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Outrage
of the Year!!!
Former
Gary Mayor Richard Hatcher
Plans to
Display Nat Turner's Skull
in His
Hall of Fame, according
to Donna Britt
Columnist
Washington Post Dear
Mr. Lewis,
I
read with interest your article on the remains of Nat Turner
that were presented to the National Civil Rights Hall of Fame at
a recent fundraiser. I was born in Gary and continue to
live there today. I was also in attendance the night the skull
was presented. Like many of the people there, I was shocked when
the skull was presented especially to find out that it has been
in the possession of two families for all this time. Both of
these families obviously had never considered that it was an
affront to keep the remains. In fact, I must admit that I was so
taken aback by the fact that the skull existed that until
reading your article I never really gave thought to the
alternative of having the remains buried. After reading your
column, I did see things in a different light as have others
I've talked with who also had not given thought to a burial.
I do have other concerns though. You said you based your article
on a column written by Donna Britt (who's a high school classmate of
mine - I was also at the reunion she wrote about). You went on
to say that you were going to research the issue further. I
would submit to you that perhaps the best form of
"research" would have been to contact Mayor Hatcher
directly, prior to writing the article. He is listed in the
Gary, IN phone book where he continues to live. This is not
something I've heard . . .. I visit there frequently. (I would also
suggest that Kelli, that claims to live in Gary, should also get
a copy of the phone book and give him a call.)
Normally, I wouldn't even address someone as mixed up as she is
but since she has posted this MISinformation on a web site that
is read nationally I felt compelled to write the truth.
The fact is that it was a very sad message when a city that is
90% Black elected a White mayor whose only claim to fame had
been to return drug dealers and murderers to the streets of Gary
in his role as a criminal attorney. The day he became mayor he
inherited two casino boats that were obtained under the previous
administration of Mayor Thomas Barnes, Gary's second Black
mayor. Because he chose not to run again, he never spent one
dime of the casino money. All $200 million dollars has been
spent under the King administration. ( yes, his name is really
King and he thinks his role is that of a King and not a mayor)
I know that you are aware of the problems the inner cities
face . . . even Kelli realizes that the infrastructure was pulled
out of Gary to make Merrillville. Gary is no different from
other inner cities that have had jobs replaced with drugs and
guns. The citizens of our community have many needs. Our schools
and young people are in desperate need. Our unemployment is in
double figures. Our property taxes are the highest in the state
and increasing as we speak, causing many to lose their homes. I
could go on and on about the many things we need but I'm sure
you already know because Gary is not unique.
But what has happened in Gary during the last seven years with
the "King Mayor" and $200 million dollars of
"off-budget" money? First of all not ONE meeting has
ever occurred to ask the citizen's of Gary what they need or
would like to see happen in this city.
King spent millions of dollars to bring the Miss USA pageant to
Gary. Contrary to what Kelli says, because there were no
restaurants they felt were worthy of the contestants, the money
that was made on the pageant was made by surrounding cities...
not Gary. The only local hotel used was owned by Trump who also
owned the Miss USA pageant. So Gary spent millions to host a
party to make Trump richer along with the surrounding
communities.
Next King builds a baseball stadium that starts out at 20
million dollars but quickly grows to more than 50 million. A
stadium for a baseball team that is not even a
"feeder" team for the pros. In fact we are 30 minutes
from Chicago who has two professional teams and they can't get
people to come to the games. Even worst is the fact that since
the stadium was not ready on time, the city spent over 2 million
dollars to support the team while it played on the road. We even
paid for health insurance for the players when so many of our
citizens have no health benefits.
King's campaign manager purchased a CBA basketball team and each
year, among other things, the city has purchased 250 thousand
dollars in season tickets...supposedly for youth... that have NO
recreational facilities and who must stand in the street begging
for money to support their sports teams.
King has made sure that his friends have benefited GREATLY from
the casino funds while the citizens that have given their all to
Gary continue to struggle and suffer.
The legislators fought to bring the casinos to improve the
quality of life for all citizens... not just King's cronies. But
the needs of Gary's citizens have gone unanswered. This is far
from economic progress.
Everyone has been so upset about the story Peter Jennings did on
Gary. While I feel he could have done a much more objective
visual story, the fact remains that he didn't stage the things
he showed. He was able to show them because they existed. He
should have showed more of the city but he probably expected to
see much more once he found out that we have received more that
200 million dollars in casino funds. One would expect to enter
the city and immediately see a difference but it hasn't
happened.
