University Forum; Black History: An Afro-centric View. Part 1

From communication center at the University of Texas at Austin the Longhorn radio network presents University for the removal tool. We will use. The forum as a public interdisciplinary meeting place for the wide ranging world of ideas Opinion and analysis. This week an examination of black history from an Afrocentric point of view. Our guest is Dr. John Henrik Clarke professor of African world history at Hunter College. Dr. Clark spoke at the University of Texas at Austin in November 973 under the auspices of the university's African and Afro-American Research Institute. Dr. Clark is introduced by Dr. John Warfield associate professor and director of the Institute. In the annals of all people we find certain men and women. Who've been willing to stand any appreciable distance from the herd in order to speak the truth.

To their own people and to the world. And they have often done that. Against great obstacles. And great adversity. And we're privileged today. On this campus to have with us. One of those people. Who's been willing at. Who has been willing at times when it was unpopular. To speak the truth regarding. The civilization of man. And within that effort. To place African people. In the proper perspective as we look at that civilization in history. Dr. John Henry Clark was a professor. Of African world history. At Hunter College.

Has been the associate editor of freedom weighs quarterly journal. Produced to speak to the question of black people in the world. And just recently including a three year distinguished visiting professor at Cornell University. It's been around among the folk. Probably one of the most renowned teachers in the country publishing many books. His most recent one slavery and slave trade with Vincent Harding and we're very much pleased to have him here today. It is at this point. Like to present to you. Our colleague our brother. Dr. John Henry Clark.

I don't think this has a warm feel for the invitation. And what I'm going to be talking about is Africa and the new world of new dimensions and an African history which is means a new way of looking at Afro-American history. That means that I will be moving very rapidly over a large body of information. The kind of information that you need to devote a whole semester to. I think I'll begin by question the title of my lecture. What do you mean by a new world. In as much as the new information on the pre-Colombian presence of the African and the new world tends to prove that there were Africans in this side of the world in South America and the West indeed but particularly in the West Indies and parts of South

America as early as 500 B.C.. And the reading of Christopher Columbus his diary will prove that according to his own accounts and he was no friend of the blacks. That he found Africans in the new world doing business with Indians and using minted West African corn. And that's when many of the Spanish conquistadores especially those who went to the area that is the Panama Canal. They found small black colonies with the Indians and South America and in the work vive. Are. Wont to vend worth of arms dealing with terra cotta and sculpture in South and Central America. He dug up the greatest physical evidence of the presence and the Africans of Africans in the new world that has so far been been taught are and in the networks of Qana ji Woodson in a three volume work. But Leo we know called the African in the discovery of

America. He said and he pretty much sustains when he said. That the African could have preceded the Indians in the side of the world and that a lot that you think all of his Indian culture is African culture. He got thrown out of Harvard for writing a book. Now what of this place. Christopher Columbus in context with New World discovered and in as much as he discovered a world full of people then let us. That the people that he discovered. This government something and he discovered both Indians and Africans in this. Side of the world and actuality when we look at. This year 49 had to. Look that its great significance and history maybe of all the things that happened. In 49 to two. Maybe the least important thing that happened. Was this bad navigator

started off one side of the world and stumble up on the other side of the world. Now it has been proven that the poaching geese had already charted that movement to the side of the world and they did not confuse the West Indies with the East Indies as Christopher Columbus did most of his mines. And one of the main reasons why they did not come ahead of commerce because they had had it on that chart and they had established priorities. They wanted to build those focuses along the coast of West Africa. They were going to use to hold the slaves while the ships come and they gave that property to the new world movement. But the Portuguese who were the master mariners of the day thanks to the information that filtered into Europe. After the Crusades most of the from from China they had no confusion about what this part of the how to get to this part of the world are not. My point is had Christopher Columbus not come Europeans were going to

come anyway. Now that is all the talk about which is beautiful folklore about the differing between whole of the world was round of flat. These were old wives tales told in Europe. That had no great significance now as the Europeans came out of the Crusades began to recover some of their own strands began to stir off from the left the Jiao of the Middle Ages. They made a decision and that decision still holds and that is. What so ever the world feels and shape round off flat. We are going to take it. And that is what they did and they decided. That whosoever will rule the world. Is going to be one of us. And this decision coming at a TA when that were internal differences

