{"product_id":"letters-from-black-america-isbn-9780807001158","title":"Letters from Black America","description":"\u003cb\u003eThe first-ever narrative history of African Americans told through their own letters\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003ci\u003eLetters from Black America\u003c\/i\u003e \u003c\/i\u003efills a literary and historical void by presenting the spectrum of African American experience in the most intimate way possible—through the heartfelt correspondence of those who lived through monumental changes and pivotal events, from the American Revolution to the war in Iraq, from slavery to the election of Obama.Introduction xvii\u003cbr\u003e A Note on the Text xxi\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003ePART I : Family\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e Hannah Grover to Her Son Cato, June 3, 1805\u003cbr\u003e George Pleasant to Agnes Hobbs, September 6, 1833 \u003cbr\u003e Lucy Smith to Sarah Boon, May 1, 1842 \u003cbr\u003e Abream Scriven to Dinah Jones, September 19, 1858 \u003cbr\u003e James Tate to His Wife, February 4, 1863 \u003cbr\u003e Ann Valentine to Andrew Valentine, January 19, 1864 \u003cbr\u003e Mandy McCinny to George McCinny, May 11, 1864 \u003cbr\u003e Susanah Hart to Mark Hart, February 23, 1865\u003cbr\u003e Martha Bruce to John Edward Bruce, September 23, 1887\u003cbr\u003e Paul Laurence Dunbar to Matilda Dunbar, June 6, 1893 \u003cbr\u003e Matilda Dunbar to Paul Laurence Dunbar, June 8, 1895 \u003cbr\u003e Paul Laurence Dunbar to Matilda Dunbar, November 25, 1897 \u003cbr\u003e Matilda Dunbar to Paul Laurence Dunbar, July 5, 1901 \u003cbr\u003e Mary Church Terrell to Robert H. Terrell, July 9, 1902 \u003cbr\u003e Robert H. Terrell to Mary Church Terrell, Undated \u003cbr\u003e Robert H. Terrell to Mary Church Terrell, December 30, 1913 \u003cbr\u003e W.E.B. Du Bois to Yolande Du Bois, March 13, 1907 \u003cbr\u003e W.E.B. Du Bois to Yolande Du Bois, October 29, 1914 \u003cbr\u003e Dr. William R. R. Granger, Sr., to Son, October 8, 1911 \u003cbr\u003e Dr. William R. R. Granger, Sr., to W.R.R. Granger, Jr., September 30, 1914 \u003cbr\u003e Dr. A. T. Granger to Dr. W.R.R. Granger, Jr., August 5, 1917 \u003cbr\u003e Lester B. Granger to Dr. W.R.R. Granger, Jr., July 15, 1930\u003cbr\u003e Lester B. Granger to Dr. W.R.R. Granger, Jr., February 23, 1932 \u003cbr\u003e Madam C. J. Walker to A’Lelia Walker, May 16, 1919 \u003cbr\u003e Grace Nail Johnson to James Weldon Johnson, June 19, 1929 \u003cbr\u003e Leigh Whipper to Dr. Ionia Whipper, September 8, 1930 \u003cbr\u003e Robert Murphy to Matilda Dunbar, October 30, 1933 \u003cbr\u003e Ralph Ellison to Ida Millsap Ellison, April 20, 1937\u003cbr\u003e Ralph Ellison to Ida Millsap Ellison, August 30, 1937\u003cbr\u003e The Watson Children to Justice James S. Watson, Undated, 1937\u003cbr\u003e James L. Watson to Justice James S. Watson, May 16, 1943\u003cbr\u003e Doug Watson to Justice James S. Watson, September 29, 1947 \u003cbr\u003e Martin Luther King, Jr., to Martin Luther King, Sr., June 15, 1944\u003cbr\u003e Julia Davis Rustin to Bayard Rustin, April 15, 1946 \u003cbr\u003e Martin Luther King, Jr., to Alberta King, October 1948 \u003cbr\u003e Edith Braithwaite to William Stanley Braithwaite, December 27, 1954 \u003cbr\u003e William Stanley Braithwaite to Edith Braithwaite, September 27, 1956\u003cbr\u003e Adam Clayton Powell, Jr., to Hazel Scott Powell, October 11, 1957\u003cbr\u003e Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., to Coretta Scott King, October 26, 1960 \u003cbr\u003e Medgar Evers to Myrlie Evers and Children, November 27, 1962 \u003cbr\u003e Urnestine Lewis to David Levering Lewis, September 7, 1963 \u003cbr\u003e Derrick Bell, Jr., to Derrick Bell, Sr., July 26, 1967 \u003cbr\u003e Joseph F. Beam to Mom and Dad, May 29, 1976 \u003cbr\u003e Walter J. Leonard to Angela Leonard, April 16, 1991 \u003cbr\u003e Walter J. Leonard