Wednesday, 20 January 2010
Postal Paraphernalia
These don`t really need much comment from me. The US postal service paid tribute to Dr Du Bois in 1992 and 1998 by issuing commemorative stamps, as you`ll see from the images below. Sadly, the 1998 first day cover doesn`t reproduce too well because of the use of gold gilt, which reflects light, but I`m including it for interest`s sake.
Thursday, 14 January 2010
Quotations #2 - Du Bois on Jefferson Davis
In June 1890, Du Du Bois graduated with honors in philosophy, and was asked to make a speech at his `commencement`, which I assume is the US equivalent of graduation. Du Bois, a man of mixed race, chose the tricky subject of Jefferson Davis, a champion of slavery and the first and only President of the Confederate States of America.
The next two paragraphs are from Mark Stafford`s W E B du Bois : Scholar and Activist (Chelsea House, New York, 1989. In the Black Americans of Achievement series) ;
`Du Bois` speech...was as impassioned as it was caustic. Davis, he said, satisfied the nation`s hunger for an individualist who was also an oppressor. Du Bois called the southern leader a "peculiar champion of a people fighting to be free in order that another people should not be free". Like all "strong men" he sought "the advance of a part of the world at the expense of the whole...it has thus happened that advance in civilization has always been handicapped by shortsighted national selfishness."
The speech received an overwhelming response. "Du Bois handled his difficult and hazardous subject with absoloute good taste, great moderation and almost contemptuous fairness," The Nation reported. "He is an excellent scholar in every way, and altogether the best black man that has come to Cambridge" added a Harvard professor.`
Stafford states that as a result of this speech the American Historical Association invited Du Bois to address one of its` meetings, and also quotes further praise for the speech from the New York Independent.
The full text of Jefferson Davis as a Representative of Civilization can be found in a Du Bois anthology edited by Herbert Aptheker, Against Racism ; Unpublished Essays 1887 - 1961, University of Massachusetts Press, 1985.
It`s worth pointing out that, while passages of the speech are certainly caustic, the Dr was on the whole even-handed and even, to a degree, diplomatic, stressing that "I wish to consider not the man, but the type of civilization which his life represented ; its foundation is the idea of the strong man - individualism coupled with the rule of might - and it is this idea that has made the logic of even modern history, the cool logic of the club".
He also pointed out that Davis was "a naturally brave and generous man" and that "such a type is not wholly evil or fruitless : the world has needed and will need its Jefferson Davises ; but such a type is incomplete and can never serve its best purpose until checked by its complementary ideas".
Clearly it is a youthful work, and elsewhere in the same speech we find some rather dated ideas, and some rather dated language. Some later commentators, particularly the more radical ones, find it rather submissive and `accomodationist` . They may have a point, though personally I think it is partly his choice of words that gives that impression.
However that may be, the essential message seems pretty clear, and in my view still relevant and thought-provoking. Du Bois summarised his aims in making the speech in this way ; "the submission of the Strong to the advance of all - not in mere aimless sacrifice, but recognizing the fact that `to no one type of mind is it given to discern the totality of truth`, that civilization cannot afford to lose the contribution of the very least of nations for its full development."
FOOTNOTE
It is interesting to note that some of these sentiments, voiced by Du Bois so long ago, appear to anticipate areas of feminist thinking from the `60s and `70s. We know that many feminists from this era have asserted that they took much of their thinking from the American Civil Rights movement*. It would be interesting to know if Dr Du Bois, well-known as an early advocate of women`s rights, had a particular influence there.
* This point is made by Jenny Bourne in her Towards an Anti-Racist Feminism ( IRR, London, 1984). Jo O`Brien makes similar comments in the conclusion to her Women`s Liberation in Labour History : A Case Study From Nottingham (BRPF, Nottingham, 1972), though her comments go more to her motivation in writing her pamphlet, which is about English working class women in the 19th century, than to it`s content.
Bourne`s pamphlet is still available, at a very reasonable price, from the Institute of Race Relations, London. I don`t run this blog as an adjunct to our business, but as it happpens, I do have a copy of O`Brien`s pamphlet for sale ;
http://www.antiqbook.com/books/bookinfo.phtml?o=hoonal&bnr=35
but just to re-iterate, her comments on feminism and civil rights are only a small part of a pamphlet largely concerned wth other matters.