between the African African states and when the pluralistic state in West Africa. Had not settled Af-Am the differences and when they made the harmful mistake of inviting the first Europeans in to arbitrate family differences. They were in serious trouble. Because they were making a glaring Torah which many African states still married. The African who came to. The new world. Did not heal his. African identity. In fact he began to search for all of that talk of African identity. And he began in this period of holocaust in. Disarray and mixed use of culture. He began to search not only for his identity in the young in

this new world but his identity here in the world. And he knew that he had an identity and of and a history that commanded respect. And when blacks begin to produce an intellectual class. In the Western world. That intellectual class both in the West Indies and America began to address itself to the definition of blacks in world history began to attempt to locate blight. On the map of human geography and some of the punny elders in this move men. Were scholars from the OB from the West Indies. Some are some Afro Americans gave up the search and adopted the distorted image that was created by our. By the oppressors. But as early as eighteen eighty one Edmund Philip Mudd Blyton. The great West Indian scholar and benefactor.

But West Africa addressed himself to the situation when he said. This is 1881. This is an inaugural address at the Library of college and if you listen to it you find out that this man in 1881 was ahead of most of those black scholars of today. He would to even go on to have a great career to write up a classic work that would do well to read today called Christianity Islam and the Negro race. He says during this speech in all English speaking countries the mind of the intelligent Negro child revotes against the deceptions and distortions given in elementary books and geographies and travels and in history have an embrace or at least ascended to the force who is about himself. He concludes that his only hope is to be those things most unlike himself and most alien to his are

peculiar taste. He goes on to say that one of our great tragedies is that we have spent too much time feeding gris into other people's milk. Then he moans. Nothing comes out except what has been put in and that then is our great sorrow. But this man was telling us and 1884 is that we have to reclaim ourselves and our home our own heritage and the nature of our own out of our history. He would go on and he would be the teacher of all of Africans and he was the min Tong. Some of the black nationalists in western Africa and of course he would write down many our. Books he was the first person to use the word African personality he wrote it. I work on African socialism in 19 19 0

0 1. He was the first question to a long chapping the unification of Africa during that period especially of West Africa. He entered into a famous debate between Sahara Johnson and himself over the religious destiny of Africa Islam Christianity. He was of the opinion that Islam. It would be better for Africa because it was more adaptable to prevailing African ways of life. Then he qualified this and his qualification need to be looked at today. He said if the Africans understood the dynamic qualities are indigenous African religions he would need neither Christianity or Islam. That's more true today that it was there. My people have a tendency to get a whole lot on outside. Inputs. Now I am not conceding Islam to the Arabs.

And I am not conceding Kristie and it it to my people. I know. That we know is both of these religions in that cradle and we played a major role in bringing not only this religion into being but all known religions into being. Because the first salvation already and religions the world can trace came out of Africa. And all religions are salvation oriented so therefore the very idea that they are Jews. The very genesis of world religions came out of Africa. No I am not conceding. Islam to the Arabs. I am conceding the Arabs interpretation to him. I am conceding the Europeans interpretation to Christianity to the Europeans. What's the European took over this religion for political reasons and began to use it as a political instrument and almost as a free work of his nationalists of Christa ended to die then.

Christa Dunn was blown. And there's a difference between Christie and Victor and Christi done. Christer done as a political weapon. Kristin It is a religious way of life and for Christian to come into being in order to kill Christie anted then Krista Dawn had to violate every rule that governs Christianity. Had to justify slavery had to justify the monstrosity of the colonial system. It had to justify the demeaning of people it had to rewrite the history of the world glorify Europe at the expense of other people. This is Krista Dunn and Kristen Daum is forming IS IT task. That is and topless to a.. Now. When this baby comes Christianity left its cradle in North Africa and in the Middle East. And went over to Europe and was used for political reasons. It was no longer our baby.

