Strange Fruit--How far have we come?

The Red Summer refers to the race riots that occurred in more than three dozen cities in the United States during the summer and early autumn of 1919. In most instances, whites attacked African Americans. In some cases many blacks fought back, notably in Chicago, where, along with Washington, D.C. and Elaine, Arkansas, the greatest number of fatalities occurred.[1] The riots followed postwar social tensions related to the demobilization of veterans of World War I, both black and white, and competition for jobs among ethnic whites and blacks. The riots were extensively documented in the press, which along with the federal government conflated black movements to bolshevism. "Armed resistance" movements started as a response to the riots. Dr. George Edmund Haynes wrote a report stating that lynching was a major problem within the United States. The activist and author James Weldon Johnson coined the term "Red Summer." Employed since 1916 by the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) as a field secretary, he built and revived local chapters of that organization. In 1919, he organized peaceful protests against the racial violence of that summer.[2][3]With the manpower mobilization of World War I and immigration from Europe cut off, the industrial cities of the North and Midwest experienced severe labor shortages. Northern manufacturers recruited throughout the South and an exodus ensued.[4] By 1919, an estimated 500,000 African Americans had emigrated from the South to the industrial cities of the North and Midwest in the first wave of the Great Migration, which continued until 1940.[1] They were also migrating to escape the lynchings, Jim Crow laws, lack of protected franchise and poor economy of the rural South, where the boll weevil was devastating cotton crops. African-American workers filled new positions in expanding industries, such as the railroads, as well as many jobs formerly held by whites. In some cities, they were hired as strikebreakers, especially during the strikes of 1917.[4] This increased resentment among many working class whites, immigrants or first-generation Americans. Following the war, rapid demobilization of the military without a plan for absorbing veterans into the job market, and the removal of price controls, led to unemployment and inflation that increased competition for jobs. During the Red Scare of 1919-20, following the Russian Revolution, anti-Bolshevik sentiment in the United States quickly replaced the anti-German sentiment of the war years. Many politicians and government officials, together with much of the press and the public, feared an imminent attempt to overthrow the US government to create a new regime modeled on that of the Soviets. Authorities viewed African Americans' advocacy of racial equality, labor rights, or the rights of victims of mobs to defend themselves with alarm. In a private conversation in March 1919, President Wilson said that "the American Negro returning from abroad would be our greatest medium in conveying bolshevism to America."[5] Other whites expressed a wide range of opinions, some anticipating unsettled times and others seeing no signs of tension.[6] Early in 1919, Dr. George E. Haynes, an educator employed as director of Negro Economics for the U.S. Department of Labor, wrote: "The return of the Negro soldier to civil life is one of the most delicate and difficult questions confronting the Nation, north and south."[7] One black veteran wrote a letter to the editor of the Chicago Daily News saying the returning black veterans "are now new men and world men, if you please; and their possibilities for direction, guidance, honest use and power are limitless, only they must be instructed and led. They have awakened, but they have not yet the complete conception of what they have awakened to."[8] W. E. B. Du Bois, an official of the NAACP and editor of its monthly magazine, saw an opportunity: "By the God of Heaven, we are cowards and jackasses if now that the war is over, we do not marshal every ounce of our brain and brawn to fight a sterner, longer, more unbending battle against the forces of hell in our own land."[9] In May, following the first serious racial incidents, he published his essay "Returning Soldiers":[10] "We return from the slavery of uniform which the world's madness demanded us to don to the freedom of civil garb. We stand again to look America squarely in the face and call a spade a spade. We sing: This country of ours, despite all its better souls have done and dreamed, is yet a shameful land.... We return. We return from fighting. We return fighting."Following the violence-filled summer, in the autumn of 1919, Haynes reported on the events. His report was to be the brief for an investigation of the issues by the U.S. Senate Committee on the Judiciary. He identified 38 separate riots in widely scattered cities, in which whites attacked blacks .[1] In addition, Haynes reported that between January 1 and September 14, 1919, white mobs lynched at least forty-three African Americans, with sixteen hanged and others shot; while another eight men were burned at the stake. The states appeared powerless or unwilling to interfere or prosecute such mob murders.[1] Unlike earlier race riots in U.S. history, the 1919 events were among the first in which blacks in number resisted white attacks. A. Philip Randolph, a civil rights activist and leader of the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters, defended the right of blacks to self-defense.[2]On November 17, Attorney General Palmer reported to Congress on the threat that anarchists and Bolsheviks posed to the government. More than half the report documented radicalism in the black community and the "open defiance" black leaders advocated in response to racial violence and the summer's rioting. It faulted the leadership of the black community for an "ill-governed reaction toward race rioting...In all discussions of the recent race riots there is reflected the note of pride that the Negro has found himself. that he has 'fought back,' that never again will he tamely submit to violence and intimidation."[36] It described "the dangerous spirit of defiance and vengeance at work among the Negro leaders." [36]