On the issue of the National Civil Rights Hall of Fame, money
has been appropriated from the Federal, State, and County
government and the Gary City Council approved $5 million dollars
but King vetoed the ordinance. The council overrode the veto and
he threatened to sue. Once he found out he could not win the
suit he came back to his 5 rubber stamp council members and
asked them to allow him to issue a stay on his lawsuit and give
him a few thousand dollars to set up a committee to decide what
is best for the museum. Those are the real segregationist
tactics.
For the record, I have known Mayor Hatcher for nearly 40 years
and I have always known him to be a person that has always put
the needs of others ahead of his own. He has and continues to do
all he can to advance those that have been oppressed by this
society that continues to allow racism to dictate its every
move. Unfortunately, he has never been forgiven by whites for
having the "nerve" to become one of the country's
first Black mayors, causing them to "run for their
lives"... afraid that if we achieved power we would treat
them as they had treated us. That was their true fear, but it
has never happened that way. By nature we just "ain't"
that way. I guess because we know first hand what it feels like.
Even more unfortunate is the fact that there are also Blacks
that bought into the hatred as well . . . the same Blacks that he
fought so hard to help. But that has never caused him to give up
and I applaud him for that. I believe that if you took the time
to talk with him you would have a very different opinion than
the one you wrote about.
There are those of us that continue to speak up for oppressed
people... I always have...and as long as I have breath, I always
will. Judging from what I've read on your website you fall into
that same category. We're all in this struggle together... we
only need to communicate.
Dena
* * * * *
Responding
to Dena's Letter
Dena,
peace and blessings,
Thanks
ever so much for your response on Turner's remains. I appreciate your
remarks greatly. But I must tell you up front I have no
great animus against Mayor Hatcher. I am of that generation that
held him as a hero and considered him highly as the first black
mayor of Gary and important in the black consciousness movement
of that era. I have visited your city only once and that was for
a national conference called by James Forman and old members of
SNCC and other black activists. That was 1969/1970. We wanted
then to reorient the movement and to fill the void
caused by the assassination of Dr. King in April 1968 and the
ongoing destruction of the black student movement. Of course, our
effort did not succeed -- matters only declined further.
I have
become familiar with the difficulties of Richard Hatcher
only since the stench of his plans for Nathaniel Turner's skull
rose to high heaven. My sincere and primary interest is assuring
the dignity and the proper respect for the memory and person of
Nathaniel Turner, the prophet of Southampton. A century or more
of writing and earnest scholarship have yet to sustain his
holiness, his intellectual acumen, and his earnest revelatory
experience. He has been reduced continually, as the poor and the
powerless usually are, to a political and useful object of
opportunists, that is, to satisfy their selfish and narrow
ends.
I
was astounded and enraged by the nonchalance and the language
used by the columnist of the Washington Post in
relating the story of Richard Hatcher and his plans for Turner's
remains. Here was a former black consciousness hero and a NAACP
official discussing also with a nonchalance about placing
Turner's skull on exhibit for touristic ends. I did not believe
the story. I thought it must have been some hoax, some awful cynical
joke that was being made for the sake of readership -- to sell
papers. Worse, that they expected that some ghoulish delight or
thrill could be extracted from placing Turner's skull in a glass
cage caused an uncontrollable rage. I could not stand idly by,
especially since I have helped to build a web site and written
papers for conferences in order to right the record on Turner --
to sustain his dignity, defend his integrity, and promote and
understanding of his righteousness and sacrifice.
I
am not one who is eager to make pronouncements on this topic and
the next. I do not make it a practice of writing letters to
newspapers complaining about this or that political position. I
would have much more preferred that the Washington Post writer
would have expressed rage at what was happening in her native
state or better yet that the people of Gary and those who
attended the function to have raised their voices against
Richard Hatcher profiteering off the remains of a holy man. It
seemed to me that I was a lone voice in the wilderness and
despite the dangers of going up against the best minds and high
authority, I could not remain silent.
First, I
tried to verify the story and I emailed a reporter at the Post-Tribune
and he told me that he was afraid that the story of the
skull was indeed true. He tried to get me interested in the
particular gripes that the people of Gary and its suburbs have
against the former mayor. But those were not my interests. I
asked him did he know how I could get in contact with Hatcher
and he gave me the number of the foundation. Every time I called
I received a busy signal. I concluded that Hatcher had no
interest in responding to my queries.