The next two paragraphs are from Mark Stafford`s W E B du Bois : Scholar and Activist (Chelsea House, New York, 1989. In the Black Americans of Achievement series) ;
`Du Bois` speech...was as impassioned as it was caustic. Davis, he said, satisfied the nation`s hunger for an individualist who was also an oppressor. Du Bois called the southern leader a "peculiar champion of a people fighting to be free in order that another people should not be free". Like all "strong men" he sought "the advance of a part of the world at the expense of the whole...it has thus happened that advance in civilization has always been handicapped by shortsighted national selfishness."
The speech received an overwhelming response. "Du Bois handled his difficult and hazardous subject with absoloute good taste, great moderation and almost contemptuous fairness," The Nation reported. "He is an excellent scholar in every way, and altogether the best black man that has come to Cambridge" added a Harvard professor.`
Stafford states that as a result of this speech the American Historical Association invited Du Bois to address one of its` meetings, and also quotes further praise for the speech from the New York Independent.
The full text of Jefferson Davis as a Representative of Civilization can be found in a Du Bois anthology edited by Herbert Aptheker, Against Racism ; Unpublished Essays 1887 - 1961, University of Massachusetts Press, 1985.
It`s worth pointing out that, while passages of the speech are certainly caustic, the Dr was on the whole even-handed and even, to a degree, diplomatic, stressing that "I wish to consider not the man, but the type of civilization which his life represented ; its foundation is the idea of the strong man - individualism coupled with the rule of might - and it is this idea that has made the logic of even modern history, the cool logic of the club".
He also pointed out that Davis was "a naturally brave and generous man" and that "such a type is not wholly evil or fruitless : the world has needed and will need its Jefferson Davises ; but such a type is incomplete and can never serve its best purpose until checked by its complementary ideas".
Clearly it is a youthful work, and elsewhere in the same speech we find some rather dated ideas, and some rather dated language. Some later commentators, particularly the more radical ones, find it rather submissive and `accomodationist` . They may have a point, though personally I think it is partly his choice of words that gives that impression.
However that may be, the essential message seems pretty clear, and in my view still relevant and thought-provoking. Du Bois summarised his aims in making the speech in this way ; "the submission of the Strong to the advance of all - not in mere aimless sacrifice, but recognizing the fact that `to no one type of mind is it given to discern the totality of truth`, that civilization cannot afford to lose the contribution of the very least of nations for its full development."
FOOTNOTE
It is interesting to note that some of these sentiments, voiced by Du Bois so long ago, appear to anticipate areas of feminist thinking from the `60s and `70s. We know that many feminists from this era have asserted that they took much of their thinking from the American Civil Rights movement*. It would be interesting to know if Dr Du Bois, well-known as an early advocate of women`s rights, had a particular influence there.
* This point is made by Jenny Bourne in her Towards an Anti-Racist Feminism ( IRR, London, 1984). Jo O`Brien makes similar comments in the conclusion to her Women`s Liberation in Labour History : A Case Study From Nottingham (BRPF, Nottingham, 1972), though her comments go more to her motivation in writing her pamphlet, which is about English working class women in the 19th century, than to it`s content.
Bourne`s pamphlet is still available, at a very reasonable price, from the Institute of Race Relations, London. I don`t run this blog as an adjunct to our business, but as it happpens, I do have a copy of O`Brien`s pamphlet for sale ;
http://www.antiqbook.com/books/bookinfo.phtml?o=hoonal&bnr=35
but just to re-iterate, her comments on feminism and civil rights are only a small part of a pamphlet largely concerned wth other matters.
Sunday, 13 December 2009
Book Review # 2 ; Albert E Kahn - Agents of Peace
A point of interest is `How to Aid in the Defense` on the inside rear cover (suggestions include lobbying President Truman and Attorney General McGrath, sending donations, forming local groups of supporters).
Although clearly it is a propaganda piece, intended purely to support a particular campaign, it is written and produced to a high standard. There is quite a bit of information packed into this tiny booklet, and it does make interesting reading. Mostly, it is concerned with fact and opinion, rather than analysis, but none the worse for that. I did have reservations about one paragraph, which unquestioningly assumes a connection in a case where a man who had signed the Appeal "was hurled from a second storey window". No evidence is adduced to connect the two incidents, which would seem to me to call into question whether it should have been mentioned at all.
However, I have to say this is a nice item of memorabilia and would also be useful to researchers etc. If you can track down a reasonably-priced copy in decent condition, you`d be wise to acquire it pronto.
Sorry, but my copy is not for sale. In the unlikely event I have any Du Bois material to sell, I will mention it, but at present, this blog is basically an eccentric fans personal tribute to Dr Du Bois and a guide to imformation and items that are around.