And when they bring him home and sell them to us they're selling a something which is alien in his present interpretation to our context because they think understood and this is what Mike was trying to get across. When you understand indigenous African religions and the binding nature of that religion you will understand that these religions are basically Christian religions and that there is nothing in Christianity and moral law that isn't already in those indigenous African villages. They never say that I am my brother's keeper but they keep their brother. They don't preach about it. But they do it. If a young brother dies and he has wife and children the older brother takes care. You don't cry about it. Gets a little help but he automatically takes over part of the law that governs the whole up fo society. No homes for

the aged because nobody discussed their mother. No homes for young for the abandoned children because nobody bans children. And up until recently no insane asylum because nobody went insane. Because the protective mechanism was built into the society itself. Now with the coming all the Europeans to West Africa with the mis understanding. All the crystal elements are and did you notice African religious and with. Imposing Krista dump on Africa and barley shoot out pristine and African societies. Would suffer. But now we're going to have to look back now at the genesis of the blacks in the yob in the new world and that Genesis has to deal with looking at the rise of Europe and the

consequences of history involved in that trial. You're going to have to look at what I have been referred to referring to as Europe's evil gene and that evil genius of Europe began to develop. After the Crusades period the European had developed up certain basic technology principle of the gun not to kill an African nation but to protect himself from himself. But to protect themselves from each other and the weapon trick that the European had developed in Europe to protect themselves from other Europeans. What's that family dispute was part of the subtle. That weapon to you to expand. Into the into the broader world and the Christian story which he did not buy for himself about meekness and turning the other cheek. He would go out now and summon to certain people not evil enough to buy

because of the same elements were imbedded into his indigenous way of life. And something fell apart. Certain things were misread in history. Now let's look at the consequences of that rise. Because this is what would bring the Africans to the R to the new world. No fortunately unfortunately fortunately for Europe unfortunate for Africa. When Europe began. To shake off. The power and the hold. Of African domination of the Mediterranean and I'm using my words well. The cause of that domination of Spain that the Arabs take so much credit for all. Was military Africa from the beginning. The original conquest of Spain was an

African conquest. And a black African conquest. At that. And Hannibal depos book of Cotai ripens I had. Named after. The black general from Mauritania and Citadel who went up to Morocco and all then I was the force that pulled that spade in this eyewitness account. He says the Army was as black as ink. The general was black and still. This would establish. Afrikan military control. Now the Arabs did not come into Spain in large numbers until much later. And the Arabs were never in complete control. In Spain the Africans came in at a time a little bit and rescue the Jewish population from the persecution by the Visigoths.

And form a partnership between the Africans and the Jews that lasted throughout the whole of this period and helped to deal the Jews their second golden age in Spain. But that's only the partnership that we have entered into with other people. That they have forgotten. They have forgotten. I attended a conference two years ago to deliver a paper on the myth of black anti-Semitism and another person delivered a paper on the genesis of black and symmetry. What the hell are you talking about there is no Genesis. Because there is no historical. Record. Of dissension between blacks and Jews and the present day dissension is strictly a 20th century and strictly urban and urban within the last 20 years. At that. I'm not going to get further into this because I've got too many other things to do but my point is.

That with the decline of Europe. With the Kano Rome. And Europe going into the middle ages saw the rise of Islam and the African military ong all of Islam becoming predominant in in the Mediterranean especially in Spain. Now in the 14 fifties this period was over and fortunately for Europe and unfortunately for Africa. Some of the maps. That the Jewish gold dealers had used to go down into the West to Sudan and along the coast of West Africa. Fell into the hands of a man called Henry the Navigator. Now there's no proof that Henry ever went to sea but the one thing he did. Which. Helped Europe in its expansion was to start schools to train people in navigational Son

Jesus. But most of the information in navigational science and marine engineering came out of the advanced technology then coming out of China and it was with this technology Europe used to unlock itself. Now one of the main reasons why most of the maps were made by Jewish gold dealers it is because some of the Jews in Spain had come from North Africa and they could help in the African languages and their relationship with the people in you know Africa was very good and had been very good. For year even the year after the dispute. The Jews had with Rome they went down the loo for 400 years the whole Jewish problem. Little did I mention Don. Now this is totally left out of the history and so it didn't even happen at all. But they found the Williams a little bit over the partial