But
if you have so easily contacted me, Mr. Hatcher could also have
gotten me subsequently to the letter, which seems to have
stirred the water in Gary. But I am uncertain whether a one on
one discussion would have satisfied either him or me. For there
is no defense for placing Turner's remains on display. It seems
rather clear that he has cynically used the remains of this very
religious man for narrow and selfish ends. If the citizens of
Gary, especially the black ones, are hell bent on giving him
five million dollars to place this holy man on display that they
too will be subject to the same criticism, and probably some
national resentment from well meaning black people.
For
to make use of tax dollars in order to further humiliate this
man, whose body was dismantled in 1831 -- skin from flesh (for
pouches and other items), flesh from bones (for salves to make
mockery of his body and life), his skeleton kept as a curiosity
purportedly by a Dr. Massenburg of Norfolk, VA -- is to
aggravate the longstanding grievances we black Virginians have
toward those who profit off of black bodies. That for black
people, 171 years later, to imitate the acts of those who
initially denigrated his remains is outrageous and shows soundly
how far we have fallen morally.
That
is my story -- my view, my perspective. I expect that the
good people of Gary will do the right thing, the morally good
thing -- provide or encourage Richard Hatcher to do what he
knows is the right thing to do, namely, a decent and
proper burial for Turner's remains. If we cannot attend
properly and respectfully and forthrightly in this matter, I
am not confident that you would do better in larger affairs.
Of
course, there is still the possibility that this entire matter
is a hoax. A cynical play of the cards. I would like to know
very much how the reported NAACP official acquired the skull and
why only now has he made it public that it was in his
possession. It seems that there should be some questions that
the national NAACP official would want to put to him. Further I
would like to know the means used to authenticate the skull. Of
course, it could not be done by DNA. It could only have been
done by having a history of ownership. That history should be
made public and Richard Hatcher, in that he wants to educate us,
should spearhead efforts for public disclosure of the owners of
the skulls and their interest in its continual personal or
corporate possession.
I
hope that you will further raise your voice against the proposed
use of Turner's skull and the more hidden story here of the
desire to own Turner's remains. i am pleased that you too were
disgusted by the proposed plan for the skull. I appreciate
greatly your correspondence about having respect for Turner's body.
It has been presented well and argued sincerely. Many of those
who come to ChickenBones: A Journal would be very
interested in your argument and defense of Hatcher's good
character. I hope you don't mind if I put your remarks before
them.
As
ever and always, Rudy
* *
* * *
Jamie Walker's
Response to
Hatcher's Planned Use
of Turner's Skull
Your response to Dena's letter was
impressive and very thorough and well-written. Thank you for
sharing. It is also my hope that the remains of Nat Turner
have a proper burial. This is the best way to honor one of our
historic Ancestors as opposed to "caging" his skull,
as you have suggested, and putting it on display for profit and
propaganda. Let us resurrect a national center for Nat Turner
next to his gravesite, with pamphlets and books about his
achievements, and let future generations come to pay their
respects. This is the best way, to me, to honor such a man who
taught us how to 'resist' and that freedom (in all sense of the
word) is so important that one would be willing to risk their
own life to ensure that future generations would be able to walk
free and unmolested in this country not only because freedom is
their birthright, but also their God-given destiny.
Have you read Martin R. Delany's novel "Blake" about
the black insurrections? Outstanding...
Peace and Light,
Jamie Walker, Author
101 Ways Black Women Can Learn to Love Themselves
http://www.jamiewalker.org
* * * *
* A Response to Jamie
Jamie,
peace and blessings,
you
too have written well on the subject of Turner. I'd like to make
use of your remarks later if you don't mind. For I do
not believe that this matter of Turner's remains will be quickly
resolved. There will be a bit of obstinacy in this matter.
Richard Hatcher will be single-minded in this enterprise.
It
has been at least a couple decades since I have read
Delany's "novel." I did so when I was in graduate
school when I wrote about Delany's rhetoric and how it
mirrored the white racial rhetoric of his time. But you are
right I probably should revisit it.
