Libraries and Democracy

Staying with the theme of libraries,  here are a couple of articles that I found interesting on the question of libraries ad democracy ;

Ian Clark - Libraries : The Foundation for a Democratic Society, 22 Sep 2010 at www.voicesforthelibrary.org.uk/wordpress .

Anita Sethi - Dispatch from Iraq, 23 May 2011 at www.newstatesman.com/blogs/cultural-capital

There are, of course, many online sites providing information relating to the future of libraries in the UK and elsewhere, including http://angpav.blogspot.com and  the newly-relaunched www.librarycampaign.com .

Mr Kennedy Goes to the Library

American Channing Kennedy has attracted some attention with his recent online article, `Libraries Are Part of the Safety Net...`, which appeared online at http://colorlines.com recently. Colorlines*, which is a new name to me, is a Civil Rights-type organisation and is Mr Kennedy`s employer ( http://colorlines.com/archives/author/channing-kennedy ).

A large part of the reason for the attention his article has attracted is the fact that he has included an interview with his mother, Barbara Jean Walsh, who spent two decades running libraries in small-town America. Her experiences and reminiscences, he argues, have "stark parallels" with the campaigns going on today.

His mother emerges as a very strong person.  I don`t think it would be excessive to describe her as an inspiring person, one  who had to deal with some harsh realities ; she cites the case of one woman attending literacy classes at the library whose husband beat her because he didn`t want her learning to read and write.

In fact, Mr Kennedy  has contributed two articles about libraries to the Colorlines site, `Libraries are Part...` (2 June 2011) and `Is Anyone Fighting for your Town`s Library ?` (5 June 2011).

`Libraries are Part...` has been reproduced at http://www.care2.com (posted by Lindsay Spangler 7 June 2011 in `education blogs`), and is quoted with an accompanying link by British author Alan Gibbons under the heading `Is This Why Governments Hate Libraries ?` ( 7 June 2011 ) at http://alangibbons.net .

I gather Mr Kennedy`s local library campaign is http://saveoaklandlibrary.org , whose site is well worth a visit.

I like Channing`s article and, while he doesn`t really seem to need my help, I`m only too happy to bring him to a wider audience to the best of my limited ability.

Should you be interested in other issues affecting Oakland, or campaigns concerning library provision in the UK, you might like to visit http://angpav.blogspot.com. You might need to search around a bit, but you should find what you`re looking for if you persevere.

* The phrase `color line` is one associated very much with W E B Du Bois, who popularised the phrase in his book The Souls of Black Folk (1903). For an interesting explanation of his uses of the phrase you might like to search for `color line (civil rights issue)` on Wikipedia. The  very interesting article that appears there shows that Du Bois actually used the phrase three times in that one book, each time with a different meaning, according to context.

Victor S Weeks Okrafo-Smart - Okrafo - Palm Tree Publishing, Cotgrave, Nottinghamshire - 2006 - Signed Copy

Victor S Weeks Okrafo-Smart - Okrafo : Over a Century in the Lives of a Liberated African Family, 1816 - 1930 - Palm Tree Publishers, Cotgrave, Nottingham - 2006

An inhabitant of Nottingham, UK, Victor S Weeks Okrafo-Smart began work on this book after taking early retirement from the Queen`s Medical Centre, even going so far as to take a Master`s Degree in history to learn the skills of historical study.

 He benefited from the advice of Christopher Fyfe, at that time Reader in African History at the University of Edinburgh, who has contributed an introduction to the book. Fyfe states that the book is notable for "bringing to life  the ideas and activities of his family members and, in addition, making a valuable contribution to the historiography of Sierra Leone."

The book can be found at 4077 in our listings.Please note that the title on the cover is given as `Okrafo`, but internally it is given as `Okrafo-Smart Family`, which is the title the way it tends to be refered to within the book trade.

Any questions, just ask. 

Why `webdub` ?

This blog began life as an online tribute to W E B Du Bois, "an eccentric fan`s labour of love" as I called it at the time.

As it happens, my life has changed a lot since I started it and it`s become obvious that I can`t really do justice to the original idea, due to work and family commitments.

I`m a bit reluctant to give up on it altogether, so I`ve decided to go with a slightly different approach, a `wider interests` sort of thing which will sometimes look at the life and times of Du Bois, but will also carry more general articles likely to be of interest to anyone who is also interested in Du Bois. Articles will tend to be shorter and I`ll be making more use of links.

As a general thing, my approach to more topical matters is that I`m not someone who seeks out controversy - there are few things more tiresome than intentional `controversialists` - but I don`t shy away from it either. I may occasionally touch on what I call `real politics`, but I won`t be involving myself in party politics as such, for the simple reason that I`m British and, as is well known, we don`t tend to be fond of politicians !

