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Books by Marcus Bruce
Christian
Song of the Black Valiants: Marching Tempo
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High Ground: A Collection of Poems /
Negro soldiers in the Battle of New Orleans
I am New
Orleans: A Poem
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Negro Iron Workers of Louisiana: 1718-1900 /
The Liberty Monument
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* * Letter 20
Irene Douglas Crosses the Color Line
January 19, 1942
Dear Marcus--
Received your letter -- it sure made me feel good. -- particularly the good news you may get up here in March. Would
I be happy to see you -- gosh I would love to see you Marcus. I have so much to tell you.
Marcus you talk of a picture -- those small ones only show the face -- and I had one taken full length in the park -- it was
terrible. I'll get one - though --
Marcus -- I wish you can come to N.Y. -- please try with all your might. Someday -- I intend to live in New Orleans but at
present -- I'm not allowed to travel -- this is January only about 50 more days it will be March -- and then the weather
starts getting warmer. You and sunshine -- gosh that will be happy moments.
My mother gave me heck the other day. She said I had not changed. All my mind is on is travel and New Orleans. I want
her to like you Marcus -- I told her you were colored, remember I wrote and told you of it. She said is he very light. I said
no ma -- dark -- very dark. She don't object -- yet she doesn't pat me on the back either -- Somehow I love honesty -- I feel
that what I feel in my heart, my beliefs are not to be bitter.
I don't tell my mother how much you really mean to me. I just tell her you an artist friend, a writer with a very wonderful
mind whom I respect! --Yes Marcus I miss you. When you come to N.Y. we will have a long talk -- I wrote so foolishly -- that
it is better I speak instead -- I have never found anyone -- whose mind was so rich to me as yours. -- and Marcus when you
do my sort of work -- portrait sketching you meet a lot of interesting minds.
To date -- I haven't gone out with anyone. Oh maybe a ride home to Jersey in a car -- but not even a good night kiss. It's
been so long since -- I have been out with a man -- that -- I have become sort of finicky. -- Maybe I respect myself -- maybe
it's that I don't want to kiss anyone -- unless they really mean something to me. You see Marcus I told you I wrote foolish
letters.
Give little Velma my love -- she is such a sweet little child -- also give my best regards to your sister.
I am sorry to hear you have lost your good friend Marion -- it's tough -- life just hands out punches left and right.
Marcus you know you just couldn't marry any woman. You want some-one -- who really understands your work. How is the India
girl? See her yet?
Well Marcus I'll close now, I must get ready for work -- I'll write again soon. Please write me soon.
And I pray you may come to the north.
God bless you and keep you well and happy and give you what your heart really wants.
Irene Douglas
P.S. I didn't know you had over-worked Marcus -- take it easy baby -- don't over do
it. Relax plenty -- the body must be kept healthy. It is very important -- when one has a crackup -- much time is lost. They
didn't expect me to live -- but God bless me I did -- So Marcus take care of yourself.
<<---Previous Next--21->>
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Selected Letters
Selected Diary Notes Memories of Marcus B. Christian
(Cains) Christian's
BioBibliographical Record Introduction to I AM NEW
ORLEANS
A
Theory of a Black Aesthetic Magpies,
Goddesses, & Black Male Identity
Activist Works on Next Level of Change
Intro to I Am New
Orleans
Letter from Dillard University
A
Labor of Genuine Love
Letter of Gift of
Photos
Letters from
LSU and Skip Gates * * *
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Negro Iron Workers of Louisiana: 1718-1900
By Marcus Bruce Christian
Study of the blacksmith tradition and New
Orleans famous lace balconies and fences.
Acclaimed during his life
as the unofficial poet laureate of the New Orleans
African-American community, Marcus Christian recorded a
distinguished career as historian, journalist, and literary
scholar. He was a contributor to Pelican's
Gumbo Ya Ya, and also wrote many articles that appeared
in numerous newspapers, journals, and general-interest
publications. |
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Audio:
My Story, My Song (Featuring blues guitarist Walter Wolfman Washington)
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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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A Wreath for Emmett Till
By Marilyn Nelson; Illustrated by
Philippe Lardy
This memorial to
the lynched teen is in the Homeric
tradition of poet-as-historian. It is a
heroic crown of sonnets in Petrarchan
rhyme scheme and, as such, is quite
formal not only in form but in language.
There are 15 poems in the cycle, the
last line of one being the first line of
the next, and each of the first lines
makes up the entirety of the 15th. This
chosen formality brings distance and
reflection to readers, but also calls
attention to the horrifically ugly
events. The language is highly
figurative in one sonnet, cruelly
graphic in the next. The illustrations
echo the representative nature of the
poetry, using images from nature and
taking advantage of the emotional
quality of color. There is an
introduction by the author, a page about
Emmett Till, and literary and poetical
footnotes to the sonnets. The artist
also gives detailed reasoning behind his
choices. This underpinning information
makes this a full experience, eminently
teachable from several aspects,
including historical and literary—School
Library Journal |
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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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Negro Digest / Black World
Browse all issues
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Enjoy!
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The
Death of Emmett Till by Bob Dylan
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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
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January 1, 1804 -- The Founding
of Haiti
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posted 17 April 2010
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