to Mamie K. Singleton, November 10, 1992 \u003cbr\u003e Queen Esther Gupton Cheatham Jones to Renée Cheatham Neblett, March 1993 \u003cbr\u003e Queen Esther Gupton Cheatham Jones to Renée Cheatham Neblett, Undated, circa 1996 \u003cbr\u003e Thomas Allen Harris to Lyle Ashton Harris, Undated, 1998 \u003cbr\u003e Michael Leon Thomas to Mom and Dad, October 12, 2000 \u003cbr\u003e Walter J. Leonard to Angela M. Leonard, May 12, 2005 \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003ePART II : Courtship and Romance\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e Nicey E. Bush to Harvey Moore, September 14, 1869\u003cbr\u003e Harvey Moore to Nicey E. Bush, October 26, 1869 \u003cbr\u003e Harvey Moore to Nicey E. Bush, December 20, 1869 \u003cbr\u003e Paul Laurence Dunbar to Alice Ruth Moore, March 7, 1897 \u003cbr\u003e Roscoe Conkling Bruce to Clara Burrill, January 3, 1903 \u003cbr\u003e Clara Burrill to Roscoe Conkling Bruce, Undated, 1903 \u003cbr\u003e Roscoe Conkling Bruce to Clara Burrill, January 31, 1903 \u003cbr\u003e Roscoe Conkling Bruce to Clara Burrill, February 19, [1903] \u003cbr\u003e Dr. James Arthur Kennedy to A’Lelia Walker, December 8, 1921 \u003cbr\u003e Dr. Henry Arthur Callis to Myra Colson, December 24, 1925 \u003cbr\u003e Dr. Henry Arthur Callis to Myra Colson, January 7, 1926 \u003cbr\u003e Robert Keyes to Hattie Haynes, April 15, 1928 \u003cbr\u003e Fredi Washington to Lawrence Brown, June 22, 1932 \u003cbr\u003e Lawrence Brown to Fredi Washington, Undated \u003cbr\u003e Fredi Washington to Lawrence Brown, September 29, 1934 \u003cbr\u003e Charles Drew to Minnie Lenore Robbins, April 9, 1939 \u003cbr\u003e Charles Drew to Minnie Lenore Robbins, 1939 \u003cbr\u003e Charles Drew to Minnie Lenore Robbins, April 21, 1939 \u003cbr\u003e Martin Luther King, Jr., to Coretta Scott, July 18, 1952 \u003cbr\u003e Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr., to Coretta Scott King, February 14, 1957 \u003cbr\u003e Booker T. Washington III to Joyce Dodson Washington, February 4, 1968\u003cbr\u003e Walter D. Broadnax to Angel Wheelock Marshall, March 28, 1984 \u003cbr\u003e Francesca Momplaisir to Nnabu Gogoh, May 8, 1999 \u003cbr\u003e Nnabu Gogoh to Francesca Momplaisir, June 10, 2000 \u003cbr\u003e Nnabu Gogoh to Francesca Momplaisir, September 28, 2000 \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003ePART III : Politics and Social Justice\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e Phillis Wheatley to Rev. Samson Occom, February 11, 1774\u003cbr\u003e Benjamin Banneker to Secretary of State Thomas Jefferson, August 19, 1791\u003cbr\u003e Frederick Douglass to Captain Thomas Auld, September 3, 1848\u003cbr\u003e Fugitive Slaves to Enslaved Brethren, November 5, 1850\u003cbr\u003e Annie Davis to President Abraham Lincoln, August 25, 1864\u003cbr\u003e Sojourner Truth to Rowland Johnson, November 17, 1864\u003cbr\u003e Frederick Douglass to Readers, June 13, 1872\u003cbr\u003e Whitefield McKinlay to Booker T. Washington, November 1, 1901\u003cbr\u003e Booker T. Washington to Whitefield McKinlay, November 6, 1901\u003cbr\u003e Booker T. Washington to Whitefield McKinlay, February 18, 1902\u003cbr\u003e Ida B. Wells-Barnett to Anti-Lynching Bureau, January 1, 1902\u003cbr\u003e Robert Smalls to Whitefield McKinlay, November 10, 1909\u003cbr\u003e Robert Smalls to Whitefield McKinlay, September 12, 1912\u003cbr\u003e W.E.B. Du Bois to President Woodrow Wilson, October 10, 1916\u003cbr\u003e James Weldon Johnson to President Warren G. Harding, September 19, 1921\u003cbr\u003e Arthur A. Schomburg to Wendell Dabney, December 12, 1933\u003cbr\u003e Roy Wilkins to Eleanor Roosevelt, Undated, 1934\u003cbr\u003e Walter White to Thurgood Marshall, March 1, 1935\u003cbr\u003e Claude McKay to James Weldon Johnson, May 8, 1935\u003cbr\u003e Congressman Adam Clayton Powell, Jr., to Eleanor Roosevelt, November 5, 1956\u003cbr\u003e Congressman Adam