Civil Rights History Finds Heightened Relevance in a Troubled Present
(From The New York Times) Civil rights museums have always tied history lessons to current events. But now there may be more interest than ever in what some refer to as civil rights tourism — as indicated by growing financial support and higher attendance at museums focused on the African-American experience.
Helping drive the trend is the extent to which race and ethnicity have become prime topics in the presidential campaigns, as well as growing public consciousness around issues like voting rights, racial variances in prison sentencing and the Black Lives Matter movement.
A significant number of private and corporate donations helped pay the estimated $270 million construction costs of the Smithsonian’s new National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington.
And in Memphis, a recent $27.5 million renovation — primarily paid for by donations from individuals, corporations and foundations — has helped draw more visitors to the National Civil Rights Museum there. Attendance is projected to be 300,000 this year, up from an annual average of about 200,000 in the few years before the renovation was completed in 2014.
The museum, at the Lorraine Motel, where the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated in 1968, is more than a piece of history. Visitors “see the exhibits through the lens of 2016,” said the museum’s president, Terri Lee Freeman. Students in particular, she said, relate the historical photos in the museum to the present-day protests against perceived police bias, among other topics.
“As we talk about the past,” Ms. Freeman said, “we encourage the students to think about how they can make a difference today.” (read more)
The Cleveland Indians in 1948: A Story of Integration
Satchel Paige (seated) and Larry Doby
(From The New York Times) Just months after Jackie Robinson broke baseball’s color line in 1947 by joining the Brooklyn Dodgers, Cleveland Indians’ owner Bill Veeck followed close behind by signing 23-year-old Larry Doby. In doing so, Veeck made Doby the second black player in the majors and the first in the American League.
By 1948, Doby was a formidable part of the Indians’ lineup. Pitcher Satchel Paige more than held his own on the mound after he came aboard. When the Indians won the 1948 World Series, Doby, an ascending star, and Paige, holding tight to a sport he had once dominated (in the Negro League), became the first black players to be part of a major league championship. It was an emblematic moment in baseball history and one that is being revisited as the current version of the Indians tries to win the club’s first title since Doby and Paige and the rest of the 1948 team triumphed over the Boston Braves in six games.
Read the Times story here.
Black College Football Hall of Fame announces Class of 2017
The Black College Football Hall of Fame has announced its Class of 2017. Six inductees were selected from a list of 25 Finalists who had been determined earlier by the BCFHOF Selection Committee.
The Class of 2017 includes quarterback Parnell “Paydirt” Dickinson (Mississippi Valley State), wide receiver Harold “Sunny” Jackson (Jackson State), defensive lineman Gary “Big Hands” Johnson (Grambling State), defensive end Robert Porcher (South Carolina State, Tennessee State), and linebacker Isiah “Butch” Robertson (Southern) as player inductees and Coach Billy Joe (Cheyney, Central State, Florida A&M, Miles College).
“This class is another representation of the immense football talent that has played at historically black colleges and universities,” said BCFHOF Co-Founder and 2012 Inductee James “Shack” Harris (Grambling). “All five players were college All-Americans, and three were first round NFL draft picks.”
Votes were tallied from the 12-member Selection Committee, comprised of prominent journalists, commentators and historians, as well as former NFL General Managers and executives, and from previous BCFHOF inductees to determine the Inductees.
The Class of 2017 will be honored at the Eighth Annual Black College Football Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony, presented by the Atlanta Falcons on February 25, 2017 at the College Football Hall of Fame in Atlanta, Georgia.
The Inductees will also be recognized at the Air Force Reserve Celebration Bowl in Atlanta on December 17, matching champions from the MEAC and SWAC.
Click here for more information on the inductees.
Also: Championship Teams Highlight PV Sports Hall of Fame Class Of 2016
Southwestern Athletic Conference Championship teams along with outstanding individual accomplishments highlights the Prairie View A&M University Sports Hall of Fame Class of 2016.
This class of Prairie View A&M legends includes the 2009 SWAC Champion football team, the 2006 SWAC Champion volleyball team, Samuel Barner (football), Catherine Burnley (soccer/volleyball), and Marvalyn Judge (basketball/softball/cheerleader)
The Class of 2016 will be presented on the field during the Saturday, Nov. 12 football game vs. Southern at Panther Stadium. Click here for more information.
TIPHC Bookshelf
Published scholarship on black history in Texas is growing and we’d like to share with you some suggested readings, both current and past, from some of the preeminent history scholars in Texas and beyond. We invite you to take a look at our bookshelf page — including a featured selection — and check back as the list grows. A different selection will be featured each week. We welcome suggestions and reviews. This week, we offer, “The Garden of Eden: The Story of a Freedmen’s Community in Texas,” by Drew Sanders.
