African American Studies Commons^™

‘Following The Line Of Least Resistance’: African American Women In Domestic Work, 1899–1940, Taylor Simsovic

Armstrong Undergraduate Journal of History

This paper examines the challenges faced by African American women employed in domestic service between 1899 and 1940, with a focus on how race, class, and gender intersected to shape their experiences. Specifically, the study investigates how these women continued to perform reproductive labor as they migrated from the South to Northern states during the Great Migration. Drawing on a range of primary and secondary sources, the analysis argues that Black women's persistent employment in undervalued labor within white American homes was driven by the mutually constitutive systems of capitalism, white supremacy, and patriarchy. These systems channeled Black women into …

Blacks In Oregon, Darrell Millner

Black Studies Faculty Publications and Presentations

Periodically, newspaper or magazine articles appear proclaiming amazement at how white the population of Oregon and the City of Portland is compared to other parts of the country. It is not possible to argue with the figures—in 2017, there were an estimated 91,000 Blacks in Oregon, about 2 percent of the population—but it is a profound mistake to think that these stories and statistics tell the story of the state's racial past. In fact, issues of race and the status and circumstances of Black life in Oregon are central to understanding the history of the state, and perhaps its future …

Rondo Days, Kellian Clink

Library Services Publications

The Rondo Days Festival, inaugurated in 1983, is a reunion of the Black community of the Twin Cities. It memorializes and mourns a neighborhood gone, a neighborhood where residents “learned to fill the gaps in American history (Fairbanks 1999, 141), learned about the contributions and tribulations of their people. The celebration remembers when the creation of I-94 meant the destruction of a vibrant neighborhood, moving hundreds of families from a community of truly gracious homes to “substandard housing with bad wiring” (Baker 1994). Rondo Days celebrates a sense of community sustained in defiance of institutional racism and urban planning run …

Finding Aid To The Collection Of Osborne Family Materials, Osborne Family, Colby College Special Collections

Finding Aids

The Osborne Family Collection centers on the members of an early African American family who settled in Waterville, Maine after the Civil War. The collection contains materials relating to Samuel Osborne (1883-1904), his wife, Maria Iverson Osborne (1836-1913), and their children: Flora Molly Osborne Strange (1854-1921), Amelia Osborne (1857-1930), and Lulu Clifton Osborne Connor (1864-1907?), all born in slavery in Virginia. The remaining Osborne children: Isabelle Osborne (1868), Annie J. Osborne (1869-1901), Alice E. Osborne (1871-1968), Edward Samuel Osborne (1874-1956), and Marion Thompson Osborne Matheson (1878-1954) were born in Waterville, Maine. Samuel Osborne worked as the Colby College Janitor for …

Oral History With Karen Edwards-Hunter, Matthew R. Griffis

Oral History Archive

Karen Edwards-Hunter was born in Louisville, Kentucky in 1950 and has lived most of her life there. Her father was a mail carrier and her mother, who was originally a homemaker, was later a Teacher’s Assistant at Perry Elementary School. Edwards-Hunter grew up on 15^th Street in the city’s Russell neighborhood and attended Perry Elementary School and Harvey C. Russell Junior High School when both were still segregated. She later attended Louisville Male High School before earning a B.A. in English at Eastern Kentucky University and the University of Louisville. She completed further studies at Bard College in New …

Oral History With Houston A. Baker, Matthew R. Griffis

Oral History Archive

Born in March of 1943, Houston Alfred Baker Jr. grew up in segregated Louisville. His mother was a schoolteacher; his father served as chief administrator of the city’s African-American hospital, the Red Cross Hospital, and had earned a master’s degree in hospital administration from Northwestern University on a Rockefeller fellowship. When Baker was a child, his family lived on Virginia Avenue, where Baker attended Virginia Avenue Elementary School. After his family moved to Broadway Street, Baker attended Western Elementary, later Western Junior High School, and then Male High School before leaving for Howard University in 1961. The family attended Grace …

2018 Call For Submissions, Regennia N. Williams

The Journal of Traditions & Beliefs

No abstract provided.

Ua1f Wku Cultural Diversity, Wku Archives

WKU Archives Records

Bibliography of sources related to cultural diversity at WKU.

