America Series from Arcadia Publishing), is profusely illustrated with historic photographs of people and places associated with the African-American experience. Belsches provides a comprehensive survey of this crucial, and often overlooked, aspect of Richmond history. Ranging from contributions to business, education, entertainment, medicine, politics, and religion, Belsches charts the increasing growth of influence of Richmond's black citizens on the life of the city. Essay-length captions accompany rare photographs, establishing a timeline of pivotal moments that define the importance of these contributions to Richmond. The chapter on the role of blacks in the medical field includes biographies of Dr. Sara G. Jones -- "one of the first African Americans to pass the medical boards in Virginia" in 1893 -- and Dr. John Howlette O.D., D.O.S. -- "a pioneering optometrist in Richmond who practiced for over 50 years within the historic Jackson Ward district." Belsches also emphasizes the role of organizations and societies that served as professional supports for those who sought to improve the life of black Richmonders in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Although seldom remembered now, the contributions of the individuals Belsches commemorates should never be forgotten.

VCU Libraries presents a talk by Elvatrice Parker Belsches today, from 2-3:30 at Tompkins-McCaw Library, in the Distance Education Room, 2-010, with a reception and book-signing to follow in the Special Collections Reading Room at Tompkins-McCaw Library. Belsches will present "Above and Beyond: A Celebration of the Leonard Graduates," on her work documenting the contributions of graduates of the Leonard Medical School graduates of Shaw University in Raleigh, North Carolina to Richmond in the early 20th century. For further information and details, please visit the VCU Libraries Black History Month website, at http://www.library.vcu.edu/bhm/.

VCU Libraries Special Collections (Reference, Non-Circulating) F234.R59 N424 2002

Celebrating Black History Month at the VCU Libraries

Reviewed by Kevin Farley, Collection Librarian for the Humanities

The works of the acclaimed Harlem Renaissance dramatist, essayist, musical collaborator, novelist, and poet Langston Hughes (1902 - 1967) comprise a crucial record of the African American experience in the first half of the 20th Century. Hughes' poetry from the 1920s and 1930s especially captures the tenor of Harlem voices, allowing the vibrancy of living speech to emerge from the printed page. Defying the simple caricatures of black speech that often prevailed in American literature in previous decades, Hughes' poetry collections -- especially The Weary Blues (1926), The Dream Keeper and Other Poems (1932), and Montage of a Dream Deferred (1951) -- created a space in which the true voices of Harlem could tell their own stories. Using everyday words and rhythms from the voices around him, and mixing echoes of the extraordinary energy of the Jazz music that was becoming more intricate, expressive, and irrefutable, Hughes' poetry constitutes an immortal oral history of one of the most important times and places in American history. "I've known rivers," Hughes writes in "The Negro Speaks of Rivers," "I've known rivers ancient as the world and older than the / flow of human blood in human veins," and the voices of Hughes' poems, like the rivers he celebrates, have become part of that ancient wisdom.

The poetry of Langston Hughes has often been set to music, and his poem cycle "Ask Your Mama: Twelve Moods for Jazz" will be performed Friday evening, February 23, 2007 at 8:00 p.m. at the VCU Singleton Center for the Performing Arts by The Langston Hughes Project, a presentation by The Ron McCurdy Quartet and Dr. Diane Richardson.