in the subject has written a book called Hebrew isms a West African. Now Father will you try to prove that everything in West Africa is Jews. Everything. And now. More so. To the point that. After Donna became independent some other Gandhian students wanted to impress white people said Now I must tell you that we won of the lost tribes. Of Israel. I got tired of the nonsense I said Look. They only lost 12 tribes up 30 shows up. Now some of you people didn't get it LOL. But if you really want to know the history. Oh on the Jewish population in North Africa to the nations and in all. Africa. I mean there is information on on there but now the 14 hundreds were bad times for Africa. Because these were the times that Europe had learned the

technique of expansion and had made the kind of votes it needed to take the role of that mighty ocean and to go on long range not using some of these on maps they were the Portuguese at first would come down the west coast of of Africa. And they would come down the west coast of Africa not looking for slaves at first. But hearing the legends about the great goal of Africa. Their first trip was to look for gold. Look for allies. They'd heard about pressed a jar. And they were looking for Prester John. They were looking on the wrong side of Africa anyway and besides he was dead three other years when they got there. But then I heard about Sonny out. They misspelled his name but they'd heard about it. They heard about Manson muso and the famous your journey to Mecca and Medina. This man and 15 13 24 went on a

journey out of Africa across from being a devout Muslim to to pay his respects. Taken with him two hundred and eighty camels each with two hundred and fifty pounds of gold five hundred men marching in front of his entourage with staffs appeal gold. 50 royal have dresses and he only had his favorite wives. From 60 to 100000 people moving across Africa. He married so many of his people into the country through which he travelled and on his way home he said we should fight each other now because we are relatives. When he arrived in Egypt. A moderate. Historian made an account of it. They say he is in Africa. There is nothing else. And those he was a devout Muslim. The grand Khalif of Islam was in Egypt and asked to see him to see this man the great gold King from West Africa. We determined those savages.

You know Savage had nothing like this. The other night stay in power almost almost as large as the land territory of the United States with governors and viceroys. Europe was wallowing in the Middle Ages the. European King didn't even have good shoes when this was out. In the maps when his forces were made out of better material than European kings were wearing at the time. Same time. This is the need to brand you enough. No no. Savitri. The savage was an invention. And this man the subject that he would see the man could leave but he let him know that he was the equal of any man in Islam. And the general custom when you meet the head of the Muslim faith is to remove

his shoes and kiss his feet to remove your shoes. You know but you don't kiss your ass and he said no. No. No Tom. We'll meet as equals or we will not meet at all. And he was a devout Muslim. As our. The main thing that this man did was that he went by taken an architect and even a side and he rebuilt. The western Sudan. The countries that you know West Africa Timbuktu and they in the light. And he opened a great university called San Cory. At Timbuktu. Now it is seems very odd for you to. Understand this because quite his daughter said it was no higher learning in Africa. You know nothing but the full universe isn't in Timbuktu as late as 15 94. When the Moroccans destroyed four universities and Timbuktu was not the leading

university city in NA and Western Africa. It was a city of vision. Now the African was in serious trouble. And did not know he was in serious trouble. And the year 49 need to. Help to set that serious trouble in motion. No I have alluded to the new world discovery and Christopher Columbus is accidental ending up the navigational error. That put him on one side of the world instead of the other. I'm sorry he didn't get to these dandy. These people are most sophisticated in these 10 days and he would never have seen home again had he pulled the stuff in East Indies. Then he pulled on the Indians in the West Indies they would have watched him have been the end of that and I'm sorry about the navigational help. He should have gotten to the East Indies. But Columbus set in motion. The genocide that

destroyed the entire Indian population of the Caribbean up. To the last man woman and child. That is probably not a human being alive. Who can say he's even a distant relative of one of those in India. They were all wiped out. In Christopher Columbus set this in motion. Now let's go back to four thousand ninety two again 49 and two in Spain. The marriage of Isabella. And Ferdinand. Had unified certain warring factions of the chuch. And this unity gave Spain the strength to expel the MORs from Spain. Many of these morals coming back into Africa saw heads begin to prey on other parts of Africa. That expulsion created an internal dispute in Africa. North Africans preying on the people in our Western Africa. 40 92 again and Africa. One of the great African

