Standing on the Shoulders of Miss Lou and Our Elders

As a child, I remember being transfixed by a Jamaican TV show called “Ring Ding” hosted by a Dr. Louise Bennett who was affectionately called Miss Lou.  Ring Ding was a kind of Jamaican Sesame Street with one major character: Miss Lou.  She presided over groups of students in a school setting and sang heritage songs, told stories and recited poems representing hundreds of years of culture.  She elevated the Jamaican language, patois, to an art form and exposed its multicultural roots at a time when others were ashamed of it.

She was a robust woman with a smile as wide as her face; her expressions ranged from east to west and her hands and feet animated her stories.   It was always an interactive affair.  I remember feeling as if I was one of those children in that studio calling out the answers to her questions or singing along with them – all from the other side of the television screen.

Oh it seemed like a wondrous world – a world in which our Afro-Jamaican culture was celebrated like a fine art.

I remember Miss Lou today as I remember a dear aunt who passed away recently: Mrs. Jasmine Ramsay Archibald, postmistress in the little town of Siloah, Jamaica. She held strong Christian beliefs, and like Miss Lou, was deeply committed to the Jamaican countryside. With her husband, she raised five children to become fine citizens of Jamaica and the Jamaican Diaspora. As I remember Miss Lou today, her son, Geoffrey Archibald’s beautiful eulogy comes to mind:

“Visit your elders now,’ he said, “while they are still alive.”

Honor them, he seemed to be saying, in life and in death.  Remember their contribution. Remember that it is on these shoulders that you stand.

I and countless Jamaicans are standing on Miss Lou’s shoulders right now.  Her contributions and pioneering efforts have made our far humbler ones possible.

No shame. A Fi Wi language. (translation: It’s our language.)

Hear her say it here. 

Sources: 

Jamaican Labrish (1983)

Aunty Roachy Seh (1993)

Anne C. Bailey

New book: The Weeping Time: Memory and the Largest Slave Auction in American History (Fall, 2017 Cambridge University Press)

Teach History Don't Erase It: The Civil War over Confederate Statues

A quiet storm is brewing all across America.  Statues are being taken down; streets and buildings are being renamed all because of their association with the Confederate cause.  The Mayor of New Orleans, acting on a vote by the City Council, recently removed three statues of prominent Confederate figures in the dead of night and under heavy police presence.  Baltimore and other cities around the country are considering following suit.  Some are calling it a civil war over statues.

To be sure, honoring the Confederacy has always been problematic in some circles, particularly for people of African descent for whom there was never any doubt that the American Civil War was fought for the preservation and expansion of slavery. Noted African American scholar, W. E. B. Dubois, in his seminal The Souls of Black Folk, as early at 1903 confirmed the same by pointing to the actual secession articles of the Confederacy.

So why would we or should we honor Confederate heroes with statues?  There is a good case to be made that we shouldn’t but there is also a good case to be made that we should teach this history and not erase it.

The Weeping Time Connection

In my upcoming book,  The Weeping Time: History, Memory and the Largest slave auction in American History, after detailing the nature of this auction and Southern slavery, I ask readers to consider the reality of contested memories about the Civil War and its impact.   Acknowledging our difference in memory is a first step in much needed dialogue and discussion.  In this regard I say:

Given this history, how should a white Southerner feel about his ancestor who fought for the Confederate cause?  With the ever changing environment of public memorials, it seems as if some may indeed feel what people of African descent and others have long since felt: a sense of a fragmented past, if not fragmented identity. That shift for some can be disquieting.

But is it possible to honor an ancestor’s valor but disagree with that which gave rise to that valor?  Or as scholars Wagner and Pacifici have suggested that we expand the discussion on the causes of the war to include “commitments and sacrifices that would be considered heroic in the service of OTHER ends.”   In other words, might it one day be possible to honor the service of one’s Confederate ancestors while at the same time clearly acknowledge that on the question of slavery, they were wrong.  And while we cannot apologize for them, we can as a nation offer a solid apology upon which true reconciliation can be built.

No Easy Fix

To me this is so significant if indeed we are trying to achieve some common ground. People cannot wash away their ancestors or their heritage. They need to be able to make sense of it for the sake of their own identity in the present. This may be a good first step toward reconciliation.

Or as the black farmer, Chris Newman, whose facebook post went viral recently commented: “People are so busy going after that easy fix, going after that Confederate flag, that they’re not doing the hard thing, which is thinking, how did we get here, and how the hell do we dig [ourselves] out of institutional racism.”

