Tag: African American
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Day Two: Atlanta
We entered Atlanta and the first thing that popped into my mind was T.I.’s “Bring Em Out”. Our first stop was the King’s Visitor Center and the surrounding memorials and exhibits. This included King’s childhood home, Ebenezer Baptist Church, and the reflection pool which is the grave site of both Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.…
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Summer Reading
I moved back home for a few days before my summer travels –civil rights tour, birthday celebration week, and a trip to Harlem. By July, I will settle into my new place in Baltimore (speaking it into existence). A few months ago, I received a Barnes and Noble gift card from a former professor and…
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Differing Opinions: Segregation in Philadelphia’s Public Schools During the 1930s
As I complete the second chapter of my thesis, I re-read Rachel’s articles published in the Philadelphia Tribune between 1931-1933. Her eloquence, her writing, and her activism is always worth admiring. In her first article, “What Have You to Say?: A System that Breeds Prejudice, she directed her argument against a previous article written by Jas…
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(Updated) Chauncey Sawyer Flowers
In 1895, Harry and Nancy (Sawyer) Flowers gave birth to their first child, Chauncey Flowers in the city of Jacksonville, Florida. He is Rachel Flowers’ eldest brother. One of the first items I look for in my research is a photo. I discovered a number of primary sources detailing his life, yet currently no photo…
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Joseph J. Sawyer and Zion Sabbath School, 1868-1870
First thesis chapter submitted and still no break–PhD application time! Joseph J. Sawyer’s legacy rested largely in the Florida AME Church. He stood as a pioneer of the church and as a reverend who pushed for the funding of the denomination’s first church school in the state–Florida Divinity High School (Jacksonville, FL). I also wanted…
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“Our Children’s Children Live Forever” By Geraldine L. Wilson
Geraldine Wilson, undated, Schomburg Center I am overwhelmed by this thesis (in a good way). Because my time at the archives was precious, I did not read Wilson’s papers as close as I hoped to. As I begin to transcribe letters and review her records, I often cry. I cry because she was so passionate for…
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“My Grandmothers Were Six Feet Tall”: Geraldine’s Family Memories
Geraldine Wilson, 1955 The more I discover about this family, the more I wondered if they were aware of one another’s accomplishments. I wondered if Geraldine knew of her grandfather’s service in the American Civil War. Did Rachel know of her grandfather’s educational activism? Did this fuel her own activism?As always in research, with many…
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#BlackGirlsTravel: A Week in Panama
Taboga Island, Panama I love to travel. If I am not traveling, I am planning my next international adventure. So Panama began with a phone call to my old college roommate, Djola (who I know loves to have fun) and my sister, Faith, who needed a stamp in her passport. I wanted to spend a week…
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A Tribute to Queen Mother Moore from Geraldine Wilson
Miss Moore came to be called Queen Mother during a trip to Africa years ago, when a tribe in Ghana awarded her the honorary title. In Africa, as she once put it, “I felt the lash on the backs of my people.” Her outrage over the suffering of blacks in America led to years of…
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From the Schomburg: Geraldine Wilson’s Resume
Undated photo, Geraldine Wilson Papers, Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture I concluded my summer travels…YAY! Panama was beautiful (will post later about that), gentrified Harlem treated me well, and Pennsylvania was full of reunions and research. I am still processing my research notes from the Schomburg. This time I carefully searched and read through her…
Diary of a Historian 