But
to return to Turner. A week or so ago I wrote a letter to the
Post-Tribune of Indiana. The letter you read is the second
response I have received. That too was fairly long and
discussed the problems people in Indiana are having with Mayor
Hatcher and the charges of alleged embezzlement of
funds.
Several
days ago, Wednesday, I got a call from a reporter in
Indiana, from the Post-Tribune, and we talked over a half hour
or so. It seemed that my letter to the paper had a great impact
locally, so much so that this reporter will follow it
up with an article that will formally address the situation
about the skull. She said she will send me a copy. I will share
it with you when I receive it.
Keep
in mind as I said before my intent is not to undermine Richard
Hatcher. I am not so naive that I am unaware that conservatives
and some whites have found a toe hold in which to attack
Hatcher's character. But that I suppose is the nature of politics
and that is the life he has chosen. I have little or no interest
in Gary politics or Hatcher's downfall, only in Turner, and what
is right for his memory and his person.
It will be
nevertheless be quite interesting how all of this unfolds. I
hope as ever all goes well with you, Rudy
* * * *
*
Sharif's
Response to Dena
&
Hatcher's Plans for Nathaniel's Remains
Rahim-
The response to your article by the good citizen of Gary is very
interesting. He would have Prophet Turner's head be the
centerpiece for the economic development of Gary. There is no
feeling of compassion for the bones of an ancestor. The
Prophet's value is to generate so many dollars for a
"museum." Here, we have the issue laid out clearly--is
the old Prophet's head an "artifact" to be studied or
is this the head of a human being-once loved by others, the head
of one who sought to put an end to the brutal system of slavery.
This concept of "artifact" is, of course, European in
nature.
It
derives from the philosophy of Locke who saw everything in
nature as an object for human consumption and use. This outlook
is also linked to the European argument against sentimentality--the
emotional investment in things and people. These ideas
culminated in the concept of "objectivity." Is the
head of the old Prophet as object to be studied without emotion?
Or is it the head of a human being whose existence lends itself
to understanding through the facility of the human heart.
Maybe, we should ask Hatcher what kind of Museum he is
constructing that would look at the old Prophet's head as an
object of study. Will the Museum bid on the remains of Garvey?
If Lumumba's head was discovered, would the museum feel free to
bid on it. This idea of the humanity of a person is the key to
attacking those who possess crass, materialist values. Would not
Turner say of himself that he is a man with human connections,
that we should mourn his loss as we would do any other human
being, an ancestor? How can his soul know rest with its head
laying under glass. Let us commit his bones to the earth so that
his soul may know the peace of eternal rest.
Sharif
* * * *
*
The Letter to the Editor
of the Post-Tribune
That First Questioned Richard Hatcher
& His Political Use of Nathaniel Turner's Skull Post-Tribune 2002 December 13 (?) Nat Turner’s skull should have burial
Donna Britt of the Washington
Post wrote a column about the receipt of Nathaniel Turner’s
skull by former Gary Mayor Richard Hatcher. It said, in part: “Mayor Hatcher was stunned
when Indiana NAACP President Franklin Breckenridge offered to donate Turner’s skull (for the Civil Rights Hall of
Fame). “I said, ‘Frank, no one’s going to believe it’s
Turner’s skull,’” Hatcher recalls. But Breckenridge had authentication, which Hatcher says
he has verified with an Indiana University historian.”
I found the story incredible —
a joke. I am trying now to get to the bottom of it. If true it
is indeed a historical travesty. South Africa has just
recently received the remains of the so-called Hottentot Venus
after a century-long display in France/England, so that Sara’s
remains could receive a proper burial.
For a
former black consciousness leader to plan the display of the
remains of a historical figure in order to raise money is
more than just a travesty but quite outrageous. If Mr.
Hatcher has indeed received and authenticated the skull, he
should make haste to return it to Southampton County, Virginia,
for the proper burial that Turner did not receive in 1831
because of racist slaveholders and their sympathizers. I
am sure he does not want to be counted among them — profiteers
of black bodies.
Rudolph Lewis, Editor
ChickenBones:
A Journal
www.nathanielturner.com Editor's
Note: The letter immediately above is the one
to which Dena responded. Seemingly, it had a moral impact in
Gary, Indiana. * * * * * Stuart
Responds to Dena's
Defense of Richard Hatcher
Hey,
Rudy
Hope
all is well.
Interesting
discussion on the web site regarding Nat Turner's skull.
