Re: [ARSCLIST] Sounds of Slavery

[eugene hayhoe <jazzme48912@xxxxxxxxx>]

I highly recommend James Loewen's recent book, Sundown Towns, for an excellent view of the very repugnant aspects of American history Steven refers to. 
   
  Haven't had a chance yet to read all of the posts on this topic, so maybe someone has already pointed out this Document release, Field Recordings Vol. 10 & 11, 1933-1941, which has a couple of long interviews with former slaves Laura Smalley and Aunt Harriett Smith:
   
  http://www.document-records.com/fulldetails.asp?ProdID=DOCD-5600
   
  Gene

"Steven C. Barr(x)" <stevenc@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
  ----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Kiwi O'Connell" 
> I admire what you are undertaking, which is a mammoth task. I worked at the
> University of Southern Mississippi (Hattiesburg), The Mississippi Department
> of Archives & History (Jackson) & Tougaloo College (a famous African
> American College that housed and was involved with the Freedom Riders in the
> 1960's). I was working on the audio collections if the Civil Rights Era in
> MS.
> I have also done other work at other Colleges & Libraries in MS. Even
> though I did not hear recordings of the 1930's, and I understand that
> slavery was abolished in 1865, after the Civil War, I did hear audio
> interviews of people who had had slaves, and some who 'claimed' they didn't
> have a slave but they had "blacks' who drove them around, did their
> cleaning, cooking, etc.
> I heard stories from people whose mother's & father's had been slaves, along
> with the family, living on the plantations. To me, it may well have been
> abolished but it was still going strong.
> 
Was?!?!

> The Civil Rights Movement has done a lot to change racism but, I felt it was
> still there in a covert way. You only have to hear the words like them and
> us to realize.
And still IS!
> 
> On a final note, at the last ARSC conference I played some audio from a
> black soldier who had risked his life for his fellow Americans in WWII.
> When he came home he got on the bus with his Aunt and sat in the middle of
> the bus. He was told - Niggers sit in the back of the bus. I found it very
> disturbing. 
> 
Sadly, the US of A has effectively *instituionalized* racism! Vitually all
US cities consist of a ghetto-ized core, occupied by Blacks...surrounded by
a ring of white-only suburban communities! The only exception to this is,
of course, that many of the older suburban communities have been, like the
central areas of existing cities, effectively abandoned to either Blacks
or "slumlords" who specialize in renting to Black tenants!

In this day and age..."N****rs are no longer expected to obediently take
seats in specific portions of the (city) bus! However, should they decide
to relocate to "Park Forest Highlands Heights," where the homes sprawl
across about three times as much land as is needed...well, expect conflict,
challenge and the next thing to all-out physical WAR!

The slaves were freed...but not so freed as to mingle with respectable
(read "white!") folks...!

...stevenc


       
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