I believe that there is still racism in the south, and north, east, and
west. There is also class, gender, and other kinds of historical issues
going on. I wrote a book titled, Notes and Documents of Free Persons of
Color, about a group of Free Blacks in Colonial Virginia. I have gotten
pretty good play in some areas, and in other areas nothing. It is
interesting to me that some historians have no interest in the topic,
whether they be black, or white. One noted African American Historian, who
is a professor of history of the University of Virginia, stated that his
speciality is Civil War history. Yet, he sits on the board of Monticello,
and several other Universities. Originally I believed that the references
made about Washington, and slavery were the turning off point. However, it
seems to go deeper than that, although I have yet to put my finger on it.
I just did a promotional tour in Pennsylvania, and my book was well
received. Let me state for the record that the Library of Virginia,
Virginia Historical Society, many smaller libraries, and institutions have
purchased the book. None of the African American Organizations in Virginia
are interested in my book, even though individual African Americans have
purchased it. This includes the black instituions in Virginia, and
historical societies. Which begs the question, whose history are they
pushing? By the way, I am African American, and my family has deep roots in
Virginia. Again, racism is a complex issue, and sometimes folks
inadvertently assist those who they claim to oppose.
Anita Wills
Notes and Documents of Free Persons of Color: 299 pges, African American,
appendix, biblio, endnotes, index: LeBoudin Publishing:
http://www.cafeshops.com/leboudin.8596808, $24.00
>From: [log in to unmask]
>Reply-To: Discussion of research and writing about Virginia history
> <[log in to unmask]>
>To: [log in to unmask]
>Subject: Re: VA-HIST Digest - 10 Mar 2004 to 11 Mar 2004 (#2004-33)
>Date: Fri, 12 Mar 2004 21:25:08 -0500
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>
>Paul Finkelman argues that there is still substantial racism
>in the South today. He cites a range of evidence to support
>this claim--statements by Senator Lott, intimidation of
>black voters in Florida. He is correct, it seems to me.
>
>OK. Fair enough. Let's probe that a bit, though.
>
>Has there been any meaningful change in the cultural values
>of mainstream southern whites in the last 50 years with
>regard to race?
>
>Douglas Smith wrote a superb short biography of Armestead
>Boothe, a moderate Virginia state senator in the 1950s and
>1960s. Smith's essay originally appeared in the VHMB--it
>has been republished twice to my knoweldge, once by Hershey
>and Lassiter in the MODERATES DILEMMA, and once by Hardwick
>and Hofstra in VIRGINIA RECONSIDERED. As Smith makes clear,
>Boothe--a true moderate, well "ahead" of most politicians of
>his generation--was also a true racist, committed to the
>notion that as a group, blacks were inferior to whites.
>
>Are moderate Southern politicians today, relatively
>speaking, comparable in their racial values to those of
>1950s moderates like Boothe? Has the public conversation
>about race in the South remained static, or have the values
>and assumptions underpinning the conversation changed?
>
>I am most interested to hear how folk respond to these
>questions.
>
>Warm regards,
>Kevin
>
>Kevin R. Hardwick, Ph.D.
>Department of History
>James Madison University
>
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