I guess this is the kind of discussion I wish we were having BEFORE we decide what to do with those statues and that flag.  Town halls could be convened with able mediators, state and national debates and conferences could be set up so that those who want to weigh in on both sides feel they have a voice.

Instead, we are tearing down statues and with them goes some of our history. Amnesia prone, we already are. Now we are likely to be even more so.

So while I understand the zeal with which the activists want to see change—for the good of this cause, I implore them to consider the importance of debate, discussion and listening to one another as first steps.

Anne Bailey

Author of The Weeping Time: Memory and the Largest Slave Auction in American History, (Cambridge University Press, October 2017)

Photo Credit: Thanks to one of our readers, Amanda Reed, who takes her son to sites like the Butler Plantation ( site of The Weeping Time) as a teaching tool.

On Family, Money and Memory

Last week, our guest blogger, Spelman economist, Dr. deGannes Scott wrote a great article about the road to economic freedom.  On that road, many of our families including my own have encountered many obstacles.  Here is an excerpt from my new book, The Weeping Time: Memory and the Largest Slave Auction in American History, in which I reflect on the resilience of the Black family and the connection between the acquisition of material things and historical memory.  This excerpt follows a discussion in the text of the many Black family reunions taking place across the United States which stand in stark contrast to the sea of negative statistics about modern day Black families.

On an anecdotal level, there are many situations in which parents (married or not) are doing their best to express their love to their children and keep the connection with their families, albeit often in material ways. It may be that the shopkeeper who buys her son $150 Nike sneakers is not just a shameless consumer but someone trying to express her love ironically in the way that our society often emphasizes the most – material things.  The salesperson on a minimum wage salary brags that when her daughter graduates from high school, her father will buy her a new car.  He is not another deadbeat Black Dad she proffers though she is not asked the question.  They may not be married, but their daughter’s graduation in a sea of negative statistics on Black drop- out rates is cause for celebration.   Then there is the five year old whose mother of humble means gives a lavish “Hollywood” style birthday party befitting a movie star’s daughter complete with red carpet and professional photos.  Her child’s birthday, she reasons, is cause for celebration. No one asks regarding her dad’s absence. He could be dead. He could be in prison. He could simply be unable to attend.  In the Black community, we learn not to ask regarding parentage.  We learn to celebrate with those who celebrate and mourn with those who mourn.

From my academic and memory obsessed perspective, I used to think that all these gestures were misguided. After all, books, books and more books were what we needed as a people. Or as Thomas Jefferson himself said:  “I cannot live without books.”  But then one day, I looked closer and realized that what I was witnessing was love.  This was a way that some parents tried to show love to their children. This was their way of giving them what in their minds was the very best. 

Genealogy, family reunions, and other initiatives go far in filling the gaps created by historical breaches, yet they cannot fully bridge the chasm of loss and displacement of identity and name.  Nothing—no car, no pair of sneakers, no video game—can take the place of forefathers forever unknown, of ancestral places never visited, of artifacts, heirlooms and memories never inherited.

This book attempts to put the Black family crisis in historical perspective. It shows that the Black family has proven itself to be incredibly resilient. Out of the ashes of the Weeping Time and slavery, many are putting these fragments of historical memory back together, piece by piece, block by block, brick by brick with faith, fortitude and hope that these missing pieces will represent a surer foundation than material things ever could.

 Excerpt from The Weeping Time:Memory and the Largest Slave Auction in American History ( Cambridge University Press, Oct , 2017)
Picture Credit: John White, “Black mother and child,” US National Archives, Creative Commons License (flkr), circa 1970.
 Anne C . Bailey

http://www.annecbailey.net

The Journey to Economic Freedom Begins with a Few Basic Steps

A  Tale of two “O’s”: Oprah and Oseola

            If one were to ask the general United States population to name an African American person, male or female, who has achieved economic success, the most probable response would be “Oprah Winfrey.”  Ms. Winfrey is known for her popular daytime talk show that ended in 2011, after 25 years on television.  She is lauded for her generosity and her business savvy.   Oprah Winfrey, college-educated and now a billionaire, is one of many African Americans who has joined the ranks of the moneyed class.

            Now, meet Oseola McCarty.  Ms. McCarty was born in Wayne County, Mississippi on March 7, 1908, and died in Hattiesburg on September 26, 1999. She came to the attention of the nation in 1995, when she donated $150,000 to the University of Southern Mississippi, to establish a scholarship fund for needy students.¹  In today’s dollars, the $150,000 gift would be valued at $242,000.    

