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First Class: The Legacy of Dunbar, America’s First Black Public High School
By Melissa Harris-Perry, Alison Stewart. 2013
Combining a fascinating history of the first U.S. high school for African Americans with an unflinching analysis of urban public-school…
education today, First Class explores an underrepresented and largely unknown aspect of black history while opening a discussion on what it takes to make a public school successful. In 1870, in the wake of the Civil War, citizens of Washington, DC, opened the Preparatory High School for Colored Youth, the first black public high school in the United States; it would later be renamed Dunbar High and would flourish despite Jim Crow laws and segregation. Dunbar attracted an extraordinary faculty: its early principal was the first black graduate of Harvard, and at a time it had seven teachers with PhDs, a medical doctor, and a lawyer. During the school's first 80 years, these teachers would develop generations of highly educated, successful African Americans, and at its height in the 1940s and '50s, Dunbar High School sent 80 percent of its students to college. Today, as in too many failing urban public schools, the majority of Dunbar students are barely proficient in reading and math. Journalist and author Alison Stewart--whose parents were both Dunbar graduates--tells the story of the school's rise, fall, and possible resurgence as it looks to reopen its new, state-of-the-art campus in the fall of 2013.It's no secret that most girls, at some point, love all things princess: the poofy dresses, the plastic tiaras, the…
color pink. Even grown-up women can't get enough of royal weddings and royal gossip. Yet critics claim the princess dream sets little girls up to be weak and submissive, and allows grown women to indulge in fantasies of rescue rather than hard work and self-reliance.Enter Jerramy Fine - an unabashed feminist who is proud of her life-long princess obsession and more than happy to defend it. Through her amusing life story and in-depth research, Fine makes it clear that feminine doesn't mean weak, pink doesn't mean inferior, and girliness is not incompatible with ambition. From 9th century Cinderella to modern-day Frozen, from Princess Diana to Kate Middleton, from Wonder Woman to Princess Leia, Fine valiantly assures us that princesses have always been about power, not passivity. And those who love them can still be confident, intelligent women.Provocative, insightful, but also witty and personal, In Defense of the Princess empowers girls, women, and parents to dream of happily ever after without any guilt or shame.How Do We Look: The Body, The Divine, And The Question Of Civilization
By Mary Beard. 2018
From prehistoric Mexico to modern Istanbul Mary Beard looks beyond the familiar canon of Western imagery to explore the…
history of art religion and humanity Conceived as a gorgeously illustrated accompaniment to How Do We Look and The Eye of Faith the famed Civilisations shows on PBS renowned classicist Mary Beard has created this elegant volume on how we have looked at art Focusing in Part I on the Olmec heads of early Mesoamerica the colossal statues of the pharaoh Amenhotep III and the nudes of classical Greece Beard explores the power hierarchy and gender politics of the art of the ancient world and explains how it came to define the so-called civilized world In Part II Beard chronicles some of the most breathtaking religious imagery ever made whether at Angkor Wat Ravenna Venice or in the art of Jewish and Islamic calligraphers to show how all religions ancient and modern have faced irreconcilable problems in trying to picture the divine With this classic volume Beard redefines the Western-and male-centric legacies of Ernst Gombrich and Kenneth Clark¡Feminismo!: The Woman's Movement in Argentina
By Marifran Carlson. 1988
The Roughest Riders: The Untold Story of the Black Soldiers in the Spanish-American War
By Jerome Tuccille. 2015
The inspiring story of the first African American soldiers to serve during the postslavery eraMany have heard how Teddy Roosevelt…
and the Rough Riders charged up San Juan Hill during the Spanish-American War. But often forgotten in the great swamp of history is that Roosevelt's success was ensured by a dedicated corps of black soldiers--the so-called Buffalo Soldiers--who fought by Roosevelt's side during his legendary campaign. This book tells their story. They fought heroically and courageously, making Roosevelt's campaign a great success that added to the future president's legend as a great man of words and action. But most of all, they demonstrated their own military prowess, often in the face of incredible discrimination from their fellow soldiers and commanders, to secure their own place in American history.Rooted in the Earth: Reclaiming the African American Environmental Heritage
By Dianne Glave. 2010
With a basis in environmental history, this groundbreaking study challenges the idea that a meaningful attachment to nature and the…
outdoors is contrary to the black experience. The discussion shows that contemporary African American culture is usually seen as an urban culture, one that arose out of the Great Migration and has contributed to international trends in fashion, music, and the arts ever since. But because of this urban focus, many African Americans are not at peace with their rich but tangled agrarian legacy. On one hand, the book shows, nature and violence are connected in black memory, especially in disturbing images such as slave ships on the ocean, exhaustion in the fields, dogs in the woods, and dead bodies hanging from trees. In contrast, though, there is also a competing tradition of African American stewardship of the land that should be better known. Emphasizing the tradition of black environmentalism and using storytelling techniques to dramatize the work of black naturalists, this account corrects the record and urges interested urban dwellers to get back to the land.The Sixteenth Round: From Number 1 Contender to Number 45472