Ua1b2/1 A Commemoration Of Wku's Integration: 1956-2006, Howard Bailey, Monica G. Burke, John Hardin, Sherese Martin, Maxine Ray, C. J. Woods

Monica Burke

A publication that chronicles the history of WKU's desegregation efforts. This commemorative publication is also an historical document that highlights the prolific accomplishments of WKU African American graduates. The impact of Western's spirit on countless African American graduates and the Bowling Green community unfolds in the pages that follow. The joy of having access to an education, the struggles of transforming an institutional climate, the kindness of WKU faculty, staff, and students and the rewards of walking across the stage in Diddle arena are chronicled by those who experienced it firsthand.

Parramore And The Interstate 4: A World Torn Asunder (1880-1980), Yuri K. Gama

Master of Liberal Studies Theses

The present project centers on how the African American community of Parramore in Orlando, Florida, became a low-income neighborhood. Based on a timeline from 1880 to 1980 and the construction of the Interstate 4, this thesis investigates Parramore’s decline grounded in the effects of urban sprawl and racial oppression. Among the effects that contributed to the neighborhood's decline in the postwar era were the closing of black schools and the migration of black residents to other places after the 1960s; the disruption of the neighborhood with the construction of highways and public housing; and the lack of investment in new …

Buffalo Soldier, Deserter, Criminal: The Remarkably Complicated Life Of Charles Ringo, Cicero Fain

History Faculty Research

This case study chronicles the remarkably complicated life of Charles Ringo who served nearly two enlistments as a Buffalo Soldier before deserting and embarking on a life of petty crime. It details his military service, his nomadic occupational life, his marriage, his acquittal of two sets of murders--one of his stepsons in West Virginia, the other of a white married couple in Illinois, and the assistance of white authorities who intervened to save and protect Ringo from the predations of angry mobs and racist courts. It situates Ringo’s exploits within the oppositional/alternative nature of African American working-class life, the failure …

Slaves, Soldiers, Citizens: African American Artifacts Of The Civil War Era, Lauren H. Roedner, Angelo Scarlato, Scott Hancock, Jordan G. Cinderich, Tricia M. Runzel, Avery C. Lentz, Brian D. Johnson, Lincoln M. Fitch, Michele B. Seabrook

Other Exhibits & Events

Based on the exhibit Slaves, Soldiers, Citizens: African American Artifacts of the Civil War Era, this book provides the full experience of the exhibit, which was on display in Special Collections at Musselman Library November 2012- December 2013. It also includes several student essays based on specific artifacts that were part of the exhibit.

Table of Contents:

Introduction Angelo Scarlato, Lauren Roedner ’13 & Scott Hancock

Slave Collars & Runaways: Punishment for Rebellious Slaves Jordan Cinderich ’14

Chancery Sale Poster & Auctioneer’s Coin: The Lucrative Business of Slavery Tricia Runzel ’13

Isaac J. Winters: An African American Soldier from Pennsylvania …

Morality And Nonviolent Protest: The Birmingham Campaign, Lindsey A. Mahn

Pell Scholars and Senior Theses

Birmingham, Alabama was a racially segregated city up until 1963 when members of Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) began a movement to stop discrimination against the African American population. Though the movement itself was conducted in a peaceful nonviolent manner, opposition from the white civic authorities was often cruel and bloody. Images of protesters both young and old were projected across the news and made the American people think deeply about the problems within their country. Eventually, the protests paid off and the Civil Rights Act of 1964 passed, prohibiting racial discrimination in public accommodations, facilities, transportation and the workplace. …

Freedmen With Firearms: White Terrorism And Black Disarmament During Reconstruction, David H. Schenk

The Gettysburg College Journal of the Civil War Era

The outcome of the Civil War brought freedom to over six million slaves of African descent. These Freedmen communities remained a critical source of labor for the agrarian based economy of the southern U.S. Conflicts erupted because former slaves sought to exercise their new freedoms against the restrictions placed on them by local authorities. New laws, mob actions and acts of organized white terrorism were used to subjugate free citizens and return them to their former stations of labor. Political activities and participation in the electoral process were violently discouraged. Vocal opponents of the new system were often targeted for …

Ua12/2/33 Black History Month, Wku Association For The Study Of African American Life & History

WKU Archives Records

WKU Black History Month events poster.