militaries who ever lived Sony Allen. Then jumped through all the impossible song again and died on his way was drowned on his way from a mind of woe in the south. And the impasse suffered for a year but laid on a foot to 93. A man came to power who would take him to Western Africa. To the apex of its golden age right in the middle of the slave trade and in spite of the slave trade his name was Mohammed Abil be cook it to read second to read as a direct descendant. Of this song same man. He had been prime minister of the country head of the Army for 30 years. He ruled the country. As an. EMPEROR. For thirty six years. My point is that. The coming of the Europeans to the coast of Africa. Did not mean the total collapse of African nations. These nations would not begin to collapse and in Africa

until the Iraq invasion one of the tragic incident and out of the Moroccan invasion. All you know Western up using fun and quite. Quite mercenary and when we began to look at African history compare our table as events of disaster and after the invasion all the western Sudan the destruction all the city of Timbuktu Jean-Yves in go yet the exiled king of the great scholars from the university said Sankoh read. But the destruction of the city itself is tantamount to the Roman destruction of Carthage. The second disaster in the history last. Night when all of this happened. The nations in you know Africa collapsed and could not come to the defense of the nations alone the cause not the slave trade could move to the hinterlands. Just at the time on.

The poaching season the Spanish and English were fighting over. Territory in the so-called New World. And the Portuguese thanks to the Treaty of talk to sellers who had the big company of Brazil. And had to scramble to increase their slave trade and ot up to populate this of this big colony. Which was it over and beyond anything the Portuguese could do justice to my point here is. That given this new world. These Africans began. A revolt. They began to revote on the boat. Coming over. They continued the rowboat to keep from getting off. The boat. And they continued the revolt after they got off from the revolt and the one thing which would facilitate the revolt of the African and South American in the West Indies was African cultural continuity. Once you look at these revolts you will find. That you

had the most successful revokes while you had the modest amount of newly arrived Africans who had not been adjusted to the plantation system. And what you look at these revolts in contact. With all South American the West Indies. You will find the pattern of revolt in the West Indies and in South America. Much different from. The past number of votes in the United States. Wow. You have to take the buying habits of the slave master into consideration and the United States the crude uncultured people of this deuce mixture of all the human waste matter of Europe. I have said. One thing and both my students and and especially the white professor said no no no no no no not that's too that's too much exaggeration for shock treatment. I wasn't exaggerating for shock treatment. I was saying that. Europe literally dumped its human

garbage can into the area called the United States and that you had bad seed from the beginning because Europe's discards. In the many populated this part of the United States a few different times in New England but not that different. Not that different my content. Not in the bind of all Sunny days. They jump the boat in a. Small box and resolder love now you see mama going one way probably going one way. You see the culture come from the problem and when you break the people's cultural continuity you break the law of the system and it is the law of the system and the institution that produces oil to a system that holds people together while in the West Indies in South America they both have large lots and kept them together because they thought they could exploit them better that way. They were right. But the one thing they from guys. Is that they could revolt that up that way. And so the next year I'll

revolt in the Caribbean and in the west end and end that in South America. Was distinctly different. And besides an island. Is a capsule. You'll pick up that on this hour and culture can be contain that out in only out then in places where you have so much land mass to dissipate people you know physically and also dissipate the culture and the side. By fine and Marje lot most of the slaves in the Caribbean came from the same general area within Africa and could speak the same basic African language and could maintain the drone language which was the key to the success of the Haitian revolution now in the 16th 8:00 in the 16 60s. This revolt began to develop in Jamaica especially in Jamaica not in Haiti right now.

The revotes in Cuba in the 15:00. As early as. 15 20 to. A slave revolt. And if you know what you need to understand about the plight in the New World and the relationship of these blacks to the rest of his to the new world that that work can take yours revolvers. Now the revolts of blacks who would be who have been converted to Islam and have. The results of African traditional kings who are about to extend to the present him in the arm and in the New World. And it was nip and tuck and they could barely make it one of the little little known revotes and I think properly assess maybe maybe turn out to be one of the better ones. Is the bobbies revote and and Deion led by a man named coffee. And this revote would come after the famous on the rumor vote in Jamaica led by a man named Kojo. Both of these are Dannielle names

to send hello but you came from a place and done a coke come a day is it accidental that the most successful revotes in the New World were led by slaves from Donna. Now look at dawn up today and look at Dunn at the period of the slave trade. That culture continuity was more or less intact and gone up when they were taken. And when they came to the New World they came out of a tradition of revolt and they could transform this condition of revolt to this new setting in The Young and the new world. No insult America in the West Indies especially in South America Brazil whether with large numbers of black women amounted to poaching these men but these women maintain me that loyalty to the people in the field. Now. Why is it. That.