Cabell Library PS3515.U274 A6 1990

Celebrating Black History Month at the VCU Libraries

Reviewed by Kevin Farley, Collection Librarian for the Humanities

Perhaps no other novel from the nineteenth century -- and perhaps no other novel in the history of American literature -- is as controversial as Uncle Tom's Cabin, by anti-slavery activist and novelist, Harriet Beecher Stowe. Even in its own time, the novel was extraordinarily divisive -- though not for reasons that 21st Century readers would expect. When first published in 1852, Stowe's depiction of the general brutalities of slavery, and of the particular inhuman acts of slave-owners, was seen by many white readers across the nation as excessive and improbable. And as the historical moment that incited Stowe to write her novel receded (the growth of the abolition movement, the Civil War), critical focus shifted to the depiction of the title character, a slave whose fortitude -- or perhaps docility, as is often argued -- enables him to endure the gradually worsening conditions of slavery, as, through a series of bargains, he is sold to lesser and lesser beneficent masters. Yet Stowe's Uncle Tom -- a name that now represents passive acceptance of unspeakable injustices -- embodies all of the virtues -- profound Christian faith, stoic indifference to the misfortunes of fate, and especially unparalleled moral and physical courage to defend the weak -- that her white readers claimed to value above all others. In showing Uncle Tom's virtues, and cataloging the lack of them in most of the novel's white characters, Stowe holds an unflattering mirror up to her society, daring an unflinching self-examination of their consciences. Stowe's conflicted depiction of Uncle Tom, however, perfectly captures the inherent racism of her times, as well as the ongoing presence of this problem in contemporary America. This new edition of Uncle Tom's Cabin, illustrated profusely with original and recent portrayals of the novel's characters, and annotated with insightful commentary by Henry Louis Gates, Jr. (an acclaimed scholar of African American Studies), provides extensive historical context for the novel and also its critical reception, debate, repudiation, and abiding controversy.

Cabell Library PS2954.U5 2007

Celebrating Black History Month at the VCU Libraries

Reviewed by Michael Rawls, Administrative Office Specialist III

In the fifty years since the publication of Peculiar Institution, historians have produced a significant number of works on American slavery -- developing a variety of interesting sub-fields and topic specializations. Yet, this work remains among the best as a departure point for understanding the world of the ante-bellum slave and it should be considered a prerequisite for subsequent readings on the subject.

Stampp divides his research into ten neatly compartmentalized chapters, each detailing a particular aspect of slave life. The chapter entitled, "A Troublesome Property," for instance, examines various means by which slaves resisted their bondage -- from running away to sabotaging farm implements. Likewise, "To Make Them Stand in Fear," illustrates the frightening level of brutality that was ever-present in the plantation system. Other chapters address the workday lives of slaves, their material condition, legal and familiar status, slave auctions, and the paradoxical role of domestic servants. The last two chapters examine economic factors and social attitudes regarding slavery, respectively, with an eye toward answering the arguments of those who hold an ameliorative view of the institution.

Thankfully, the necessity of the last two chapters has diminished greatly since the book was first published, but it serves as a reminder of the importance of this work. When Peculiar Institution was written, the prevailing view of slavery was one of paternalism and benevolence -- akin to the depiction of slavery in Gone with the Wind. In academics, the prominent work of historian Ulrich Phillips served to legitimize such opinions. Against this backdrop, Stampp's challenge was nothing less than to change America's attitude regarding slavery. Rather than explicitly condemning slavery, he simply describes it in a dispassionate tone. He leaves it to the source material itself to convey the horrors of slavery, trusting the reader to develop their own sense of condemnation. Stampp’s efforts met with resounding success. Peculiar Institution became a classic that is widely used in college and high school classrooms to this day and can be counted among the finest examples of historical revisionism.

Cabell Library E441 .S8 1956A

Celebrating Black History Month at the VCU Libraries

Reviewed by Serena Haroian, Collection Librarian for Business and Public Affairs

In his book, The Black Digital Elite, John T. Barber profiles twenty-six African Americans who have made significant contributions to the advancement of technology over the past four decades. From inventors to CEOs, educators to policy-makers, the compilation of perhaps unfamiliar names and faces adds richness to the history of technological innovation. Beyond the biography, each profile includes an insightful discussion about the digital divide, its persistence and how African Americans can create new paradigms for themselves in order to bridge the gap.

A common thread throughout the book is that African Americans have proven to be willing consumers of technology but they have not generally been the benefactors of the economic opportunities brought about by technology, especially the Internet. One clear path to changing this, says William Kennard, former Chairman of the FCC, is to ensure racial equality in education and access to technology.