Tucked in a bend of the Trinity River a few minutes from downtown Fort Worth, the Garden of Eden neighborhood has endured for well over a century as a homeplace for freed African American slaves and their descendants. Some of the earliest inhabitants in the Garden, Major and Malinda Cheney assembled over 200 acres of productive farmland on which they raised crops and cattle, built a substantial home for their children, and weathered a series of family crises that ranged from a false accusation of rape and attempted lynching to the murder of their eldest son.
Major and Malinda Cheney’s great-great-grandson, Drew Sanders, recounts engaging tales of the family’s life against the backdrop of Fort Worth and Tarrant County history—among them stories about the famous family Sunday dinners (recipes included). Though some family members, including writer Bob Ray Sanders and transplant specialist Dollie Gentry, no longer live in this special place, life in the Garden of Eden still shapes the family’s character and binds them to the home place.
This Week In Texas Black History, Oct. 23-29
23 — On this day in 1955, Dallas native and Prairie View great Charlie “Choo-Choo” Brackins played the final minutes of the Green Bay Packers game against the Cleveland Browns, making him the fourth black quarterback to play in an NFL game, and the first quarterback from a historically black college to play in the league. Brackins attended Lincoln High School in Dallas then starred at PVAMU, leading the Panthers to 33 wins in the 37 games he played. He was a 16th round pick by the Packers in the 1955 draft.
24 — Two historically black Austin institutions of higher education, Samuel Huston College and Tillotson College, merged to form Huston-Tillotson College (now University) on this day in 1952. Tillotson Collegiate and Normal Institute (named after Unitarian minister George Jeffrey Tillotson) first opened its doors in 1881, and Samuel Huston College in 1876 in Dallas, relocating to Austin two years later. The two East Austin schools were less than a mile apart. Huston-Tillotson is a coeducational college of liberal arts and sciences, operated jointly under the auspices of the American Missionary Association of the United Church of Christ and the Board of Education of the United Methodist Church.
25 – Prairie View and National Basketball Association great Zelmo Beaty was born on this day in 1939 in Hillister (50 miles north of Beaumont). Beaty played during segregation at all-black Scott High School in nearby Woodville. At PV, Beaty led the Panthers to the 1962 NAIA national championship and was named tournament MVP. He averaged 25 points and 20 rebounds during his collegiate career. Though undersized at 6-9 for a center, Beaty was the third overall pick in the 1962 NBA draft by the St. Louis Hawks (now Atlanta), made the 1962-63 NBA All-Rookie Team and was a league All-Star in 1966 and 1968 in an era dominated by centers Wilt Chamberlain and Bill Russell. Beaty jumped to the American Basketball Association and led the Utah Stars to their only championship in 1971. In eight NBA seasons, he averaged 16 points and 11 rebounds a game. He is a member of the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame.
27 – On this day in 2002, Dallas Cowboys’ running back Emmitt Smith passed Chicago Bears great Walter Payton and became the National Football League’s all-time rushing leader on an 11-yard gain in the fourth quarter of the Cowboys’ 17-14 loss to the Seattle Seahawks in Dallas. Smith retired two years later with 18,355 career yards to Payton’s 16,726. Smith, who played collegiately at the University of Florida, was the Cowboys first round pick (number 17 overall) in the NFL’s 1990 draft. He played in eight Pro Bowls and was a four-time first-team All-Pro. In 2005, Smith was inducted to the Cowboys’ Ring of Honor and in 2010 he was enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
28 — English and Speech Professor Melvin Tolson organized the Forensic Society of Wiley College on this day in 1924. The debate teams compiled a ten-year winning streak. Tolson wrote the team’s speeches and the debaters memorized them with Tolson training them on every gesture and pause. He anticipated opponents’ arguments and wrote rebuttals before the actual debates. The 1935 team won the national championship, defeating the University of Southern California. The story of that team and Tolson’s leadership were the subjects of the 2007 film “The Great Debaters.”
29 – E.H. Anderson, Prairie View State Normal School principal, died on this day in 1885. Anderson, a native of Memphis, had become the school’s second principal in 1879.
Blog: Ron Goodwin, author, PVAMU history professor
Ron Goodwin’s bi-weekly blog appears exclusively for TIPHC/TBHPP. Goodwin is a San Antonio native and Air Force veteran. Generally, his column will address contemporary issues in the black community and how they relate to black history. He and the TIPHC/TBHPP staff welcome your comments. His latest blog is, “Breaking my promise” Read it
Submissions Wanted
Historians, scholars, students, lend us your…writings. Help us produce the most comprehensive documentation ever undertaken for the African American experience in Texas. We encourage you to contribute items about people, places, events, issues, politics/legislation, sports, entertainment, religion, etc., as general entries or essays. Our documentation is wide-ranging and diverse, and you may research and write about the subject of your interest or, to start, please consult our list of suggested biographical entries and see submission guidelines. However, all topics must be approved by TIPHC/TBHPP editors before beginning your research/writing.
We welcome your questions or comments via email or telephone – mdhurd@pvamu.edu.