In the cut in the West Indies and in South America. Nearly every slave revolt was engineered by howsoever and nearly every slave a vote in the United States was between the houses. Now. If you've got to. West Indian nationalism or your negative Afro American feeling. You have immediately arrived at the wrong conclusion. Both of us were victims all historical experience over which we had no control. Fortunately for the West Indies they didn't break him up enough to destroy his off his loyalty system now that the exceptions there are numbers of a revolt in the West to be betrayed by how servile but generally. The way the whole circle. Was the most effective of all the revolt. One of the classical case was a revote in the Danish West Indies funded led by a black woman called herself Queen Mary.

She was the mistress of the governor. And the rebels total. That had a sudden tongue. They were going to invade the house cut the governor's throat an open hair. And she said what kind of loyalty to do you take me to be. You're telling me just to get out of the house. I'm the revolution and I understand what I would have. He would have told you why President Ford. Actually had. And that settled on the rebels that you had with somebody to carry the overhead. She said give as much as I have to leave the house. And I say why don't you send the man all the way to my house. To cut the lawn you know I would.

Now in spite of the luck she read that she had being the mistress of the governor she had known you delusional. Where somebody wanted to be when the deal went down. And she knew that it was time now for the deal to go down. Now the same thing happened in Brazil. Among the black women married to Portuguese men. Only think when you were in a different way. Always maverick off. One of her relatives to a Portuguese men unit arrived in the colony. And making these women swear that they would marry unless marriage meant automatic freedom. And when the Portuguese decide to push into the hippie land of Brazil these women convinced the Portuguese that you have no home is not valid to. Protect you. To hold slaves and tat we might as well free some

men to go up and do this labor and pay them some things and sell. These women laid the foundation for all. The civilization of some of the first family in the new world where families both from the competition of the slave master and he's out. One of. My main point here. Is that these African women never lost their sense of commitment to African people and one of the main reasons why they did not lose their sense of commitment to African people is the fact that their cultural continuity had not been brought up in the 70s they did something of this kind. Of feeling and spirit began to develop in the United States wants the blacks especially in New England where you had a march. A black craft. Who freed themselves by virtue of that craftsmanship they could create a kind of. Money to open a book that was do that Master

and buy their own freedom. These black craftsman. Learning how have you learned how to read became conscious on the people's plight. And began to develop newspapers magazines and junk and became a pot o the abolitionist movement. Once they develop newspapers and journals they began once more to search for that definition. Then an 18 29 a black man who ran a secondhand store named David Walker. Begin to look at the situation and make an assessment. Of what black people. Have to do and issued his famous appeal to the colored people of the world. This appeal was the first theoretical basis of what you call Pan-Africanism and it was the first call for genuine

wrought unmitigated blacked out it was the first rejection of the concept that even people could free themselves without violence. And with rejection out the imagery of the concept that was laid out fought for black people. Douglas sub had some serious questions about it. But I'll dispirited out of this period. A number of journals would be developed. Our Freedoms Journal Northstar Douglas's our newspaper and upbringing are Jamaican that a lot of Jamaicans don't know was a Jamaican John B Russ Hmong. One of the first in a black college graduates were added freedom's Journal. He would join the Young colonization movement in spite of his questions about it. And he would go later to Liberia as governor of one of the colonies. The African awareness now was

running rampant among black Americans. Martin Delaney would go out to what is known not jewelry or with another Jamaican Robert Campbell author of An excellent work called Pilgrimage to my motherland. My point here is that Caribbean Americans coming to the United States at the time did not see them. Like as different from that of black Americans. Prince Paul from but they don't have found they are the Masons the black Masons. P-Dog them from Antigua had found the black couple odd fellows in the beginning to use these laws which are already given to other physicians as a form of protest movement. This was the beginning of the formula's nation all of the black intellectual freedom movement. And doing this period we produced some of the most responsible

intellects of this country's ever known and also produce. A radical class who acts out any other radicals in the country. But the search for African African definition would continue after the Civil War and it would would be reflected in the works of Bishop Turner. Men are done in your name Chief Sam who promised to take all black Americans back to Africa. These 18 8 is now Bishop Turner would last until Love 19 0. 915 when he died the same year book watched him die right. Near the end of the sentry. The wife grew tired of dealing with multiplicities of black leaders and then they decided that they would create a leader and not. After. The creation of this leader of the first anointed black leader in