"Listen To The Wild Discord": Jazz In The Chicago Defender And The Louisiana Weekly, 1925-1929, Sarah A. Waits

University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

This essay will use the views of two African American newspaper columnists, E. Belfield Spriggins of the Louisiana Weekly and Dave Peyton of the Chicago Defender, to argue that though New Orleans and Chicago both occupied a primary place in the history of jazz, in many ways jazz was initially met with ambivalence and suspicion. The struggle between the desire to highlight black achievement in music and the effort to adhere to tenets of middle class respectability play out in their columns. Despite historiographical writings to the contrary, these issues of the influence of jazz music on society were …

Ua12/2/33 Whips & Chains, Wku Association For The Study Of African American Life & History

WKU Archives Records

Invitation to first WKU Association for the Study of African American Life & History event entitled Whips & Chains.

"Spectacular Opacities": The Hyers Sisters' Performances Of Respectability And Resistance, Jocelyn Buckner

Theatre Faculty Articles and Research

This essay analyzes the Hyers Sisters, a Reconstruction-era African American sister act, and their radical efforts to transcend social limits of gender, class, and race in their early concert careers and three major productions, Out of Bondage and Peculiar Sam, or The Underground Railroad, two slavery-to-freedom epics, and Urlina, the African Princess, the first known African American play set in Africa. At a time when serious, realistic roles and romantic plotlines featuring black actors were nearly nonexistent due to the country’s appetite for stereotypical caricatures, the Hyers Sisters used gender passing to perform opposite one another as heterosexual lovers in …

Ua1b1/5 Martin Luther King Forum, Wku Archives

WKU Archives Collection Inventories

Records regarding the Martin Luther King Forum.

Black Labor At Pine Grove & Caledonia Furnaces, 1789-1860, Troy D. Harman

Adams County History

Black labor operating under various degrees of freedom found a suitable working environment, if not a safe haven, in several iron forges of South Central Pennsylvania, from the late 1790s through the 1850s. Primary accounts indicate that two in particular, Pine Grove Furnace of Cumberland County, and Caledonia Furnace of Franklin County, harbored runaway slaves to augment their work force. Pine Grove records, dating from 1789 – 1801, specify names of “negro” employees, verifying that black labor coexisted with white, but day books, journals, and ledgers do not denote status.1 Whether they were free men, or slaves rented out by …

Ua1b2/1 A Commemoration Of Wku's Integration: 1956-2006, Monica G. Burke, Sherese Martin

WKU Archives Records

A publication that chronicles the history of WKU's desegregation efforts. This commemorative publication is also an historical document that highlights the prolific accomplishments of WKU African American graduates. The impact of Western's spirit on countless African American graduates and the Bowling Green community unfolds in the pages that follow. The joy of having access to an education, the struggles of transforming an institutional climate, the kindness of WKU faculty, staff, and students and the rewards of walking across the stage in Diddle arena are chronicled by those who experienced it firsthand.

Ua1b2/1 Integration At Western Kentucky University, Jason Brown

Student/Alumni Personal Papers

A brief overview of the integration process at WKU, includes some newspaper clippings and primary source materials.

Ua68/13/4 Limited Edition, Wku Journalism

WKU Archives Records

Newspaper created by students participating in the Minority Journalism Workshop hosted by the WKU Journalism Department.

• Clark, Ashlee. Campus Security Tightens in Wake of Murder
• Lau, Jessica. Diversity Grows, Problems Persist
• Yee, April. Home of Love
• Leong, Jennifer. State Street Baptist Church Rededication Date Set
• Cowherd, Heather. Growing Up Black in Bowling Green
• Clark, Ashlee & Aja Junior. Regents Approve Increased Budget
• Leong, Jennifer. Hispanic Ministry Provides Heartfelt Worship
• Taylor, Sean. Shake Rag Gains New Support, Awareness
• Taylor, Sean. Patriot Act Tramples Peoples' Civil Rights
• Clark, Ashlee. Got Ethics?
• Winters, Jonathan. Remove Patriotism from Flames
• Yee, April. Stereotypes
• Jefferson, Regina …

