When we heard stories like these when I was young (1940's to early 1960's), we marveled at how so many slaves had "overcome." In those days, "overcome" was the word most associated with Blacks. Today, I think the most prevalent left wing characterization is "helpless victim." One should not confuse the ability of some to "overcome" to mean that society in general was not predatory, trying to keep everyone in their places. Nonetheless, the subconscious lesson we absorbed was a lot of Blacks were some how super heroes. Today, the subconscious lesson is that Blacks are whiners looking for handouts in the form of reparations. If I have to chose between stereotypes, I select the strong hero over the weak victim.
Personally, I prefer to treat each person as an individual on their character and not their race, gender, ethnicity, etc. But ,when the Woker stereotype of all Blacks as angry victims is forced on me each day, I have to admit that it does invade my mind, making it harder to see the individual.
This is yet another example of why JFBT is an excellent resource. Thank you for sharing this absorbing tribute to Dr. McCune Smith and for bringing him what is clearly long-overdue recognition. I now want to read Dr. Cools' further work on his distinguished life, and I hope it finds a wide audience.
Having published a biography ("Radical Spirits") of a trailblazing woman (also a "first" doctor), I look forward to reading the full biography of James McCune Smith.
Pioneers like him (and Anandi Joshee, the subject of my biography) were exceptional in multiple fields of endeavor. They had to be so in order to succeed in their time and place. It is inspiring and humbling to immerse in their stories.
Feb 17, 2023·edited Mar 2, 2023Liked by Free Black Thought
I am still trying to understand why I never heard of Hubert Henry Harrison until he turned up in Project Gutenberg. Apparently Marcus Garvey stole whatever good ideas he had from Harrison.
When we heard stories like these when I was young (1940's to early 1960's), we marveled at how so many slaves had "overcome." In those days, "overcome" was the word most associated with Blacks. Today, I think the most prevalent left wing characterization is "helpless victim." One should not confuse the ability of some to "overcome" to mean that society in general was not predatory, trying to keep everyone in their places. Nonetheless, the subconscious lesson we absorbed was a lot of Blacks were some how super heroes. Today, the subconscious lesson is that Blacks are whiners looking for handouts in the form of reparations. If I have to chose between stereotypes, I select the strong hero over the weak victim.
Personally, I prefer to treat each person as an individual on their character and not their race, gender, ethnicity, etc. But ,when the Woker stereotype of all Blacks as angry victims is forced on me each day, I have to admit that it does invade my mind, making it harder to see the individual.
This is yet another example of why JFBT is an excellent resource. Thank you for sharing this absorbing tribute to Dr. McCune Smith and for bringing him what is clearly long-overdue recognition. I now want to read Dr. Cools' further work on his distinguished life, and I hope it finds a wide audience.
Having published a biography ("Radical Spirits") of a trailblazing woman (also a "first" doctor), I look forward to reading the full biography of James McCune Smith.
Pioneers like him (and Anandi Joshee, the subject of my biography) were exceptional in multiple fields of endeavor. They had to be so in order to succeed in their time and place. It is inspiring and humbling to immerse in their stories.
I am still trying to understand why I never heard of Hubert Henry Harrison until he turned up in Project Gutenberg. Apparently Marcus Garvey stole whatever good ideas he had from Harrison.
When Africa Awakes by Hubert Henry Harrison
https://gutenberg.org/cache/epub/69712/pg69712-images.html