I will be using this blog periodically to plug books I have for sale, where relevant. I`d have preferred not to do that,  but in these are troubled times we`re living through and we all have to make our accomodations with the world we live in.

Lastly, the new `beyond left or right` tag - which I know is a bit of a cliche - just reflects my personal feeling about the modern world, given that the left has been in sharp retreat ever since I was a teenager (and trust me, it`s a long time since I was a teenager !), but also that, particulary in the OK, we`re living in a world in which the old rules don`t apply.

Manning Marable RIP

As many will be aware, Manning Marable, the author of `W E B DU Bois : Black Radical Democrat`  died recently at the age of 60.

Mr Marable, a noted US academic and campaigner on social issues, had many books and articles to his name. In the UK he had links with the Institute of Race Relations and their periodical Race and Class whilst in the US he was connected with a group known as the Movement for a Democratic Society and took a particular interest in it`s student branch, Students for a Democratic Society. Many of his works and particularly the titles he chose reflected an ongoing pre-occupation with the life of W E B Du Bois and, I suspect, a desire to continue that tradition ( one of his books was entitled `The Crisis of Color and Democracy` and his syndicated column was called `Along the Colour Line`).

Needless to say, I have a much-treasured copy of Black Radical Democrat in my own collection !

I will leave it to others to discuss his career and related activities in greater depth.

Instead, I would like to quote from one of his works, `Black America : Multicultural Democracy in the Age of Clarence Thomas and David Duke`, published in 1992 by Open Media in the Open Magazine Pamphlet Series (Number 16 in that series).

That pamphlet is necessarily dated and in my personal view is in some respects flawed, though certainly well worth a read. I have chosen this particular quote because, while it certainly reflects the author`s politics and to a certain extent his background in academia, it also reflects a deep-seated compassion and commitment that other self-styled radicals would do well to emulate. Dig beyond the slightly dated language and one finds a depth of experience and, in my estimation, an inner strength which seems to me to be wholly admirable. Without wanting to over-egg the pudding, notice how the passage in question comes to life when he draws on his own experiences. I mention all this in advance as I want to give Manning Marable himself the last word ;

"It is unfortunately true that people who are victimized by one form of prejudice or social intolerance sometimes fail to appreciate the oppression of other victims. There are blacks who are unfortunately anti-Semitic, and Jews who are racist ; there are white women who are racist and oppressive to sisters of colour ; there are Latinos who are homophobic and oppressive to gays and lesbians ; there are people of colour who are insensitive to whites who are physically challenged.

Yet for many of us, the experience of oppression gives us some insights into the pain and discrimination of others. I am a scholar of the civil rights movement, and I write about lynching, political franchisement and Jim Crow. But I also lived through this experience. I personally know what it`s like to go to the back of the bus. I know what it is like not to be served at a restaurant. I know what it`s like not to be permitted to sit inside a heated bus terminal, but to be forced to stand outside in the cold. I know what it is like not to be permitted to try on a cap or pair of pants because you are black. When you experience this you can never forget it.   

And I believe that the experience of oppression, if properly understood, can be universalized. Because I have felt the pain of oppression, I can understand and feel the pain of my sisters, victimized by violence, harassment, and sexist discrimination. I can understand the anger of my Jewish sisters and brothers who must confront the hatred and bigotry of the anti-Semite. I can express my sympathy and support for lesbians and gays who experience discrimination because of their sexual preferences."

I had intended to leave it at that, but on reflection, I will close with the words Manning Marable used in the closing paragraphs of `Black America : Muliticultural Democracy...` ;

"If we can believe in the vision of a dynamic democracy in which all human beings...coming (sic) to terms with each other, we can perhaps begin to achieve Martin Luther King`s vision when he said `we shall overcome`."

Famous Last Words

W E B Du Bois died on 27 August 1963 and was buried on 29 August 1963. Immediately after his internment, a last message from him to the world was read to the mourners. Characteristically, he had actually composed this message during 1957 and had left it in safe-keeping until it was needed !

It is, in my view, a deeply positive message ;

"It is much more difficult in theory than actually to say the last good-bye to one`s loved ones and friends and to all the familiar things of this life.

I am going to take a long, deep and endless sleep. This is not a punishment but a privilege to which I have looked forward for years.

I have loved my work. I have loved people and my play, but always I have been uplifted by the thought that what I have done well will live long and justify my life : that what I have done ill or never finished can now be handed on to others for endless days to be finished, perhaps better than I could have done.

And that peace will be my applause.