Sunday, 22 November 2009
Book Review #1 - W E B Du Bois - In Battle for Peace
W E B Du Bois - In Battle For Peace : The Story of my 83rd Birthday - New York , Masses and Mainstream , 1952
Dr Du Bois` later writings present the reader with the best and worst aspects of his thinking, often in the course of the same short piece of writing. Time and again, his sharpest insights jostle for the reader`s attention alongside some of the most deluded sentiments it`s been my misfortune to encounter. I don`t know what it says about me, but for that very reason this period of his life has always fascinated me !
This book is something of a case in point. I had wanted a copy for some time and eventually decided to treat myself to a hardback copy of the first edition from a bookseller in the USA. I understand that there was a numbered limited edition printing initially, with red binding and possibly illustrated. Sadly, these are very hard to trace now and I imagine would cost a small fortune. My copy is a blue hardcover with gold gilt lettering to the spine and is regarded as the first edition, though I suppose a purist might argue that it`s really only a `first in this form` , given the existence of a previous edition.
The book gets on to a strong start, with chapters from the doc on such subjects as About Birthdays, The Council on African Affairs, The Peace Information Center,My Campaign for Senator, and naturally enough, marriage to Shirley Graham. The book contains additional comment from Shirley herself, which appears in the form of supplementary sections at the end of certain chapters and an additional postscript to the Appendix, rather than as a separate section at the end of her husband`s book as I had expected. After these preliminaries, we move on to the question of the indictment and trial of Du Bois and others as a result of their activities within the peace movement.
One thing that surprised me was how low-key some of his later activities were. Who would have guessed that he drew no pay for his work at the Council on African Affairs ( he seems to have felt it was generous of them to provide him with an office and a secretary, the thought of being paid never seems to have entered his head, even though he makes it clear he was not a rich man) or that the Peace Information Center mailing list comprised only 6,000 people. As regards his campaign for Senator, he makes plain his thoughts on his role in political life generally, though here there are no surprises ; "respectable participation in political life as voter, thinker, writer and, on rare occasions as speaker, was my ideal". Having been persuaded to stand for office, as candidate for the short-lived American Labor Party, partly to show support for fellow member/candidate Vito Marcantonio, he pronounces himself reasonably happy with the outcome, given that he never expected to be elected ; "I had slapped no backs during the campaign which I had not slapped before ; I had begged no man for his vote as a personal favour ; I had asked no vote simply because I was black. It was a fine adventure."
The trial is interesting on many levels. Du Bois and others involved in the Peace Information Center were accused of `failing to register as a foreign agent`. In this case, the meaning of the word `agent` was the legal one - `a person who acts on behalf of ( i.e. as an agent of ) a third party`. The suggestion that the PIC acted on behalf of a foreign principal (in this case, an organisation known as the World Peace Council,) seems to have come about in part because one of their activities was to circulate a low-budget newsletter called a `Peacegram`, which informed subscribers of the activities of the peace movement elsewhere in the world. Unusually for a publication involving Du Bois, it contained no articles or editorial comment, just the name and nationality of the groups concerned, plus a sentence or two summarising the recent activities of each one. Strictly speaking, there was no suggestion that the defendants were `agents` involved in espionage, but it`s pretty clear the authorities expected the public to draw that inference. As far as the case goes, the wheels began to drop off at an early stage and the judge eventually halted the trial altogether as it was clear the prosecution was ill-conceived.
Du Bois and associates viewed the whole thing with mounting paranoia. Undoubtedly, they had quite valid reason to feel embittered and suspicious about the trial itself and about the mounting hysteria of McCarthy-era America. Against that, it`s pretty clear that the Judge, a noted conservative, was not only fair but increasingly impatient with the hapless prosecutors.
Some, like David Levering Lewis, have suggested that the Judge, Judge McGuire, stopped the trial to save the state embarassment. Superficially, the timing of his anouncement may seem to support this. As the prosecution had closed its` case, it was now time for the defence to have their day. Du Bois` friend Marcantonio, a lawyer as well as a politician, was acting for them without pay and had been ahead on points throughout the trial. Albert Einstein was scheduled to appear as a character witness for Du Bois, and the defendants would now have the opportunity to make memorable statements concerning the case. Additionally, one prosecution witness had fallen to pieces under pressure and the case against one defendant, PIC employee Sylvia Soloff, had been dropped early on, creating the impression of a case falling apart, a very accurate impression you might think. However, it seems more likely that the Judge had allowed the prosecution to complete their case before he ruled on its` merits. He had indicated early on, in an exchange with Marcantonio, that he would allow the prosecutors to make their case in full, but that a `directed verdict` would be in order if things did not improve. In my view, he was essentially an honourable man intent on fulfilling his duties properly regardless of his own personal views.