Clayton Powell, Jr., to U.S. Senator John F. Kennedy, November 5, 1957\u003cbr\u003e Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., to President John F. Kennedy, September 11, 1962\u003cbr\u003e Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., to White Clergymen, April 16, 1963\u003cbr\u003e James Baldwin to His Nephew James, 1963\u003cbr\u003e Rev. Adam Clayton Powell, Jr., to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., January 27, 1964\u003cbr\u003e Shirley Du Bois to Langston Hughes, March 7, 1965\u003cbr\u003e Jean Fairfax to Minnie and A. J. Lewis, July 23, 1965 \u003cbr\u003e U.S. Senator Edward W. Brooke III to President Richard M. Nixon, March 27, 1969\u003cbr\u003e U.S. Senator Edward W. Brooke III to Secretary of State William P. Rogers, May 27, 1969 \u003cbr\u003e Bayard Rustin to Eldridge Cleaver, January 24, 1977\u003cbr\u003e Bayard Rustin to Mayor Edward I. Koch, February 25, 1985\u003cbr\u003e Rev. Jeremiah A. Wright, Jr., to Jodi Kantor, March 2007\u003cbr\u003e Toni Morrison to U.S. Senator Barack Obama, January 28, 2008\u003cbr\u003e AliceWalker to President-Elect Barack Obama, November 5, 2008\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003e \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003ePART IV: Education and the Art of Scholarship\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e Booker T. Washington to Emily Howland, Undated \u003cbr\u003e W.E.B. Du Bois to Harvard University, October 29, 1887\u003cbr\u003e W.E.B. Du Bois to the John F. Slater Fund, March 10, 1893\u003cbr\u003e Booker T. Washington to W.E.B. Du Bois, July 15, 1902 \u003cbr\u003e W.E.B. Du Bois to Vernealia Fereira, December 14, 1904 \u003cbr\u003e John Hope to W.E.B. Du Bois, January 17, 1910 \u003cbr\u003e W.E.B. Du Bois to John Hope, January 22, 1910\u003cbr\u003e Alice Dunbar to John Edward Bruce, March 23, 1914 \u003cbr\u003e James Emman Kwegyir Aggrey to Sadie Peterson Delaney, March 14, 1924\u003cbr\u003e John Hope to W.E.B. Du Bois, November 15, 1924 \u003cbr\u003e W.E.B. Du Bois to John Hope, March 25, 1925 \u003cbr\u003e W.E.B. Du Bois to Bureau of Education Commissioner William John Cooper, December 18, 1929\u003cbr\u003e Carter G. Woodson to John Hope, December 24, 1931\u003cbr\u003e Alain Locke to James Weldon Johnson, March 7, 1934 \u003cbr\u003e Countee Cullen to James Weldon Johnson, June 7, 1934 \u003cbr\u003e Shirley Graham to W.E.B. Du Bois, June 23, 1934 \u003cbr\u003e Sterling A. Brown to W.E.B. Du Bois, January 29, 1935 \u003cbr\u003e Horace Mann Bond to Arthur A. Schomburg, September 19, 1936 \u003cbr\u003e Arthur A. Schomburg to Jacob Drachler, January 10, 1938 \u003cbr\u003e Kenneth B. Clark to Mr. Swift, September 17, 1940 \u003cbr\u003e Congressman Adam Clayton Powell, Jr., to Rev. Hugh Burr,\u003cbr\u003e March 16, 1956 \u003cbr\u003e Jean Fairfax to U.S. Education Commissioner Francis Keppel,\u003cbr\u003e March 6, 1967 \u003cbr\u003e Derrick Bell, Jr., to Office for Civil Rights Staff,\u003cbr\u003e August 15, 1967 \u003cbr\u003e U.S. Senator Edward W. Brooke III to President Richard M. Nixon,\u003cbr\u003e June 25, 1969 \u003cbr\u003e Derrick Bell, Jr., to Justice Thurgood Marshall, October 2, 1969 \u003cbr\u003e Justice Thurgood Marshall to Derrick Bell, Jr., October 1969 \u003cbr\u003e Kenneth B. Clark to The New York Times, August 7, 1979 \u003cbr\u003e Derrick Bell, Jr., to Dean Robert Clark, April 9, 1990 \u003cbr\u003e Walter J. Leonard to Angela M. Leonard, July 28, 1997 \u003cbr\u003e Walter J. Leonard to Angela M. Leonard, November 6, 2002 \u003cbr\u003e Rev. Bernard Chris Dorsey to Walter Broadnax, April 17, 2007 \u003cbr\u003e Dr. Frank L. Douglas to Claude Canizares, MIT Vice President for Research, June 1, 2007 \u003cbr\u003e Dr. Frank L. Douglas to His MIT Colleagues and Friends, June 1, 2007 \u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003e \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003ePART