By Rubin Carter. 1974
The survivor of a difficult childhood and youth, Rubin Carter rose to become a top contender for the middleweight boxing…
crown. But his career crashed to a halt on May 26, 1967, when he and another man were found guilty of the murder of three white people in a New Jersey bar. While in prison, Carter chronicled the events that led him from the ring to three consecutive life sentences and 10 years in solitary confinement. His story was a cry for help to the public, an attempt to set the record straight and force a new trial. Bob Dylan wrote a classic anthem for Carter's struggle; and Joan Baez, Muhammad Ali, Roberta Flack, and thousands more took up the cause as well. Originally published in 1974, this account is an eye-opening examination of growing up black in America, problems in the United States prison system, and Carter's own battles.Classical Kids: An Activity Guide to Life in Ancient Greece and Rome
By Laurie Carlson. 1998
Travel back in time to see what life was like in ancient Greece and Rome while having fun with hands-on…
activities such as making a star gazer; chiseling a clay tablet; weaving Roman sandals; making a Greek mosaic; creating Roman jewelry; throwing Greek pottery; casting a vote in a Roman-style election; and much more. Learn how these civilizations contributed to our present-day world by participating in art, math, cooking, science, and geography activities. Interesting facts and trivia are included throughout. Helpful illustrations explain project steps.On the Real Side: A History of African American Comedy
By Mel Watkins. 1994
This comprehensive history of black humor sets it in the context of American popular culture. Blackface minstrelsy, Stepin Fetchit, and…
the Amos 'n' Andy show presented a distorted picture of African Americans; this book contrasts this image with the authentic underground humor of African Americans found in folktales, race records, and all-black shows and films. After generations of stereotypes, the underground humor finally emerged before the American public with Richard Pryor in the 1970s. But Pryor was not the first popular comic to present authentically black humor. Watkins offers surprising reassessments of such seminal figures as Fetchit, Bert Williams, Moms Mabley, and Redd Foxx, looking at how they paved the way for contemporary comics such as Whoopi Goldberg, Eddie Murphy, and Bill Cosby.Conversate Is Not a Word: Getting Away from Ghetto
By Jam Donaldson. 2010
Funny, sad, and refreshingly honest, this provocative commentary based on the author's award-winning blog explores what is wrong with black…
culture and what needs to be done to fix neighborhoods and improve lives. The fresh, female voice presents a new perspective--differing from so many other treatises on the subject written primarily by older men--and takes into account hip-hop and the internet without assuming a condescending tone. Continually reviewing the ongoing struggle between her own conflicting identities, she asks such questions as How can African Americans speak out about the aspects of their culture that need improvement without risking mockery and the reinforcement of negative stereotypes? and How can you improve a situation when simply calling it out is fraught with the risk of undermining your own race? By weaving her own warring viewpoints into the discussion, the author provides a window into the complex, contradictory perspectives that exist within every member of the black community while also offering comic anecdotes, making this call to action accessible as well as poignant.Profiling 24 of the adult children of the most recognizable figures in the civil rights movement, this book collects the…
intimate, moving stories of families who were pulled apart by the horrors of the struggle or brought together by their efforts to change America. The whole range of players is covered, from the children of leading figures like Martin Luther King Jr. and martyrs like James Earl Chaney to segregationists like George Wallace and Black Panther leaders like Elaine Brown. The essays reveal that some children are more pessimistic than their parents, whose idealism they saw destroyed by the struggle, while others are still trying to change the world. Included are such inspiring stories as the daughter of a notoriously racist Southern governor who finds her calling as a teacher in an all-black inner-city school and the daughter of a famous martyr who unexpectedly meets her mother's killer. From the first activists killed by racist Southerners to the current global justice protestors carrying on the work of their parents, these profiles offer a look behind the public face of the triumphant civil rights movement and show the individual lives it changed in surprising ways.The Body Is Not an Apology: The Power of Radical Self-Love
By Sonya Renee Taylor. 2018
The Body Is Not an ApologyThe Power of Radical Self-LoveAgainst a global backdrop of war, social upheaval, and personal despair,…