So far so good. An interesting account of a troubled period in American history and in the life of a great Civil Rights leader. On the negative side, we have to consider the political views expressed by Du Bois. There are so many dubious sentiments expresed by him in this book that it`s hard to know where to start. Certainly the authorities were neurotically anti-Communist and quite prepared to sacrifice the very freedoms they sought to defend. The McCarthyites were a bunch of cowardly bullies who ruined lives in their zeal to stifle debate. Some, as we now know from other sources, may not in fact have been believers in democracy themselves. Nevertheless , the picture Du Bois paints of a remorselessly efficient police state is hardly accurate given that the case against him and his co-defendants collapsed. In other areas of life, such as restrictions on his foreign travel, he is on stronger ground, but given that he continued to address international gatherings by the simple expedient of posting his speeches to well-wishers abroad who read them for him, he obviously found this simple to circumvent. In point of fact, the USSR of the `50s was much worse than America in these areas, but he continued to present the Soviet Union of those times days in a glowing light.
A telling observation here comes in the chapter headed Interpretations. The good doctor begins with some perectly reasonable observations. He concedes that not all of his supporters were Communists or democratic socialists, "many who supported us were liberals, progressives, and even some conservatives who believe in peace and free speech". He further concedes that "there is no socialist or communist program that does not advocate use of capital and individual enterprise as freely as is consistent with real social progress". All good, sensible stuff. Before long however, we enter the realms of political fantasy as he comments "the Soviet Union is desperately trying to evolve a nation working under severe discipline so as to evolve a people as free as abolition of poverty, ignorance and disease makes possible". I`m no supporter of anti-Communist hysteria, but let`s be honest, the USSR of the `50s was not engaged in anything as high-minded as Du Bois suggests, and I think most people would have grave doubts about that "severe discipline" even if that had been the case.
It is difficult to know why he turned to Russia as his beacon later in life. True, he had sometimes romanticised other cultures. His second wife may have influenced him. On the other hand, he was close to Trinidadian George Padmore, who, after a lengthy period as an influential Communist had turned against his mentors in the `30s, earning the hostility of the Stalinists. Du Bois also lived through the Earl Browder period of the CPUSA`s history (party leader Browder attempted to take the CPUSA in a new direction, eventually losing his post as a result). With his own background, Du Bois more than anyone was well aware that not all socialists are Marxists, not all Marxists are Communists and that not all Communists were `orthodox` Communists. I do not believe his mental faculties were failing him, he seems to have been reasonably sharp and lucid well into old age. At the end of the day, he was wrong, and I`m certainly not about to make excuses for him.
Against that, there is one passage that rings true ; "If, however, the democracy we are losing can be restored and made alive, because of our natural resources, technique, intelligence and science, why are we not undertaking this task immediately...? In such an effort here and now I long to help".
That seems a worthy aim to have and I believe he was quite sincere. If we`re looking for a positive legacy from Dr Du Bois` later writings, that seems a pretty good one to me.
Dr Du Bois` later writings present the reader with the best and worst aspects of his thinking, often in the course of the same short piece of writing. Time and again, his sharpest insights jostle for the reader`s attention alongside some of the most deluded sentiments it`s been my misfortune to encounter. I don`t know what it says about me, but for that very reason this period of his life has always fascinated me !
This book is something of a case in point. I had wanted a copy for some time and eventually decided to treat myself to a hardback copy of the first edition from a bookseller in the USA. I understand that there was a numbered limited edition printing initially, with red binding and possibly illustrated. Sadly, these are very hard to trace now and I imagine would cost a small fortune. My copy is a blue hardcover with gold gilt lettering to the spine and is regarded as the first edition, though I suppose a purist might argue that it`s really only a `first in this form` , given the existence of a previous edition.
The book gets on to a strong start, with chapters from the doc on such subjects as About Birthdays, The Council on African Affairs, The Peace Information Center,My Campaign for Senator, and naturally enough, marriage to Shirley Graham. The book contains additional comment from Shirley herself, which appears in the form of supplementary sections at the end of certain chapters and an additional postscript to the Appendix, rather than as a separate section at the end of her husband`s book as I had expected. After these preliminaries, we move on to the question of the indictment and trial of Du Bois and others as a result of their activities within the peace movement.