            Why do I talk about Oprah and Oseola in the same forum?  Is it because of race, gender, generosity? Yes, yes, and yes – both black, both female, both generous!  But, there is more.  Let us take a look at Ms. McCarty’s resume: Education - 6^th grade.  Occupation - Domestic Worker.  Work Experience - Washing and ironing clothes.  Salary - No historical record, but as little as $10.00 per week in some years!  Ms. McCarty’s gift to the university was 53% of her life savings of $280,000, which would be worth $452,000 in 2017 dollars.  While, Ms. Winfrey’s resume is more sophisticated and her net worth is much higher, I dare anyone to downplay Ms. McCarty’s achievement.

Let’s talk basics: Economics and Math - Spending and Saving

            The latest statistics (2013) indicate that 69% of American adults have less than $1,000 in savings, while 34% do not have any.²   I ask you to juxtapose this information with what we know of Oseola McCarty.  What was her secret?  I contend there is no secret.  Rather, it is a combination of basic economics and mathematics.  Economics tells us that individuals divide their total income between consumption (spending) and saving; in the language of mathematics, saving entails spending less than total income.  Ms. McCarty intuitively and boldly applied these principles, in spite of a marketing culture that encourages mass accumulation of material goods.

I realize there are people who are desperately trying to make ends meet, and I sincerely empathize with them; it is unconscionable that every worker is not paid a living wage.  On the other hand, there are workers who earn a decent income, but who do not have the self-discipline to apply basic economics and mathematics, intuitively or otherwise.

Enter the “sou-sou”: A collective saving system

            To individuals who need a push toward economic independence, I bring to you the “asu-su”, also known as “sou-sou”, or “partner” in some Caribbean countries.  This is a collective saving system that originated in West Africa, survived the journey across the Middle Passage to the Caribbean, and was brought to the United States by Caribbean immigrants.   It brings together a number of people, each of whom agrees to pay a predetermined amount of money, on a recurring basis (weekly or monthly), for a specific period.  The lump-sum of money collected each week or month (the “hand”), is given to a different member of the group.  The heart of the “sou-sou” is the “banker (usually a woman), who vets prospective members, and skillfully manages the collection and distribution of the funds. A “round” ends when each member receives his or her “hand”, and the process starts all over again.  Bear in mind, the “sou-sou” is a long-term enterprise, often with the intergenerational transfer of the position of “banker”.    

“Sou-sou” has had its share of detractors, mostly from a bourgeois perspective that encourages engagement with banks.  The major argument is, that group members who receive a later “hand” would do better to deposit their money in a bank for the duration of the “sou-sou”, as the bank pays interest, while the “sou-sou” does not.  I reject this argument.  Banks pay very little interest on savings while charging high interest on loans, making them the only winner in saving/borrowing transactions.  

On the road……the journey has begun


People who grew up in the tradition of the “sou-sou” will attest to its utility, having witnessed first-hand how it has impacted lives.   Perhaps, the family used the lump-sum payments to accumulate funds for the down payment on the purchase of a house or to pay for a wedding; for college tuition or to establish a rainy day account.  A successful “sou-sou” thrives on honesty, trust, community, and the desire to save money.  Try it.  I do believe that Ms. McCarty and Ms. Winfrey, the ancestors, and you will be pleased with the result.

¹http://www.philanthropyroundtable.org/almanac/hall_of_fame/oseola_mccarty

²http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/other/how-does-your-net-worth-compare-to-the-average-americans/ar-BBDEBSg.

Bernice J. deGannes Scott, Ph.D.

Associate Professor, Economics
Spelman College, Atlanta, GA

First African American Bank, Penny Savings Bank, Birmingham Ala., 1890-1915.
Courtesy of Birmingham Public Library Arhiveshttp://www.encyclopediaofalabama.org/article/m-6281

From the Desk of…Langston Hughes

    Harlem

    What happens to a dream deferred?

    Does it dry up

     like a raisin in the sun?

     Or fester like a sore—

     And then run?

      Does it stink like rotten meat?

      Or crust and sugar over—

      like a syrupy sweet?

    
      Maybe it just sags

      like a heavy load.

      or does it explode?

Source: Selected Poems of Langston Hughes (Random House Inc., 1990)

In Memoriam

Dr. Roger Abrahams

Roger Abrahams, expert on  African and African American folklore traditions, passed away on June 20. Roger Abrahams was a professor at University of Pennsylvania for many years.  I was fortunate to have had him as a teacher and a mentor.   I remember him fondly not only for his brilliance but also his kindness and humility.  His books are terrific and well worth reading: African folktales: Traditional stories of the Black World  and African American Folktales: Stories from Black Traditions in the New World. Many of these tales are full of wisdom and humor and have been gleaned from sources as diverse as missionary accounts in Africa and inner city lore.