there is a growing sense of urgency to challenge the systems of oppression that dehumanize bodies and strip us of our shared humanity. Rather than feel helpless in the face of oppression, world-renowned activist, performance poet, and author Sonya Renee Taylor teaches us how to turn to the power of radical self-love in her new book, The Body Is Not an Apology. Radical self-love is the guiding framework that transforms the learned self-hatred of our bodies and the prejudices we have about other people's bodies into a vision of compassion, equity, and justice. In a revolutionary departure from the corporate self-help and body-positivity movement, Taylor forges the inextricable bond between radical self-love and social justice. The first step is recognizing that we have all been indoctrinated into a system of body shame that profits off of our self-hatred. When we ask ourselves, “Who benefits from our collective shame?” we can begin to make the distinction between the messages we are receiving about our bodies or other bodies and the truth. This book moves us beyond our all-too-often hidden lives, where we are easily encouraged to forget that we are whole humans having whole human experiences in our bodies alongside others. Radical self-love encourages us to embark on a personal journey of transformation with thoughtful reflection on the origins of our minds and bodies as a source of strength. In doing this, we not only learn to reject negative messages about ourselves but begin to thwart the very power structures that uphold them. Systems of oppression thrive off of our inability to make peace with bodies and difference. Radical self-love not only dismantles shame and self-loathing in us but has the power to dismantle global systems of injustice—because when we make peace with our bodies, only then do we have the capacity to truly make peace with the bodies of others.Big Black Penis: Misadventures in Race and Masculinity
By Shawn Taylor. 2008
Being black and male is serious business, but its absurd contradictions are often too funny for words. In this award-winning…
book, Shawn Taylor deftly leads us on a no-holds-barred tour of his masculine development, acknowledging some deep but often hilarious truths about black men. This raw and spellbinding narrative, full of unexpected turns of phrase and shocking displays of vulnerability, contains powerful meditations on sexuality, romance, fatherhood, and violence. Unapologetic and sharply critical of the hatred and fear that American society harbors toward black men, Taylor brings the subject of black masculinity into the 21st century.Functions: selection and mechanisms
By Philippe Huneman. 2013
This volume handles in various perspectives the concept of function and the nature of functional explanations, topics much discussed since…
two major and conflicting accounts have been raised by Larry Wright and Robert Cummins' papers in the 1970s. Here, both Wright's 'etiological theory of functions' and Cummins' 'systemic' conception of functions are refined and elaborated in the light of current scientific practice, with papers showing how the 'etiological' theory faces several objections and may in reply be revisited, while its counterpart became ever more sophisticated, as researchers discovered fresh applications for it. Relying on a firm knowledge of the original positions and debates, this volume presents cutting-edge research evincing the complexities that today pertain in function theory in various sciences. Alongside original papers from authors central to the controversy, work by emerging researchers taking novel perspectives will add to the potential avenues to be followed in the future. Not only does the book adopt no a priori assumptions about the scope of functional explanations, it also incorporates material from several very different scientific domains, e.g. neurosciences, ecology, or technology. In general, functions are implemented in mechanisms; and functional explanations in biology have often an essential relation with natural selection. These two basic claims set the stage for this book's coverage of investigations concerning both 'functional' explanations, and the 'metaphysics' of functions. It casts new light on these claims, by testing them through their confrontation with scientific developments in biology, psychology, and recent developments concerning the metaphysics of realization. Rather than debating a single theory of functions, this book presents the richness of philosophical issues raised by functional discourse throughout the various sciences.How Blacks Built America: Labor, Culture, Freedom, and Democracy
By Joe R. Feagin. 2016
How Blacks Built America examines the many positive and dramatic contributions made by African Americans to this country over its…
long history. Almost all public and scholarly discussion of African Americans accenting their distinctive societal position, especially discussion outside black communities, has emphasized either stereotypically negative features or the negative socioeconomic conditions that they have long faced because of systemic racism. In contrast, Feagin reveals that African Americans have long been an extraordinarily important asset for this country. Without their essential contributions, indeed, there probably would not have been a United States. This is an ideal addition to courses race and ethnicity courses.The Womanist Reader: The First Quarter Century of Womanist Thought
By Layli Phillips. 2006
Comprehensive in its coverage, The Womanist Reader is the first volume to anthologize the major works of womanist scholarship. Charting…