One thing that surprised me was how low-key some of his later activities were. Who would have guessed that he drew no pay for his work at the Council on African Affairs ( he seems to have felt it was generous of them to provide him with an office and a secretary, the thought of being paid never seems to have entered his head, even though he makes it clear he was not a rich man) or that the Peace Information Center mailing list comprised only 6,000 people. As regards his campaign for Senator, he makes plain his thoughts on his role in political life generally, though here there are no surprises ; "respectable participation in political life as voter, thinker, writer and, on rare occasions as speaker, was my ideal". Having been persuaded to stand for office, as candidate for the short-lived American Labor Party, partly to show support for fellow member/candidate Vito Marcantonio, he pronounces himself reasonably happy with the outcome, given that he never expected to be elected ; "I had slapped no backs during the campaign which I had not slapped before ; I had begged no man for his vote as a personal favour ; I had asked no vote simply because I was black. It was a fine adventure."
The trial is interesting on many levels. Du Bois and others involved in the Peace Information Center were accused of `failing to register as a foreign agent`. In this case, the meaning of the word `agent` was the legal one - `a person who acts on behalf of ( i.e. as an agent of ) a third party`. The suggestion that the PIC acted on behalf of a foreign principal (in this case, an organisation known as the World Peace Council,) seems to have come about in part because one of their activities was to circulate a low-budget newsletter called a `Peacegram`, which informed subscribers of the activities of the peace movement elsewhere in the world. Unusually for a publication involving Du Bois, it contained no articles or editorial comment, just the name and nationality of the groups concerned, plus a sentence or two summarising the recent activities of each one. Strictly speaking, there was no suggestion that the defendants were `agents` involved in espionage, but it`s pretty clear the authorities expected the public to draw that inference. As far as the case goes, the wheels began to drop off at an early stage and the judge eventually halted the trial altogether as it was clear the prosecution was ill-conceived.
Du Bois and associates viewed the whole thing with mounting paranoia. Undoubtedly, they had quite valid reason to feel embittered and suspicious about the trial itself and about the mounting hysteria of McCarthy-era America. Against that, it`s pretty clear that the Judge, a noted conservative, was not only fair but increasingly impatient with the hapless prosecutors.
Some, like David Levering Lewis, have suggested that the Judge, Judge McGuire, stopped the trial to save the state embarassment. Superficially, the timing of his anouncement may seem to support this. As the prosecution had closed its` case, it was now time for the defence to have their day. Du Bois` friend Marcantonio, a lawyer as well as a politician, was acting for them without pay and had been ahead on points throughout the trial. Albert Einstein was scheduled to appear as a character witness for Du Bois, and the defendants would now have the opportunity to make memorable statements concerning the case. Additionally, one prosecution witness had fallen to pieces under pressure and the case against one defendant, PIC employee Sylvia Soloff, had been dropped early on, creating the impression of a case falling apart, a very accurate impression you might think. However, it seems more likely that the Judge had allowed the prosecution to complete their case before he ruled on its` merits. He had indicated early on, in an exchange with Marcantonio, that he would allow the prosecutors to make their case in full, but that a `directed verdict` would be in order if things did not improve. In my view, he was essentially an honourable man intent on fulfilling his duties properly regardless of his own personal views.
So far so good. An interesting account of a troubled period in American history and in the life of a great Civil Rights leader. On the negative side, we have to consider the political views expressed by Du Bois. There are so many dubious sentiments expresed by him in this book that it`s hard to know where to start. Certainly the authorities were neurotically anti-Communist and quite prepared to sacrifice the very freedoms they sought to defend. The McCarthyites were a bunch of cowardly bullies who ruined lives in their zeal to stifle debate. Some, as we now know from other sources, may not in fact have been believers in democracy themselves. Nevertheless , the picture Du Bois paints of a remorselessly efficient police state is hardly accurate given that the case against him and his co-defendants collapsed. In other areas of life, such as restrictions on his foreign travel, he is on stronger ground, but given that he continued to address international gatherings by the simple expedient of posting his speeches to well-wishers abroad who read them for him, he obviously found this simple to circumvent. In point of fact, the USSR of the `50s was much worse than America in these areas, but he continued to present the Soviet Union of those times days in a glowing light.