V: War\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e John Boston to His Wife, January 12, 1862 \u003cbr\u003e Lewis Douglass to Amelia Loguen, July 20, 1863 \u003cbr\u003e James Henry Gooding to President Abraham Lincoln, September 28, 1863 \u003cbr\u003e Nancy Allcorn to Missouri Provost Marshall, May 16, 1864 \u003cbr\u003e George Rodgers et al. to President Abraham Lincoln, August 1864 •\u003cbr\u003e Roanoke   Island, North Carolina, Freedmen to Secretary of War Edwin M. Stanton, March 9, 1865 \u003cbr\u003e M. W. Saddler to \u003ci\u003eThe Freeman\u003c\/i\u003e Newspaper, September 1899 \u003cbr\u003e Patrick Mason to Editor of The Gazette Newspaper, November 19, 1899 \u003cbr\u003e Unnamed Soldier to New York Age Editor, May 17, 1900 \u003cbr\u003e James A. Davis to Pecola Johnson Davis, October 1, 1918 \u003cbr\u003e Canute Frankson to a Dear Friend, July 6, 1937 \u003cbr\u003e Canute Frankson to “My Dear,” July 23, 1937 \u003cbr\u003e Canute Frankson to “Dearest,” April 13, 1938 \u003cbr\u003e Leigh Whipper to Benjamin O. Davis, January 28, 1941 \u003cbr\u003e Mr. and Mrs. James S. Watson to Private James L. Watson, January 23, 1943 \u003cbr\u003e Lenwood Waller to Pauline Perry, May 7, 1945 \u003cbr\u003e Bayard Rustin to Local Board No. 63, New York City, November 16, 1943 \u003cbr\u003e A. Philip Randolph to Bayard Rustin, April 17, 1944 \u003cbr\u003e A. Philip Randolph to Secretary of Defense George C. Marshall, October 30, 1950 \u003cbr\u003e Lester B. Granger to Navy Secretary Dan A. Kimball, October 24, 1952 \u003cbr\u003e U.S. Senator Edward W. Brooke III to President Richard M. Nixon, October 23, 1969 \u003cbr\u003e U.S. Senator Edward W. Brooke III to President Richard M. Nixon, May 11, 1970 \u003cbr\u003e Gen. Colin L. Powell to the Students of East Pike  Elementary School, August 22, 1991 \u003cbr\u003e Gen. Colin L. Powell to Friends of Sgt. Maj. William Harrington, March 26, 1994 \u003cbr\u003e Capt. Eric Mitchell to Friends and Family, 2003 \u003cbr\u003e Maj. David Scott Harris to Lois D. Cherry, March 23, 2003 \u003cbr\u003e Lois D. Cherry to Maj. David Scott Harris, March 23, 2003 \u003cbr\u003e Maj. David Scott Harris to Lois D. Cherry, April 3, 2003 \u003cbr\u003e Commanding Officer Craig S. Prather, PE, MBA, to My Dalton Family, December 25, 2006 \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003ePART VI : Art and Culture\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e Phillis Wheatley to Gen. George Washington, October 26, 1775 \u003cbr\u003e Paul Laurence Dunbar to Alice Ruth Moore, April 17, 1895 \u003cbr\u003e Alice Ruth Moore to Paul Laurence Dunbar, May 7, 1895 \u003cbr\u003e Paul Laurence Dunbar to Booker T. Washington, January 23, 1902 \u003cbr\u003e Claude A. Barnett to Jean Toomer, April 23, 1923 \u003cbr\u003e Jean Toomer to Claude A. Barnett, April 29, 1923 \u003cbr\u003e Countee Cullen to Langston Hughes, May 14, 1924 \u003cbr\u003e Countee Cullen to Langston Hughes, October 8, 1924 \u003cbr\u003e W.E.B. Du Bois to Roland Hayes, November 30, 1925 \u003cbr\u003e Roland Hayes to W.E.B. Du Bois, December 16, 1925 \u003cbr\u003e Alain Locke to A’Lelia Walker, October 12, 1928 \u003cbr\u003e Zora Neale Hurston to Langston Hughes, December 10, 1929 \u003cbr\u003e Jean Toomer to James Weldon Johnson, July 11, 1930 \u003cbr\u003e James Weldon Johnson to Jean Toomer, July 26, 1930 \u003cbr\u003e Langston Hughes to James Weldon Johnson, August 14, 1931 \u003cbr\u003e Zora Neale Hurston to James Weldon Johnson, April 16, 1934 \u003cbr\u003e Zora Neale Hurston to Dorothy West, Undated \u003cbr\u003e Claude McKay to James Weldon Johnson, May 31, 1935 \u003cbr\u003e Ralph Ellison to Langston Hughes, August 24, 1936 \u003cbr\u003e Claude McKay to James Weldon Johnson, April 2, 1937 \u003cbr\u003e Ralph Ellison to Langston Hughes, April 27, 1937 \u003cbr\u003e Arthur A. Schomburg to Langston Hughes, January 3, 1938 \u003cbr\u003e Arthur