the course of womanist theory from its genesis as Alice Walker’s African-American feminism, through Chikwenye Okonjo Ogunyemi’s African womanism and Clenora Hudson-Weems’ Africana womanism, to its present-day expression as a global, anti-oppressionist perspective rooted in the praxis of everyday women of color, this interdisciplinary reader traces the rich and diverse history of a quarter century of womanist thought. Featuring selections from over a dozen disciplines by top womanist scholars from around the world, plus several critiques of womanism, an extensive bibliography of womanist sources, and the first ever systematic treatment of womanist thought on its own terms, Layli Phillips has assembled a unique and groundbreaking compilation.My First Kwanzaa Book
By Deborah M. Newton Chocolate. 1992
Kwanzaa time! We dress in African clothes. Grandma visits with good things to eat. We light colorful candles. And aunts,…
uncles, and cousins come from all over to share hugs and gifts and stories! My First Kwanzaa Book introduces young children to the joyous celebration of this original African-American holiday!Democratic Culture and Moral Character
By Jerome Braun. 2012
This book returns critical theory to its roots in both psychology and the social sciences. It shows some of the…
relationships between equality in a political and social sense and personal identity that either relates well to such equality, or rebels against it. All this reflects processes of social and cultural influence that involve not only random change but also processes of social and cultural evolution that themselves have effects regarding potentials for self-fulfillment and even public morality. This book provides a framework to help one study the interaction between individual aspirations and social opportunities. Jerome Braun, known for his writings in interdisciplinary social science, an approach he calls pragmatic critical theory, here provides a book that discusses issues relevant to the moral underpinnings of democratic society, including issues of social evolution and of culture and personality. This book will be of particular interest to scholars and students of Psychology (particularly in the areas of Psychology of Personality and Cultural Psychology), Sociology (especially those interested in Sociology of Alienation and Sociology of Culture, as well as Sociology of Mental Health), Anthropology (particularly in the area of Psychological Anthropology), Cultural Studies, and Social Theory in general.Unruly Spirits
By M. Brady Brower. 2010
Unruly Spirits connects the study of séances, telepathy, telekinesis, materializations, and other parapsychic phenomena in France during the age of…
Sigmund Freud to an epistemological crisis that would eventually yield the French adoption of psychoanalysis. Skillfully navigating experiments conducted by nineteenth-century French psychical researchers and the wide-ranging debates that surrounded their work, M. Brady Brower situates the institutional development of psychical research at the intersection of popular faith and the emergent discipline of psychology. Brower shows how spiritualist mediums were ignored by French academic scientists for nearly three decades. Only after the ideologues of the Third Republic turned to science to address what they took to be the excess of popular democracy would the marvels of mediumism begin to emerge as legitimate objects of scientific inquiry. Taken up by the most prominent physicists, physiologists, and psychologists of the last decades of the nineteenth century, psychical research would eventually stall in the 1920s as researchers struggled to come to terms with interpersonal phenomena (such as trust and good faith) that could not be measured within the framework of their experimental methods. In characterizing psychical research as something other than a mere echo of popular spirituality or an anomaly among the sciences, Brower argues that the questions surrounding mediums served to sustain the scientific project by forestalling the establishment of a closed and complete system of knowledge. By acknowledging persistent doubt about the intentions of its participants, psychical research would result in the realization of a subjectivity that was essentially indeterminate and would thus clear the way for the French reception of psychoanalysis and the Freudian unconscious and its more comprehensive account of subjective uncertainty.Third World Studies: Theorizing Liberation
By Gary Y Okihiro. 2016
In 1968 the Third World Liberation Front at San Francisco State College demanded the creation of a Third World studies…
program to counter the existing curricula that ignored issues of power--notably, imperialism and oppression. The administration responded by institutionalizing an ethnic studies program; Third World studies was over before it began. Detailing the field's genesis and premature death, Gary Y. Okihiro presents an intellectual history of ethnic studies and Third World studies and shows where they converged and departed by identifying some of their core ideas, concepts, methods, and theories. In so doing, he establishes the contours of a unified field of study--Third World studies--that pursues a decolonial politics by examining the human condition broadly, especially in regard to oppression, and critically analyzing the locations and articulations of power as manifested in the social formation. Okihiro's framing of Third World studies moves away from ethnic studies' liberalism and its U.S.-centrism to emphasize the need for complex thinking and political action in the drive for self-determination.