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An Act
for the Relief of Maria Syphax
(from
Statues at Large, Vol. 14, 39th Congress,
1865-67, Chap. 121, p. 589)
June 12, 1866
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of
Representatives of the United States of America in Congress
assembled. That the title to a piece of land being part of the
Arlington estate, in the county of Alexandria, in the State of
Virginia, upon which Maria Syphax has resided since about
the year eighteen hundred and twenty-six, bounded and described
as follows, to wit:
Beginning at the intersection of the south
line of said Arlington estate, with the centre line of a small
run, said point of intersection being about one-fourth of a mile
from the southwest corner of said Arlington estate, running
thence westerly along said south line seven chains and forty
links;
thence in a northeasterly direction, on a
line making an angle of thirty-five degrees with the said south
line, twenty-two chains and thirty-eight links;
thence at right angles, in a southeasterly
direction, fifteen chains and sixty-seven links to the said
south line of Arlington estate;
thence westerly along the said south line of
the said Arlington nineteen chains and ninety-two links, to the
place of the beginning, containing seventeen acres and
fifty-three one-hundredths of an acre of land, be the same more
or less, be, and the same is hereby, released and confirmed unto
the said Maria Syphax, her heirs and assigns.
Approved June 12, 1866 (signed) Andrew Johnson,
President of the United States
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Sister Citizen: Shame, Stereotypes, and Black Women in
America
By Melissa V.
Harris-Perry
According to the
author, this society has historically exerted
considerable pressure on black females to fit into one
of a handful of stereotypes, primarily, the Mammy, the
Matriarch or the Jezebel. The selfless
Mammy’s behavior is marked by a slavish devotion to
white folks’ domestic concerns, often at the expense of
those of her own family’s needs. By contrast, the
relatively-hedonistic Jezebel is a sexually-insatiable
temptress. And the Matriarch is generally thought of as
an emasculating figure who denigrates black men, ala the
characters Sapphire and Aunt Esther on the television
shows Amos and Andy and Sanford and Son, respectively.
Professor Perry
points out how the propagation of these harmful myths
have served the mainstream culture well. For instance,
the Mammy suggests that it is almost second nature for
black females to feel a maternal instinct towards
Caucasian babies.
As for the source
of the Jezebel, black women had no control over their
own bodies during slavery given that they were being
auctioned off and bred to maximize profits. Nonetheless,
it was in the interest of plantation owners to propagate
the lie that sisters were sluts inclined to mate
indiscriminately.
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Sex at the Margins
Migration, Labour Markets and the Rescue Industry
By Laura María Agustín
This book explodes several myths: that selling sex is completely different from any other kind of work, that migrants who sell sex are passive victims and that the multitude of people out to save them are without self-interest. Laura Agustín makes a passionate case against these stereotypes, arguing that the label 'trafficked' does not accurately describe migrants' lives and that the 'rescue industry' serves to disempower them. Based on extensive research amongst both migrants who sell sex and social helpers, Sex at the Margins provides a radically different analysis. Frequently, says Agustin, migrants make rational choices to travel and work in the sex industry, and although they are treated like a marginalised group they form part of the dynamic global economy. Both powerful and controversial, this book is essential reading for all those who want to understand the increasingly important relationship between sex markets, migration and the desire for social justice. "Sex at the Margins rips apart distinctions between migrants, service work and sexual labour and reveals the utter complexity of the contemporary sex industry. This book is set to be a trailblazer in the study of sexuality."—Lisa Adkins, University of London |
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The White Masters of the
World
From
The World and Africa, 1965
By W. E. B. Du Bois
W. E. B. Du Bois’
Arraignment and Indictment of White Civilization
(Fletcher)
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Ancient African Nations
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If you like this page consider making a donation
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Negro Digest /
Black World
Browse all issues
1950
1960
1965
1970
1975
1980
1985
1990
1995
2000
____ 2005
Enjoy!
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The Death of Emmett Till by Bob Dylan
/
The Lonesome Death of Hattie Carroll
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Only a Pawn in Their Game
Rev. Jesse Lee Peterson Thanks America for
Slavery /
George Jackson /
Hurricane Carter
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The Journal of Negro History issues at Project Gutenberg
The
Haitian Declaration of Independence 1804
/
January 1, 1804 -- The Founding of
Haiti
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posted 29 June 2008
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