A. Schomburg to Caterina Jarboro, March 21, 1938 \u003cbr\u003e Richard Wright to Antonio Frasconi, November 1944 \u003cbr\u003e Richard Wright to David L. Cohn, The Atlantic Monthly, May 1945 \u003cbr\u003e Langston Hughes to John Johnson, October 14, 1945 \u003cbr\u003e Ralph Ellison to Langston Hughes, August 25, 1947 \u003cbr\u003e Ralph Ellison to Kenneth Burke, August 25, 1947 \u003cbr\u003e Fredi Washington to Darr Smith, August 2, 1949 \u003cbr\u003e James Hubert “Eubie” Blake to Flournoy E. Miller, October 30, 1949 \u003cbr\u003e Bobby Short to Fredi Washington, May 18, 1952 \u003cbr\u003e Langston Hughes to Arna Bontemps, February 18, 1953 \u003cbr\u003e Arna Bontemps to Langston Hughes, March 4, 1953 \u003cbr\u003e Ralph Ellison to Mrs. Turner, March 31, 1953 \u003cbr\u003e James Hubert “Eubie” Blake to Flournoy E. Miller, October 9, 1954 \u003cbr\u003e Josephine Baker to Langston Hughes, December 23, 1964 \u003cbr\u003e Alice Walker to Derrick Bell, Jr., May 20, 1986 \u003cbr\u003e William T. Williams to David C. Driskell, October 5, 1988 \u003cbr\u003e Howardena Pindell to Charles Reeve, editor of Art Papers, May 30, 2002 \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003ePART VII : Across the Diaspora\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e Mack Nichols et al. to Rev. Alexander Crummel, October 4, 1865 \u003cbr\u003e George T. Downing to Alexander Crummel, May 18, 1897 \u003cbr\u003e Alexander Crummel to John W. Cromwell, June 15, 1897 \u003cbr\u003e John R. Archer to John Edward Bruce, January 17, 1914 \u003cbr\u003e James Emman Kwegyir Aggrey to Arthur A. Schomburg, May 28, 1918 \u003cbr\u003e James Emman Kwegyir Aggrey to John Edward Bruce, June 28, 1922 \u003cbr\u003e J. E. Casely Hayford to John Edward Bruce, November 24, 1923 \u003cbr\u003e W.E.B. Du Bois to Liberian President Honorable Charles Dunbar Burgess King, January 21, 1924 \u003cbr\u003e Marcus Garvey to Negroes of the World, February 10, 1925 \u003cbr\u003e W.E.B. Du Bois to Harvey S. Firestone, October 26, 1925 \u003cbr\u003e Louis-Marie Dantès Bellegarde to Arthur A. Schomburg, March 11, 1932 \u003cbr\u003e Arthur A. Schomburg to Louis-Marie Dantès Bellegarde, May 3, 1934 \u003cbr\u003e Marcus Garvey to Norton Cruickshank, June 10, 1937 \u003cbr\u003e Fredi Washington to Ademola Johnson, September 23, 1949 \u003cbr\u003e WilliamAlphaeus Hunton, Jr., to Ghanaian President Kwame Nkrumah, May 4, 1962 \u003cbr\u003e Charles Adjei to Lois Okudzeto, June 2003 \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e Acknowledgments \u003cbr\u003e Index“As the country enters a fresh atmosphere around our latest president, \u003ci\u003eLetters from Black America\u003c\/i\u003e strikes a vital, rich chord in which to breathe the new air.”—Karen Long, \u003ci\u003eCleveland Plain Dealer\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e “While this unique collection of letters represents a frank depiction of the black experience, the great achievement is that these writings often go far beyond race and class to simply tell the story of the human experience in America.”—Allen McGinley, \u003ci\u003eLibrary Journal,\u003c\/i\u003e starred review\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e “A rich array of ‘linguistic snapshots,’ more than 200 letters that range from a slave writing his wife on the eve of being sold to Martin Luther King, Jr.’s ‘Letter from Birmingham Jail.’”—Bob Minzesheimer, \u003ci\u003eUSA Today\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e “\u003ci\u003eLetters from Black America\u003c\/i\u003e is itself a work of art.”