One thing alone I charge you. As you live, believe in life ! Always human beings will live and progress to greater, broader and fuller life.

The only possible death is to lose belief in this truth simply because the great end comes slowly, because time is long.

Good-bye."

William Henry Melish on W E B Du Bois, W E B Du Bois on Henry Melish

W E B Du Bois on William Howard Melish  ;

"Howard Melish is on of the few Christian clergyman for whom I have the highest respect. Honest and conscientious, believing sincerely in much of the Christian dogma, which I reject, but working honestly and without hypocrisy, for the guidance of the young, for the uplift of the poor and ignorant, and for the betterment of his city and his country...Here is a young man of ideal character, of impeccable morals ; a hard worker, especially among the poor and unfortunate."

Melish, who tells his own story in a book, Strength for Struggle, was a priest who ran a church called Holy Trinity in Brooklyn Heights. W E B Du Bois lived nearby and it would seem Melish was a fairly regular visitor to the home of W E B and Shirley Graham Du Bois. 

Melish seems to have held Communist political beliefs whilst remaining a Christian himself. I`m not in a position to comment on how he reconciled the two, or on his stances on particular issues, but it does seem clear that he was pro-Soviet (not just anti- the Cold War) at a very ugly time in Soviet history. Inevitably, he became the target of McCarthyite harassment which prevented many of his activities - moves to remove him from his Church went as far as the New York Supreme Court on two separate occasions -  but he continued to be involved in many issues, working with single mothers and later joining a Civil Rights organisation, the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. 

Du Bois in the Autobiography portrays Melish as an earnest, hardworking priest persecuted because his church was attracting "workers and Negroes". Others have speculated that the chief persecutor of the Melishes, James P De Wolfe, had sectarian motives. Undoubtedly, the Rev Melish did much good in his life, but there seems little doubt that his political views were, to say the least, questionable. For myself I would hope that most people could recognise that he did a lot of good in his life, but let`s not pretend he was perfect !

In September 1963, the Rev. Melish flew to Ghana to address a Memorial Service for Du Bois. On his return, he had cheaply produced booklets made up containing the text of his speech, which he apparently sold for small sums in the Brooklyn area to raise funds for his church. My copy was obtained fairly cheaply and from what I`ve seen, quite a few have survived to this day.

The Rev. Melish both opened and closed his address with quotes from a piece by Walt Whitman, a poet Du Bois admired.

The rest is an amiable enough trundle through the life of Du Bois, certainly worth a read.

 I was  puzzled by a couple of references to incidents I don`t recall having seen mentioned elsewhere - one is a reference to hostility to research work done by Du Bois and  

others in `Lownes` (Lowndes ?) County - "Du Bois and his team of investigators ...met resistance, harassment and shotgun blasts"  - and  the other concerns the Atlanta Riots, which he says left the first Mrs Du Bois "injured in a manner that contributed to her invalidism in later life" and refers to their daughter Yolande "hiding in a stair well". I`ve checked against the Autobiography and David Levering Lewis` Biography but cannot see any reference to these details, which I don`t recall having seen in any other books by/about Du Bois either. Maybe someone else can cast light on this ?

Elsewhere, he refers to Du Bois standing for public office later in life for the Progressive Party rather than the American Labor Party. I have been able to resolve this ; Aptheker in his notes to Against Racism states that the American Labor Party was a name used by the Progressive Party in New York only, so presumably that`s the explanation.

At the end of the booklet are a selection of tributes to Du Bois from various bodies, including the NAACP Board of Directors ( "His contributions to the ageless struggle for human rights were imperishable. His passage leaves a great void which there is no immediate prospect of filling." ), an interesting one from Madison S Jones at the New York Commission of Human Rights ( "I had the honor of working with him.. I am proud to say he gave me a great deal of counsel, advice and guidance...The world is better for his massive contribution towards freedom for all." ) and one from Malcolm Cowley, President of the National Institute of Arts and Letters ( "The Institute has lost the most distinguished member whose passing will be mourned by the world of letters" ).

As we approach another anniversary of the death of W E B Du Bois, it`s interesting to reflect on his long life, prolific writing career and dedication to progressive causes.

My intentions in running this blog are pretty basic. If I can demonstrate that it`s possible to build up an interesting Du Bois collection even if, like me, you`re perennially short of both time and money, and if I can encourage others - particularly the young - to take an interest in Du Bois` life and work, I`ll be happy.

On a slightly more ambitious note, I would hope it`s possible for people of goodwill to build on the positive aspects of Du Bois` work whilst accepting that he had flaws - we all have flaws, after all ! If I voice the odd criticism, that`s the reason.  At the end of the day,  uncritical appreciation is not appreciation at all !