Celebrating the Father of Black History: Dr. Carter G. Woodson

During the dawning decades of the twentieth century, it was commonly presumed that black people had little history besides the subjugation of slavery. Today, it is clear that blacks have significantly impacted the development of the social, political, and economic structures of the United States and the world. Credit for the evolving awareness of the true place of blacks in history can, in large part, be bestowed on one man, Carter G. Woodson. And, his brainchild the Association for the Study of African American Life and History, Inc. is continuing Woodson’s tradition of disseminating information about black life, history and culture to the global community. Known as the “Father of Black History,” Woodson (1875-1950) was the son of former slaves, and understood how important gaining a proper education is when striving to secure and make the most out of one’s divine right of freedom. Although he did not begin his formal education until he was 20 years old, his dedication to study enabled him to earn a high school diploma in West Virginia and bachelor and master’s degrees from the University of Chicago in just a few years. In 1912, Woodson became the second African American to earn a PhD at Harvard University. Recognizing the dearth of information on the accomplishments of blacks in 1915, Dr. Woodson founded the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History, now called the Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH). Under Woodson’s pioneering leadership, the Association created research and publication outlets for black scholars with the establishment of the Journal of Negro History (1916) and the Negro History Bulletin (1937), which garners a popular public appeal. In 1926, Dr. Woodson initiated the celebration of Negro History Week, which corresponded with the birthdays of Frederick Douglass and Abraham Lincoln. In 1976, this celebration was expanded to include the entire month of February, and today Black History Month garners support throughout the country as people of all ethnic and social backgrounds discuss the black experience. ASALH views the promotion of Black History Month as one of the most important components of advancing Dr. Woodson’s legacy. In honor of all the work that Dr. Carter G. Woodson has done to promote the study of African American History, an ornament of Woodson hangs on the White House's Christmas tree each year.

I too, am an American

There's evidence that just being black in the United States is often all it takes to arouse suspicion. Here are 21 examples from the last five years of some of the things black people can't do without others thinking they're up to no good. 1. Listen to loud music at a gas station. 2. Walk home from a snack run to 7-11. 3. Wear a hoodie. 4. Drive after swimming. 5. Drive in a car with a white girl. 6. Appear in public in New York City. 7. Walk on the wrong side of the street. 8. Wait for a school bus to take you to your high school basketball game. 9. Drink iced tea in a parking lot. 10. Seek help after a car accident. 11. Inspect your own property. 12. Show up at your job. 13. Talk trash after an NFL game. 14. Throw a temper tantrum in kindergarten. 15. Buy designer accessories at Barney’s. 16. Buy designer accessories at Macy’s. 17. Be a 13-year-old boy. 18. Enter your own home. 19. Botch a science experiment. 20. Be a tourist. 21. Lay face down in handcuffs.

Fathers Raise Your Sons!

Black mothers are tired and may have or is dropping the ball.

Fathers-Raise Your Daughters

Black Mothers are tired and many may have or are dropping the ball.

An Interview with Dr. Maya Angelou

We know that we want to feel appreciated, listened to, cared about, and respected.

An Interview with Dr. Maya Angelou

Small Mind and Big Mind – Maya Angelou uses a deck of playing cards to play solitaire when she is stuck on a piece of writing.  She says that her grandmother taught her the difference between her small mind and her big mind.  By distracting her small mind, she lets her big mind work.  This fits with what many creative people say about letting our subconscious mind do the heavy lifting.  It is a great reminder that our chattering monkey-mind often gets in the way.  Distracting ourselves may be a great way to hand over controls to a more powerful mind.  It is suggested that this mind may be universal; a kind of meta-consciousness.  I’m not sure, but it is at the least, very powerful.  Some people take naps, some play solitaire, others go for walks.  The trick is to distract the thinking mind just enough, to create some space between ourselves and the idea.  Then, without warning, the idea strikes like a bolt of lighting in the brain.   