—Andrew Carroll, editor of \u003ci\u003eLetters of a Nation\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eWar Letters\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e “An extraordinary peek at what went on behind the closed doors of black America for nearly three hundred years. Notables are reduced to human beings, and the anonymous come to life. These extraordinary snapshots of the past will provide hours of informative pleasure and delightful reading. Wonderfully done.” —James McBride, author of \u003ci\u003eThe Color of Water\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e “There can’t be a better way to salute Black History Month than to read this collection. It gathers everything from the desperate letters of 19th century slaves—spouses who’d been sold, never to see each other again—to expressions of friendship between poets. . . . Drawn from two centuries, these letters are a lesson drawn from the heart of African-American history.” —Anne   Stephenson,\u003ci\u003e Arizona Republic\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e “\u003ci\u003eLetters from Black America\u003c\/i\u003e . . . presents the pantheon of the African-American experience in a unique and intimate format, through the heartfelt correspondence of both the ordinary and extraordinary men and women who lived it.” —Joy T. Bennett,\u003ci\u003e Ebony\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e “This collection offers an intimate look at the joys and concerns in the lives of ordinary and famous black Americans.” —Vanessa Bush, \u003ci\u003eBooklist\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e “What makes this book powerful is not only the letters of famous people—Martin Luther King, Booker T. Washington, Alice Walker—but the missives of ordinary folks. Annie Davis, for example, wrote President Lincoln a year after the Emancipation Proclamation. ‘It is my desire to go free . . . my mistress won’t let me. You will please let me know if we are free and what I can do. I write to you for advice.’” —Billy Helton, \u003ci\u003eNew York Post\u003c\/i\u003e \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e “Ah, the lure and lore of the letter! Nowadays we turn to cell phones, e-mail and instant messaging to connect, but when you crack open Pamela Newkirk’s \u003ci\u003eLetters from Black America\u003c\/i\u003e you’ll see that the pen is mightier than the thumb.” —Mika Ono, \u003ci\u003eEssence\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e “An instructive, moving—even delightful—primer on the myriad facets of African-American private and public life.” —\u003ci\u003ePublishers Weekly\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e “This long-overdue collection by writers from all walks of life is moving, illuminating, and difficult to put down.”—Marian Wright Edelman, president, Children’s Defense Fund\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e “When we think of great memorials and monuments, we often envision structures crafted out of steel or stone. But I believe the letters in Pamela Newkirk’s tremendous collection represent perhaps the most powerful and enduring legacy to the strength, creativity, genius, and resilience of the African American community. \u003ci\u003eLetters from Black America\u003c\/i\u003e is itself a work of art.” —Andrew Carroll, editor of \u003ci\u003eLetters of a Nation\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eWar Letters\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e “Seldom has the intimate life of a people been more variously revealed. Think of the day when there may only be downloaded e-mail, and then thank Pamela Newkirk for the enduring significance, poignancy, and delight of her \u003ci\u003eLetters from Black America\u003c\/i\u003e.” \u003cbr\u003e —David Levering Lewis, Julius Silver University Professor, New York University, and author of \u003ci\u003eW.E.B. Du Bois\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e “From slavery to post-9\/11, from Phillis Wheatley to Barack Obama, the book gathers correspondence from politicians, writers, and academics, as well as slaves, sharecroppers, servicemen, and domestic workers. . . . the most moving entries are the barely literate and astonishingly painful pleas for family, and for