Book Review: Barracoon: The Story of the Last "Black Cargo"

I picked up Barracoon: The Story of the Last "Black Cargo" by Zora Neale Hurston from a bookstore in an airport. I read majority of it on the flight, and came back to the appendix about a month later. I don't generally like non-fiction, but I was a fan of Hurston's Their Eyes Were Watching God and I thought the topic sounded interesting.

Summary

Barracoon: The Story of the Last "Black Cargo" follows the story of Oluale Kossola, also known as Cudjoe Lewis, who was stolen from West Africa in 1860 (53 years after the trans-Atlantic Slave Trade had been outlawed). It is one of the few historical narratives told from the point of view of the captured as most of the narratives come from the whites who did the capturing. In the novel, we learn of Kossola's childhood, the horrible attack on his village that led his people to be in captivity, his experience during the middle passage, the trauma he experienced in slavery, and finally his attempt at freedom after the Civil War.

Introspection

As a descendant of slaves, the book touched me in a personal way. For instance, the fact that Kossola expresses an eagerness and happiness to be called by the name he was given in Africa as opposed to the name his slave owners gave him, speaks volumes about how slavery has affected our identity. Countless experiments have proven it to be more difficult to get a job with a name that is traditionally seen as a "black person's name" or "ghetto" than it is with a more European name. This concept of being a foreigner is further seen in Kossola's longing to go back to his home in Africa after being set free. While many of us today have no knowledge of our original tribes or homeland, we are still acutely aware that this is not home. Furthermore, we see how powerful the effects of slavery were on the mentality of the slaves as those who had been born in America and raised as slaves, wanted nothing to do with Kossola and his people. Today, we call this respectability politics. Many people choose to assimilate because they believe it will be easier than the alternative.

Overall Thoughts

The personality of Kossola shines throughout the book, and despite all he endured, he remained positive. The positivity of Kossola keeps the book from being a sad and traumatic read. I think it's a great piece of history, and the implications of the story are quite profound. I think this would be a great book for structured reading, where discussion takes place and the reader is forced to think on a deeper level about the events described.

1. Sylviane A. Diouf. "Cudjo Lewis". Encyclopedia of Alabama. December 6, 2007

Colonel Allensworth

Black people have founded numerous towns across the US, both before and after slavery. Many of them, like Black Wall Street[1] were destroyed by white supremacists. However, some are still standing. Near my home is Atlantic Beach, SC, but today, we're talking about Allensworth, CA. Allensworth was the first black town in California and was founded by Colonel Allensworth. Born a slave, Colonel Allensworth rose to the highest ranking black man in the US army during his time. After his retirement he founded Allensworth, which survives to this day.[2]

References

1. Ree Hughes. "Black Owned Cities and Towns". PSALMS to God. February 7, 2015
2. Robert. Mikell. "THE HISTORY OF ALLENSWORTH, CALIFORNIA (1908- )". BlackPast. September 27, 2017
3. "Colonel Allensworth State Historic Park". California Departments of Parks and Recreation. 2020

Black Patents: Miriam Benjamin

Miriam Benjamin was a teacher in Charleston, SC when she noticed restaurants and hotels were struggling to keep up with their patrons. She invented a service button that would signal the waitstaff as well as illuminate the customer waiting for service. This design is what we currently use in flight to signal flight attendants. Mrs. Benjamin was the second black woman to receive a patent for her invention. This invention was also taken up (with modifications) by the House of Representatives!

References

1. "Miriam E. Benjamin". Black History in America; visited February 2020
2. Mary Bellis. "Biography of Miriam Benjamin, Inventor of a Signal Chair". Thought Co. June 19, 2019

Cultural Appropriation and Esther Jones

Most people struggle to understand what cultural appropriation is. The truth about the origins of Betty Boop's singing voice are a perfect example of cultural appropriation. A black woman named Esther Jones, later dubbed Baby Esther, created the iconic style of singing Betty Boop would eventually be known for. Mrs. Jones even performed at the Cotton Club. An aspiring white singer named Helen Kane attended one of Mrs. Jones' performance and began imitating her style. Shortly after, the famous cartoon, Betty Boop aired. Mrs. Kane sued the creators of Betty Boop for stealing her style, when in fact she had stolen the entire style from Mrs. Jones. This fact was proven and upheld in court, however Mrs. Jones received no money or acknowledgment for her originality. Since she was not present during the trial, the creators were able to continue using the Betty Boop cartoon. Betty Boop would go on to become the most famous cartoon in the world, even influencing Japanese Anime.