The long-term solution is not new. It’s as old as Brown v. Board of Education. We must ensure racial equality in education. But the new twist is that technology is dramatically transforming education in this society and, if we don’t make sure that all kids have equality of access to technology, the digital divide will only widen.

Those profiled express a central message that, in order to prosper and drive social change in a period of technological and economic growth, African Americans must have the abilities to participate at all levels of technology, from developing software to creating cyber-networks.

Cabell Library E185.615 .B297 2006

Celebrating Black History Month at the VCU Libraries

Reviewed by John Glover, Reference Librarian for the Humanities

"What good is science fiction to Black people?" If you have ever wondered this, or if you've ever thought that the future was limited to shiny, cybernetic miracles, you need to read Bloodchild and Other Stories. A collection of five short stories and two wonderfully spare essays on the art of writing, this book serves as a fine introduction to the works of Octavia Butler (1947-2006).

Butler's novels have won the most prestigious awards in the science fiction world, even though they often deal with questions of race and culture that have not always captured the attention of science fiction writers, or the interest of science fiction readers. Her protagonists are frequently strong Black women - think Celie by way of Ellen Ripley. The stories in this volume include everything from synthetic diseases that rob people of their basic humanity to the subtleties of interpersonal relations in difficult circumstances. The title story is a science fictional exploration of the relationship between two unequal species that stands as a mind-bending exploration of slavery and human bondage. There are no laser swords or starships here - only a series of meditations on the possibilities of being human.

Cabell Library PS3552.U827 A6 2005

Celebrating Black History Month at the VCU Libraries

Reviewed by Jennifer Darragh, Reference Librarian for Behavioral and Social Sciences

Albert French's I Can’t Wait on God is a richly visual, multi-layered novel set in a predominantly African American Pittsburgh neighborhood (Homewood) in the summer of 1950. The focal characters of the story are Willet Mercer, a beautiful young woman and her man Jeremiah Henderson. Willet, who has a palpable air of sadness about her, is eager to leave Homewood behind for New York City. In order to obtain money to leave, Jeremiah is propositioned to have Willet become a prostitute for Tommy Moses, a local pimp holding some pretty hefty purse strings. While the deal is being cemented, Willet suddenly stabs Tommy Moses to death. In shock, both Jeremiah and Willet hastily steal what money Moses had on him, ditch his body, and take his car to flee Pittsburgh. After the murder, French's novel splits to follow Willet and Jeremiah while they are on the run -- eventually leading to rural North Carolina and the source of Willet's sadness -- and how life continues on in Homewood. French's ability to evoke powerful imagery and develop multiple characters with considerable depth results in both an interesting and memorable story.

Cabell Library PS3556.R3948 I3 1998

Celebrating Black History Month at the VCU Libraries

Reviewed by Kevin Farley, Collection Librarian for the Humanities

"My whole life," Malcolm X observes toward the end of his groundbreaking autobiography, "had been a chronology of -- changes." One of America's most profound social philosophers, and a dedicated religious leader, Malcolm X brings to bear on each page of his life story the unflinching imperative to examine the causes and consequences of the social injustices -- the devastation (physical, emotional, and spiritual) that racism seeks to inflict -- that constrain and prevent transformation. Change is the key theme of the life of Malcolm X, as he spares no one, and especially not himself, from the imperative to examine, reflect, understand, critique, evaluate and re-evaluate, transform and change whatever form of injustice, whether conscious or unconscious, that hinders the progress of truth. From a directionless life, to a life of focused determination, to serve his faith and free himself and others from illusions, Malcolm X's influence continues the work of change and transformation, more than forty years after his death in 1965. "Despite my firm convictions," he wrote after his historic journey to Mecca in 1964, "I have been always a man who tries to face facts, and to accept the reality of life as new experience and new knowledge unfolds it. I have always kept an open mind, which is necessary to the flexibility that must go hand in hand with every form of intelligent search for truth."

Cabell Library E185.97 .L5 1992
Cabell Library Internet Resources E185.97 .L5 A3 1996eb