Ua12/2/1 Then & Now, Wku Student Affairs

WKU Archives Records

College Heights Herald homecoming magazine with articles:

• Holm, Hollan. Big Red Evolves from Joke to Icon
• Hellmueller, Anthony. What’s Happening for Homecoming?
• Moore, Michael. Refrigerator Bowl Veterans Reunite
• Farner, Keith. Colonnade Used to Be Place to Watch Pigskin Fly – Stadium
• Lord, Joseph. 1962 Basketball Player Remembers Living with Coach E.A. Diddle – Bobby Rascoe, Diddle Dorm
• Schoenbaechler, Danny & Hollan Holm. 1972 Fraternity Brothers Reunite, Relive Days in Sigma Alpha Epsilon House
• Robinson, Jocelyn. 1983 The Cellar: From Boogie Nights to Study Nights – West Hall
• Hopkins, Shawntaye. 1994 Potter Hall Provided Location Near Classes
• Lowther, Clare. 2002 Tailgating …

Ua68/13/4 Limited Edition, Wku Journalism

WKU Archives Records

Newspaper created by students participating in the Minority Journalism Workshop hosted by the WKU Journalism Department.

• Sebastian, Kandace. Shake Rag Preparing for Revival
• Clark, Ashlee. Concerts in Park Sizzling
• Byrd, Candice. Actor Relives Washington's Brave Legacy - Josephy Bundy
• Clark, Ashlee. Multi-faceted Clemette Haskins Returning to Start Foundation
• Davis, AnCharlene. Uncle Merv Aubespin Tells Students To Make a Difference
• Relerford, Patrice. Sullivans Share Success to Support Scholarships
• Long, Michelle. Teacher Trying to Draw Minorities into Profession - Leislie Godo-Solo
• Tucker, Harold. Army Sets Up Quarters on Hill
• Belcher, Tammy. Shake Rag Deserves Support
• Clark, Ashlee. Teach Black History Year Round …

Ua1b1/7 Dedication Of Historical Marker For Jonesville, Kentucky Historical Society

WKU Archives Records

Program for the dedication of the historical marker for the African American community Jonesville.

Ua77/4 Uniting The Spirit, Vol. 1, No. 2, Wku Alumni Relations

WKU Archives Records

Newsletter created by WKU Society of African American Alumni and Minority Student Support Services to promote spring celebration 2000.

Ua77/4 Uniting The Spirit, Vol. 1, No. 1, Wku Alumni Relations

WKU Archives Records

Newsletter created by WKU Society of African American Alumni and Minority Student Support Services to promote homecoming events.

Ua12/2/1 College Heights Herald, Vol. 74, No. 8, Wku Student Affairs

WKU Archives Records

WKU campus newspaper reporting campus, athletic and Bowling Green, Kentucky news:

• Mayo, Travis. A Crushing Defeat – Football
• Stamper, John. Fatal Fire Sparking Changes – Murray State University, Housing & Residence Life
• Karen, Mattias. Insurance Costs Could Drop for Faculty – Employee Benefits
• Harper, Molly. Report Expresses Concern About Campus Dark Spots – Lighting
• New Classes Need Funding – Budget, Curriculum
• Tabor, Chris. Editorial Cartoon More Classes
• Mead, Ann. Reserved Spots Open After 5 – Parking
• Wilson, Liz. Take Bake the Night Succeeds – Poetry
• How Would You Rate Your Computer Skills?
• Lynn, Kelley. Talent Show Draws All Kinds
• Englert, …

Black Church Politics And The Million Man March, William E. Nelson Jr.

Trotter Review

October 16, 1995 will be recorded as one of the most important days in the political history of African Americans in the United States. This day witnessed the largest mass political demonstration in the history of this nation—the assemblage of more than 1.2 million African-American men in Washington, D.C. under the banner of the Million Man March. Both the size and the overt political objectives of the march set it firmly apart from the pallid, feeble demonstrations in Washington led by the NAACP in the 1980s; in its size and character, the march echoed the focus on power and system …