A telling observation here comes in the chapter headed Interpretations. The good doctor begins with some perectly reasonable observations. He concedes that not all of his supporters were Communists or democratic socialists, "many who supported us were liberals, progressives, and even some conservatives who believe in peace and free speech". He further concedes that "there is no socialist or communist program that does not advocate use of capital and individual enterprise as freely as is consistent with real social progress". All good, sensible stuff. Before long however, we enter the realms of political fantasy as he comments "the Soviet Union is desperately trying to evolve a nation working under severe discipline so as to evolve a people as free as abolition of poverty, ignorance and disease makes possible". I`m no supporter of anti-Communist hysteria, but let`s be honest, the USSR of the `50s was not engaged in anything as high-minded as Du Bois suggests, and I think most people would have grave doubts about that "severe discipline" even if that had been the case.
It is difficult to know why he turned to Russia as his beacon later in life. True, he had sometimes romanticised other cultures. His second wife may have influenced him. On the other hand, he was close to Trinidadian George Padmore, who, after a lengthy period as an influential Communist had turned against his mentors in the `30s, earning the hostility of the Stalinists. Du Bois also lived through the Earl Browder period of the CPUSA`s history (party leader Browder attempted to take the CPUSA in a new direction, eventually losing his post as a result). With his own background, Du Bois more than anyone was well aware that not all socialists are Marxists, not all Marxists are Communists and that not all Communists were `orthodox` Communists. I do not believe his mental faculties were failing him, he seems to have been reasonably sharp and lucid well into old age. At the end of the day, he was wrong, and I`m certainly not about to make excuses for him.
Against that, there is one passage that rings true ; "If, however, the democracy we are losing can be restored and made alive, because of our natural resources, technique, intelligence and science, why are we not undertaking this task immediately...? In such an effort here and now I long to help".
That seems a worthy aim to have and I believe he was quite sincere. If we`re looking for a positive legacy from Dr Du Bois` later writings, that seems a pretty good one to me.
Monday, 9 November 2009
Quotations # 1 : The Quest
Sadly, I`ve not had time to write any book reviews for this blog, though I hope to soon. In the meantime, here`s a quote from Dr Du Bois. Not one of the ones most commonly quoted, but the opening paragraph from one of his novels, The Quest of the Silver Fleece ;
"Night fell. The red waters of the swamp grew sinister and sullen. The tall pines lost their slimness and stood in wide blurred blotches all across the way, and a great shadowy bird arose, wheeled and melted, murmuring, into the black-green sky."
`The Quest` was published in 1911, his first novel if I recall correctly. Arnold Rampersad comments in his Foreword to the 1989 edition, "In writing this book, Du Bois brought almost all his significant experiences to bear on his subject. Set both in the South and in the North, [it] reflected graphically the historical and philosophical tensions between the cultures of New England and the Suth, both white and black. The book attempts to depict not only the larger social and economic forces impinging on blacks but also the more intimate aspects of African-American culture".
"Night fell. The red waters of the swamp grew sinister and sullen. The tall pines lost their slimness and stood in wide blurred blotches all across the way, and a great shadowy bird arose, wheeled and melted, murmuring, into the black-green sky."
`The Quest` was published in 1911, his first novel if I recall correctly. Arnold Rampersad comments in his Foreword to the 1989 edition, "In writing this book, Du Bois brought almost all his significant experiences to bear on his subject. Set both in the South and in the North, [it] reflected graphically the historical and philosophical tensions between the cultures of New England and the Suth, both white and black. The book attempts to depict not only the larger social and economic forces impinging on blacks but also the more intimate aspects of African-American culture".
Thursday, 29 October 2009
First Post - The Falcons
For the foreseeable future, most posts on this blog will be reviews, quotes etc, and I hope to find time for some more substantive postings in due course.
Being a lover of wildlife, however, I can`t resist giving an initial mention to the falcons who have taken to nesting on the roof of the W E B Du Bois Library at the University of Massachusetts.
The birds have been there for seven consecutive years, producing an estimated twenty chicks. It`s clear to me they realise the pwer of the written word and want to introduce the chicks to the works of Dr Du B. at the earliest opportunity !
For the full story, click on http://www.masslive.com/ and search for `W E B Du Bois`.
Being a lover of wildlife, however, I can`t resist giving an initial mention to the falcons who have taken to nesting on the roof of the W E B Du Bois Library at the University of Massachusetts.
The birds have been there for seven consecutive years, producing an estimated twenty chicks. It`s clear to me they realise the pwer of the written word and want to introduce the chicks to the works of Dr Du B. at the earliest opportunity !
For the full story, click on http://www.masslive.com/ and search for `W E B Du Bois`.
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