Anne C. Bailey

Next week:  Stay tuned for another excerpt of The Weeping Time: Memory and the Largest Slave Auction in American History. 

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Hidden Figures Who Helped Shape Modern Science

This week health care and the treatment of women were in the news.  Today’s blog deals with both… in the 19^th century where I am most comfortable as a researcher and where the shadows of the past sometimes loom over the present.

Many of us outside of the medical community may be unaware of a doctor called James Marion Sims, (1813- 1883) also often called “the father of gynecology.”  Dr. Sims is famous for many reasons.  Important medical instruments bear his name and are a testimony to his groundbreaking clinical work and research. As he  shared in his autobiography, (which is not for the faint hearted) he was the first to solve various gynecological problems associated with difficult childbirths.  For this reason and others, there are statues and plaques that bear his name and likeness in South Carolina and New York.

Enslaved women and experiments

What is less known, though it was something he was very forthright about in his autobiography, is that a number of his groundbreaking experiments and operations were first done on enslaved women in the South and later on poor Irish immigrant women in New York.  Early in his career, as a young doctor who graduated from Jefferson Medical College, he was often called upon by plantation owners to treat their slaves. It was in these scenarios that Sims both diagnosed certain maladies that were previously untreated and then proceeded to set up a makeshift hospital in Montgomery, Alabama from 1845-49 where enslaved women were sent to him for experimentation…experimentation he performed without anesthesia.  Many of these women were operated upon several times without their consent.  Anarcha, Betsey and Lucy  from nearby plantations suffered the most.

When I think of these women, they bring to mind the enslaved women in my new book, The Weeping Time: Memory and the Largest Slave Auction in American history.  (Cambridge University Press) These were women that Fanny Kemble tried to help on her visit to her husband’s plantation in the South -the Butler plantation.   Though married to a slave master, she harbored abolitionist sentiments and for this reason was struck by the relative lack of health care for slave women during and after childbirth. She set up an infirmary for them and pleaded with her husband that they be given more time to recover after childbirth.

Health care today

What do these stories have to do with us today?    In the interest of balance and fairness, if we celebrate Dr. Sims for his groundbreaking work, we at least ought to acknowledge and honor the lives of those he experimented on.  Enslaved women like Anarcha, Betsey and Lucy are hidden figures for whom there are no plaques, no medical implements named in their honor—though their sacrifice in part made his honor and achievements possible.

Second, it speaks to the current day issues of good access to medical care and disparities in health care.  Disclaimer:  I am no expert on this issue and can’t assess the merits of the Affordable Care Act or what is being proposed right now in Congress.  At the same time, it is true that we can’t do anything about the past. The past is past but I often wonder: what can we do now?  What can we do now to help provide good access to health care for all—regardless of color, class or ability?  How do we reconcile the history that we can’t change with the present that we can?

I want to think that with medical ethics and civil rights for women we have come and have moved very far away from this history. As a firm believer in redemption and restoration in my life and in the lives of others, I want to think it is a new day.  Is it?  I am still hopeful that it can be.

Sources:

The Story of My Life  James Marion Sims

The Price of Their Pound of Flesh, Diana Ramey Berry

Medical Apartheid, Harriet A. Washington

 “The Medical Ethics of Dr. J. Marion Sims,”  Durrenda Ojanuga. http://jme.bmj.com/content/medethics/19/1/28.full.pdf

Hidden Figures, the motion picture

From the movie Hidden Figures --portrayals of women of the 20th century and their contribution to science.

 From the desk of….. Tupac Shakur

I know very little about popular culture so when I occasionally read excerpts of this poem to my students  –after they get over their shock that I know anything outside of the 19^th century--they are amazed at its beauty.  It usually comes up in discussion of the historical resilience of the black community.

“Did you hear about the rose that grew from a crack in the concrete? Proving nature's laws wrong, it learned to walk without having feet. Funny, it seems to, by keeping its dreams; it learned to breathe fresh air. Long live the rose that grew from concrete when no one else even cared.” 

“We wouldn't ask why a rose that grew from the concrete for having damaged petals, in turn, we would all celebrate its tenacity, we would all love its will to reach the sun, well, we are the roses, this is the concrete and these are my damaged petals, don’t ask me why, thank God, and ask me how” 
― The Rose That Grew from Concrete

Tupac Shakur, poet 1971-1996

Picture credit: http://www.rollingstone.com/movies/news/tupac-shakur-auditioned-to-be-a-jedi-in-star-wars-report-20140107

 Anne C. Bailey

http://www.annecbailey.net