simple justice, by otherwise nameless individuals of the Jim Crow era. Here are people with no hope left other than the belief that death will bring the reunion in Heaven of husband and wife, mother and son. . . . Each section has a brief introduction by Newkirk, just enough to set the stage.” —Robert Saunderson, \u003ci\u003eSchool Library Journal\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e “A unique look at the inner thoughts of many of the most notable African Americans in history. The format enables a reader to pick up the book for just a minute or two to read a particular letter. But the entries can also hold one’s interest for hours if an entire section or the whole book is read in one sitting.” —\u003ci\u003eThe Journal of Blacks in Higher Education\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cb\u003ePamela Newkirk\u003c\/b\u003e is the editor of\u003ci\u003e A Love No Less: More Than Two Centuries of African American Love Letters\u003c\/i\u003e and the author of \u003ci\u003eWithin the Veil: Black Journalists, White Media\u003c\/i\u003e. An award-winning journalist and professor of journalism at New York University, she lives in New York City.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eHannah Grover to Cato, June 3, 1805\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e     \"My dear son Cato, I long to see you in my old age. I live in Caldwell with Mr. Grover the Minister of that place. Now my dear son I pray you to come and see your dear old Mother - Or send me twenty dollars and I will come and see you in Philadelphia - And if you cant come to see your old Mother pray send me a letter and tell me where you live, what family you have and what you do for a living. I am a poor old  servant. I long for freedom - And my Master will free me if any body will ingage to maintain me so that I do not come upon him - I love you Cato, you love your Mother - You are my only son\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThis from your affectionate Mother - \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eHannah Van Buskerk now - Hannah Grover\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAbream Scriven, September  19, 1858\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e     \u003cbr\u003e\"My Dear Wife, I take the pleasure of writing you these few with much regret to inform you that I am sold to a man by the name of Peterson a Trader and stays in New Orleans. I am here yet But I expect to go before long but when I get there I want to send you some things but I don't know who to send them by but I will try to get them to you and my children. Give my love to my father and mother and tell them good bye for me and if we Shall not meet in this world I hope to meet in heaven. My dear wife for you and my children my pen cannot express the griffe I feel to be parted from you all. I remain your truly husband until death.\u003cbr\u003eAbream Scriven \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eRoscoe Conkling Bruce to Clara Burrill:\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eJanuary 3, 1903\u003cbr\u003eDear heart, I have missed you a very great deal - how much no mortal but me can quite realize. (You, dearie, are an immortal!) I think of you literally all of the time. In my office my mind refuses to bind itself to routine duties and insists upon planning dresses and tomes and receptions and the Lord knows what for you. I love you, darling, with all my soul. My life you are. I pray that we may be always the creatures of poetry and romance that now we are; I pray that I may make you always happy; I pray that your life will not be narrowed by marriage but enlarged: I pray that we may be useful and worthy always. Let us, whatever comes, never forsake our scholarly interests; let us never degrade our ideals; let us always live on the summits of experience; and let us always be simple and noble and sensible and just..