Justice Denied, Then Restored
Biography of Mary Ann Shadd Cary by Jane Rhodes
In 1848, Mary Ann Shadd Cary, a free Black woman, wrote to Frederick Douglass to say the abolitionists were talking too much. She wanted action, not talk!
Douglass had, “asked readers of his North Star newspaper for suggestions on improving life for black people in America.” She replied, and he printed her long letter.
According to The New York Times, her letter “established her as a youthful, unconventional voice, and was the first step in her journey to becoming a prominent journalist and activist.” Yet most of us never heard of her, an example of justice denied.
People Overlooked in Times Obituaries
The New York Times has been publishing obituaries of remarkable people who were not white and male, calling the series “Overlooked!” I missed this one, but my friend Rochelle sent it to me. This obituary, published more than 100 years after her death, seems like justice restored!
When Shadd Cary was in her late twenties in 1950, she moved to Canada where she thought she could do more to aid the abolitionist cause. She urged other Blacks to come north. She also edited and published a newspaper.
Jane Rhodes is the head of the African-American Studies department at the University of Illinois, Chicago and wrote Mary Ann Shadd Cary: The Black Press and Protest in the Nineteenth Century” Another book for my “to read” list on Goodreads.
Shadd Cary returned to the US when the Civil War started, later got her degree in law, and became active in the women’s right to vote movement. She died in 1893, long before we got the vote!
Though she was respected as a leader, she was also marginalized as a Black woman. “This seeming contradiction . . . is central to the story of the African-American woman,” Rhodes wrote in the foreword of her biography.
I love reading about women whose major accomplishments are not well-known. Sometimes I get angry, too. Overlooked indeed! Thanks, NYTimes, for attempting to restore justice to the lives of people we should know about.
Justice Denied and Restored, Part II
In 2001 a woman was sorting family belongings and found a photo of her father, John E. James Jr., in what appeared to be a class of army officers. He was one of 21 Black men in the class.
At first, her father who was then in his seventies, didn’t want to talk about his experience. But she persevered. Finally, according to The New York Times article, he told her. “He graduated from the Army’s Officer Candidate School in Fort Benning, Ga. in 1942, but was never allowed to serve as a commissioned officer,” the article reports.
He said that the afternoon he graduated, he was told by a white officer that he would not get his commission. He was sent to an all-black battalion, “at a time when racial discrimination in the military derailed the dreams and careers of a generation of African-American soldiers.” There, he became a typist.
His daughter speculates on the cause. Maybe it was “because he would outrank some white officers in the battalion he would be assigned to, and black officers were not supposed to supervise whites.”
Officer Finally Gets His Commission
She learned in 2015 that he could request a correction from the armed forces. The army first denied having his records, then denied his claim, perhaps hoping he would die before they had to admit wrongdoing!
After dozens of emails and letters, and support from their congressman, she won. He finally got his commission. He was overjoyed. Justice restored at last!
Chimamanda and Trevor Together
https://brittlepaper.com/2018/06/adichie-trevor-noahs-10-minutes-tv-magic/
Trevor Noah’s memoir Born a Crime
Do you watch Trevor Noah on Comedy Central’s The Daily Show?
I read his memoir before I even realized he was a late night comedy show host! Now I watch often.
And I admire Chimamanda’s writing and speaking, so seeing the two together was great! I actually hadn’t seen them that night, but read about it in the Brittle Paper blog.
I recommend the article to you if you are a fan of either Trevor Noah or Chimamanda Adichie, or like me, you enjoy both!
They exchange lots of laughs and some serious comments too. I believe Trevor joins Chimamanda as a feminist.
July 2nd Fireworks in Westport
Because several towns line the Fairfield County coast with Westport in the middle, and we all want to hold our fireworks on the beach, we “share” the night for fireworks. Who wants competing fireworks shows!
Melissa and Doug are sponsors of the fireworks! Their name is in white on the boat.
This year was our turn to have July 2nd as our night.
Last night Clem and I asked Gary Stuart, my first-grade classmate and current fellow Westport resident, to accompany us. I took dinner, wine, and beach chairs.
After sitting first by a lifeguard’s chair which was proving irresistible to many loud children, we moved slightly away and got even closer to the shoreline.
The sky was clear, the temperature perfect, and the fireworks as enjoyable as ever.
Much better pictures and fun commentary is in Dan Woog’s blog 06880.