Frankly, it sounds to me like Dena has an issue with the politics
of Gary, Ind. more so than that of Turner's skull. I'm
glad your reply focused on the real subject at hand rather than
feeding into her lambasting of Gary, Ind. and the former mayor.
I'd
be darned interested in knowing how they got hold of the
supposed skull. You're absolutely right; it should be
public record. I won't go off on that tangent right now,
but what I'd also like to know is what else
(documents/historical information) do they have regarding Nat
Turner. Their having the skull is rather bizarre in
that such information hasn't been known before now. Hmmm.
Makes one wonder.
I
always hear about Nat Turner's descendants living down in
Southampton and Sussex, and a Shine Turner is/was supposed to be
one. Shine, whom I don't know, apparently married one of
the Fords from your area. Are you familiar personally with
any of Nat Turner's descendants? If so, what do they know
about his remains? How do they feel about this skull
situation? Any response from them that you know of?
Let
me know if you're going to be in Sussex during the holiday.
I'm going to spend about three days up there -- the 24th - 27th.
If you'll be around, I'll pop down there to say hello and visit
.
Stuart * * * * * A
Response to Stuart
Stuart,
peace and blessings,
It
is my plan to visit down home after Xmas. I should be down
there Thursday or Friday of this week. A member of the
ChickenBones Society, Yvonne wants to see my hometown and meet
Mama. She has read the 58 letters I published on the site and
she was amazed by that world and she wanted to get away from out
of the city and find some rest in the country. So I should be
there this weekend coming. Yes, if you are around, please stop
by.
In
any event stop by and tell them at the house you are a friend of
mine and moreover they have met you. Stop by and tell Mama about
the genealogical research you have been doing. She will be very
impressed and it would give her some joy. Our love of stories of
our past is as great as our love of land our families struggled
to obtain and have passed down from generation to
generation.
My
cousin Sandra Rivers is married to a Southampton Turner. There was
I am almost certain more than one set of white Turners that came
out of the late 18th century who were owners of slaves. What was
their relationship I am uncertain. Of course, the line we are
concerned with is that which lead down from Benjamin Turner, who
had at least two sons. We are certain that one of these sons
Samuel had children. And that Benjamin owned at least thirty
slaves during the life of Nathaniel. But I do not know of any
fast and certain genealogical work that has been done on
Benjamin Turner's descendants and his slaves.
Of
course, there are numerous persons who claim to descend from
Nathaniel, and descended directly too. There are some who claim
descent who have had no connection whatsoever with
Southampton. I know of one such story published in a
reputable historical journal. But that is so much garbage in so
far as it tells us something important about Turner and his
family, as so much of the stories written on Nathaniel are
worthless at getting at the truth of his life..
Yes,
I agree with you absolutely. The real story here is how the
skull was acquired before Richard Hatcher received it and that
the history of the skull ownership should be finally made public
after having been kept virtually a secret for 170 years. Of
course, the connected story is the authentication of the skull
and the method used by this Indiana historian. Hatcher himself
would do well to play an active role in revealing the
truth of this history if he really is interested in coming clean
in this matter. But as I said this whole matter may be a hoax
and that they really do not have Turner's skull at all.
This
episode however may spur genealogical research in Southampton.
If we can find the family or the descendants of Benjamin Turner,
the y-chromosome method might be used to establish a
relationship between the black Turners and the white Turners.
For as I said, my conclusion is that Nathaniel was the son of
Benjamin and thus to be related to Nathaniel, any claimants to
relation with Nathaniel must have that y-chromosome. But even
that will not show that the person is a direct or a child
of Nathaniel. My other conclusion is that Samuel Turner
created some black babies and the black babies that were
ascribed to Nathaniel were actually those of Samuel. My overall
conclusion is that Nathaniel had no children, that he was an
ascetic and refrained from sex with any woman for he did not
want to produce slaves.
It
will be very interesting how this matter further develops and
resolves itself. The reporter that called me earlier in the week
must not have published the results of her investigation for she
did not notify me of its publication. So things maybe happening
behind closed doors to squelch this story of Turner's skull. It
has gone places no one expected.
I
do I hope I see you over the holiday season down home. I wish
you an enliven spirit and all that you seek in the new
year. As
ever and always, Rudy
* *
* * *
update 28 June 2008 | 
