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Walter
White to Franklin D. Roosevelt
Letter Requesting Support of FWP
& The White House Response
June 7th 1939
Hon Franklin D. Roosevelt
The White House
Washington, D.C.
My dear President Roosevelt:
I am very deeply concerned with the proposed
cuts in the W.P.A. arts projects, especially as they relate to
Negroes. While it is true that even on these projects the Negro
has encountered discrimination and has in few instances been
given representation in proportion to his numbers and needs, yet
they have been the source not only of employment but of the
digging out of very valuable material. Some of this material has
already been included in several of the Writers' project
publications, and, according to announcements, even more
valuable works on the Negro are in progress.
As you know all too well, there is no area in
American history has been so neglected nor so subject to
half-truths and untruths as the part which the Negro has played
in the building of America. The material which has been gathered
in this field is, in my opinion, of infinite importance in
giving white Americans a more true picture of the part which the
Negro played which in turn is helping to establish that mutual
respect which is necessary if democracy is to survive.
I would like, therefore, to express to you my
very sincere hope that you will do everything in your power to
preserve these projects as far as is possible.
With cordial personal greetings, I am
Respectfully,
(signed Walter White)
Secretary
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The White House
Washington
June 10, 1939
My dear Mr. White:
Mrs. Roosevelt asks me to write you and say that she agrees
with all you say in your letter of June 7. She has given it to
the President as you requested.
Very sincerely yours,
(signed) Malvina C. Thompson
Secretary to Mrs. Roosevelt
Mr. Walter White
69 Fifth Avenue
New York, New York
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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
/
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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