The practice of stealing art, vernacular, etc from a group of people and making money off it as though it is yours, with no acknowledgement of the true origins and no respect for the originators is the definition of cultural appropriation.

References

1. theComplex. "Photo: This is NOT Esther Jones and Betty Boop Was Not Black". Sinuous Magazine; visited February 2020
2. Brendan Wolfe. "The Fight for Betty Boop's Soul". F Yeah History. August 13, 2018
3. Ten Little Known Black History Facts". PBS; visited February 2020
4. "6 Fun Facts About Japanese Animation". Children's Museum of the Arts. August 9, 2016

Bass Reeves, the Lone Ranger

I grew up watching Westerns with my dad, and all I ever saw were white men (and the occasional abused Native American/First Nations). However, many blacks who escaped slavery actually went west, and after the civil war, this was even more of an occurrence. The west had a high demand for skilled labor and more personal freedom than the Deep South, so while there was still racism, it provided a better opportunity for black's to gain freedom and income. Despite the representation, 1 out of 4 cowboys were actually black men! In fact, it’s believed that the term cowboy was originally a derogatory term to describe black cow hands. Did I mention that the Lone Ranger might have been based on Bass Reeves, a black man? Those facts make the 2013 version of Lone Ranger with Johnny Depp playing Tonto even more whitewashed than it already is.

References

1. Michel Marriott. "Remembrance of Slave Ancestors Lost to the Sea". New York Times. June 19, 1994
2. Brendan Wolfe. "Slave Ships and the Middle Passage". Encyclopedia Virginia; visited February 2020

The Middle Passage

Approximately 12.5 million people were stolen from Africa during the transatlantic slave trade, and just under 2 million of them died during the Middle Passage. The Middle Passage is the the name given to the journey from the coast of Africa to the Americas. During this time slaves were shackled together and kept in the hull of the ship, often left to lie in their own feces and vomit. When slaves died, they were carelessly thrown overboard into the ocean, which changed the routes of sharks.

References

1. Michel Marriott. "Remembrance of Slave Ancestors Lost to the Sea". New York Times. June 19, 1994
2. Brendan Wolfe. "Slave Ships and the Middle Passage". Encyclopedia Virginia; visited February 2020

#MedicalBreakthrough: Onesimus

Cotton Mather is often given the credit for inoculation during the small pox epidemic. Less often is it mentioned that inoculation was already popular in Africa and the Middle East. Even less often is it mentioned that Mather didn't come up with the idea himself, but got the idea from one of his slaves. A man named Onesimus (I wonder if he was named after the Biblical Onesimus?) told Mather about the practice, used in West Africa. Other slaves confirmed Onesimus' testimony, convincing Mather to try it on the general population. So, you can thank a black man and West African slaves for the fact that you've never had small pox if you were born and raised in the US.

References

1. Matthew Niederhuber. "The Fight Over Inoculation During the 1721 Boston Smallpox Epidemic". Harvard University: Science in the News. December 31, 2014
2. Arthur Boylston. "The origins of inoculation". Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine. July 2012

#CallMeMiss: Mary Hamilton

During my parents' era, the only people who were referred to as "Mr" or "Mrs" were white people. Blacks were referred to by their first name at best, "boy" or "gal" by standard, and "nigger" at worst. When Mary Hamilton was called to be a witness in a Mississippi court case in the early 60's, she took a stand against this demeaning practice by refusing to answer the judge unless he called her "Miss." A true product of the times, the judge refused and held her in contempt of court. The NAACP eventually took up Miss Hamilton's case, which went all the way to The Supreme Court (Hamilton v. Alabama, 1964)!

The Supreme Court ruled in favor of Miss Hamilton, forcing courts to refer to all persons, regardless of race or ethnicity, by an honorific. This practice has since passed into common usage and you'll find it common (particularly in the South) for everyone to be addressed as "Mr" or "Mrs." All of this is thanks to Miss Hamilton's stand to make us equal.

References

1. Mary Hamilton, The Woman Who Put The 'Miss' In Court". NPR. July 12, 2013
2. HAMILTON v. ALABAMA, 376 U.S. 650 (1964). Justia; visited February 2020
3. "Hamilton v. Alabama (1964)". Wikipedia; visited February 2020