America. Created by white editorial writers and white editorial writers been creating nearly every black leader since then and those they do not create the government to either kill or drive into exile or drive to suicide. At the end of the 19th century that was a man with made a great impression. On other white people. His name was. Look at the Washington. And we need to look at putting Washington and look at him you know if you call him an Uncle Tom. Never been so wrong in your life. And it is a compromise. You look at the start of my letter and our eighteen ninety five. The speech was all things to all people. Most one of the most you speak of the world and you should read it I was reading your letter analyze what the hell was he talking about.

That was something in it for the sob telling the SOB that need not work or. Something in it for Black telling a black guy good white people you know take a look at these people. Something in it for them Maugham only to solve them and not. Telling him that there is. A peaceful many people here in the south who would not start stripes like those immigrants in great love no doubt. The tone of the speech was part of the Gentile forum. And he knew exactly what it would get across in the sense he was telling Clive he was. He attacked a black politician said stop speaking is not what's going to get bossed. That up on a dairy farm. Then came the appeasement. That was dear to the hearts of what. He said up. We apologize father humble contribution to this expedition.

A little pumpkin is here and. We're. Done. But the hopefulness of the future is indicative of all the great me a 9 to 5 now. Look I watched and knew he was telling a lie. He was strategically into the feelings of white people. Now. What. Happens in black America 1895. The black inventor had already revolutionized America. Lewis none had assisted in the development of the electric light. Had written a book on it textbook only incandescent light. Had drawn the model for the telephone. Alexander Graham Bell could not even get a patent to. Draw all of this moving partly Goodlife thought all of this moving part of this black man. Was to do that. For you. This had

already been done and 1895 not. He had done many things including one thing I'm not proud of it. Go. For a run of the machine you gotta love McCoy already rough night on the railroad. With a dip cup system which up OK to the railroad in motion. And some of the white stone. Patterns from cars until any time a white person go to the Patent Office with the lubrication system the people in the patent home sign up is this the real McCoy something you. Just either directly from. And that's how the word got. The money with. The Bill. And why it was stealing patents from blacks. Right. I love.

Mensa Lingen have already created the shoe machine which made the mass manufacturing of shoes possible that a good meal had already been developed by a black man. Another black man had to eat it but coupling the whole all of that. Together. In the West to get the train stopped coming apart going down hill was costing a fortune. Now suppose. Booker T Washington had a toll those white people come to me to endorse. Do you think they would have given him millions of dollars. You know. We've got this we don't this now we demand will not go in that setting. Not supposed to have a pool I don't you people have to understand except what you mean. He would have given him a new play in this humble role

in telling his people who you know that it's better to make a dollar a day than to sit next to a white person at the opera. That was exactly what they wanted to hear. They wanted to hear a black leader endorse Jim Crow. Now he may not have been indulging in a Jim Crow. That may not have been his intent at all. But that was the intent to take action that was given to him. And not only did they make him the leader of black America they gave him more money than they have ever given any black American the false sense. It was the co-optation of leadership and I still question whether we paid too high a price. The book goes on existing. That was Dr. John Henrik Clarke professor of African world history at Hunter College in part one of an address on black history. From an Afrocentric point of view. Next week the conclusion of his remarks. Dr. Clark's comments were recorded in November 1973 at the University of Texas at

Austin under the auspices of the university's African and Afro-American Research Center. Opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect those of U-T Austin the producers or this station. You've been listening to a university forum producer Stuart Wilbur. This program is produced and distributed by communication center the University of Texas at Austin. Oh. Cool. We will. This is the Longhorn Radio Network.