\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eYour devoted, Ros\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eClara: to Roscoe\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eUndated \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eMy darling,\u003cbr\u003e     \u003cbr\u003eSo busy have I been during the last few days that I haven't had time to write to my darling but I have thought of him continually. Indeed, dearie, I have found difficulty in studying for my exams so wholly have all my thoughts been with you. You may be surprised to hear it, but I find more pleasure in thinking of you than I do in studying for mid-year exams ...\u003cbr\u003e     \u003cbr\u003eOh dearie I shall be so happy when I am with you always. And, dearie, let's do all in our power to make others happy. Let us not be selfish in our love. Let us not leave our mothers alone and have them feel that in their last days they are unloved .I want Mama to feel that as long as we have a home she has one too. I hope you'll let her know.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eYour own Clara\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cbr\u003eW.E.B. Du Bois to Yolande Du Bois, \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eOctober 29, 1914\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eDear Little Daughter:\u003cbr\u003e      \u003cbr\u003eI have waited for you to get well settled before writing. By this time I hope some of the strangeness has work off and that my little girl is working hard and regularly.\u003cbr\u003e      \u003cbr\u003eOf course, everything is new and unusual. You miss the newness and smartness of America. Gradually, however, you are going to sense the beauty of the old world: its calm and eternity and you will grow to love it.\u003cbr\u003e     \u003cbr\u003eAbove all remember, dear, that you have a great opportunity. You are in one of the world's best schools, in one of the world's greatest modern empires. Millions of boys and girls all over this world would give almost anything they possess to be where you are. You are there by no desert or merit of yours, but only by lucky chance. Deserve it, then. Study, do your work. Be honest, frank and fearless and get some grasp of the real values of life. You will meet, of course, curious little annoyances. People will wonder at your dear brown and the sweet crinkly hair. But that is simply of no importance, and will soon be forgotten. Remember that most folk laugh at anything unusual whether it is beautiful, fine or not. You however must not laugh at yourself. You must know that brown is as pretty as white or prettier and crinkly hair as straight though it is harder to comb. The main thing is the YOU beneath the clothes and skin -- the ability to do, the will to conquer, the determination to understand and know this great, wonderful, curious world.... [Don't shrink from new experiences and custom. Take the cold bath bravely. Enter into the spirit of your big bedroom. Enjoy what is and not pine for what is not. Read some good, heavy, serious books just for discipline. Take yourself in hand and master yourself. Make yourself do unpleasant things, so as to gain the upper hand of your soul.\u003cbr\u003e      \u003cbr\u003eAbove all, remember your father loves you and believes in you and expects you to be a wonderful woman.]\u003cbr\u003e      \u003cbr\u003eI shall write each week and expect a weekly letter from you.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eLovingly yours,\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003ePapa","brand":"Beacon Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46305544732901,"sku":"NP9780807001158","price":24.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1842\/7735\/files\/9780807001158.jpg?v=1767731367","url":"https:\/\/k12savings.com\/products\/letters-from-black-america-isbn-9780807001158","provider":"K12savings","version":"1.0","type":"link"}