1. Keeping a Creative Space – Maya Angelou keeps a hotel room ready for her to work in.  Environment is such an important aspect of the creative process.  She says when she steps into her hotel room; all her outside concerns fade to the background.  She can focus on her inner world.  She only brings a thesaurus, a dictionary, the bible, pens, a notepad, and playing cards.  Environment is a critical component of work. I think there is a lot to be said for consciously choosing the right working space.  Some people work best in coffee shops. Others, like Po Bronson, prefer to write in a tiny closet.    Environment is also one of the main parts of shaping, or changing, any behavior. If you want to cut back on ice cream, you shouldn’t keep any in your fridge.  If you want to be productive, find the space that works best for you.  Doing creative, productive, work requires that we find the right surroundings.      
2. Choose Your Words Carefully - The interviewer asked Maya Angelou if she got writer’s block.   Dr. Angelou said she doesn’t call it writer’s block.  She said that she believes words have power.  If she says she has writer’s block, her brain will comply.  So she doesn’t get writer’s block.  She does wait for ideas when she gets stuck.  She waits and waits and plays solitary.  She plays so much solitary that she’ll go through good decks of playing cards.  As described earlier, she’s waiting for her big brain to find a solution.  Everyone gets stuck.  Everyone struggles.  But choosing how we describe our challenges is a wise lesson.  
3. We Are All Energy – The interviewer asked, “Where do you get your energy?”  Maya Angelou is getting older, but she continues to write and teach.  Her reply was very interesting.  She said; we are all energy.  She works because she must work.  She owes it to her work; to her muse.  I really like this truth.  We really are all made of energy.  When we feel drained it is because we are doing work that is draining.  When we switch to work that energizes us, we recover our vitality.  Rest is also important.  But it is great to keep in mind the role energy plays on our body.   
4. We Are All People – Maya Angelou has lived in different countries around the world.  She was asked how she relates to people from different cultural backgrounds.  Dr. Angelou said that we are all people.  She said she’s not sure how she would relate to an elephant or a lion, but she knows how to relate to people.  People all want the same things.  We know that we want to feel appreciated, listened to, cared about, and respected.  On an even deeper level -Buddhists point out – we all want to avoid suffering and feel happiness.  Maya Angelou knows this.  She treats people as brothers and sisters from planet Earth.  Knowing that we all want to be treated well is empowering.  Acting on that knowledge is challenging.  Culture, ideas, and emotions fog this truth.  It is great to be reminded of our shared desires.  
5. Courage – Maya Angelou talks about developing courage.  She compares it to lifting a hundred pound bag of rice.  Instead of trying to lift a hundred pounds, it’s better to start lifting small bags.  Then gradually you can build up to heavier bags.  She says courage works the same way.  You begin with small acts of courage and build up to the larger acts.  I like this idea of building courage the way you build a muscle. “Do one thing every day that scares you.”  Love yourself and love your people.  We are all Humans.   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   

Spending Time with Dr. Maya Angelou by Ms. Noa Williams

Spending Time with Dr. Maya Angelou

Joining You Is

Nola Jones Williams

January, 2014

I read from my personalized, autographed copy of Dr. Maya Angelou’s Wouldn’t Take Nothin’ for My Journey Now* shortly after I got out of bed this morning--a sunny, yet subzero temperature outside. 

My mind filled with images of friends spending this frigid day at my home where we could read Dr. Angelou’s essays together.  Looking on the computer, I had the thought to send each person a copy of the book so that you could read the twenty year old book anew.  Even though we can’t be together, I thought I could mail each person a bit of “stay-at-home and read” pleasure.

Dr. Angelou has been on my mind.  Her tribute to Nelson Mandela (someone emailed the website to me) contained the spoken words that brought peace and comfort to me.  She continues to have a giving spirit.  

I never got to Amazon or Random House to find out what the price would be for 50-100 copies of Dr. Maya Angelou’s I Wouldn’t Take Nothin’ for My Journey Now.  What I did instead was see on You Tube Dr. Angelou reading Part I of the book!

I am still listening.  I “gift” you with a “must listen to” video.  There is a single photograph of Dr. Angelou.  The “gift” I introduce to you is Dr. Maya Angelou’s voice as she graciously shares her book with the listener!  I’m on Part VII, and I am guessing that Dr. Angelou reads the entire book.  Pop-up icons suggest that more of her work is available for your pleasure, at no cost.

Right now, again, I ask that you join me this week and take time to listen to Dr. Maya Angelou’s reading of I Wouldn’t Take Nothin’ for My Journey Now.  I am being blessed in the hearing of her words.  I invite you to claim your blessings, too!

And, give some thought as to HOW you might say “Thank You!”  to Dr. Maya Angelou, she who has given us so much for so long.  Example:  I sent a “Thank You!” 50th birthday greeting to First Lady Michelle Obama last week.  Please know that a large part of my sharing with you today is my way of saying “Thank You!” to Dr. Maya Angelou.

So, listen up on You Tube OR get out the book and read it again...        nola

*My cousin Alice Mary Windom gave me my autographed copy of the book last year.  Alice, long-time friend of Dr. Angelou, goes to Dr. Angelou’s birthday party each year.  Through Alice I get to hear a little about the grand event.  Alice’s personal account of her journey to and from the parties is “her story”, unique, DELIGHTFUL!

nola williams