Versions of Frederick Douglass's Narrative

What follows are images and texts related to Frederick Douglass's Narrative. 

The Frederick Douglass books

For years, I’ve been collecting editions of Frederick Douglass’s Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave (1845).

Why so many editions?

“Why so many different editions of the same books?,” people ask when they become aware that there are more than 400 editions of Douglass’s Narrative. One main reason, in addition to intrinsic value of the book, relates to the high demand for Douglass's autobiography.

Since the 1960s when the Narrative was first reprinted, high school teachers and college professors regularly assigned the book in their courses. There are no copyright restrictions on the book, so any publisher that is willing and interested can reprint the book. Also, the accumulated general and scholarly interest in Douglass and the Narrative over time have accumulated over time.

DEI and Black Employment

Black man student: Will this executive order cutting DEI make it more difficult for Black people like me to get jobs?

That's an important question to consider at this moment.

My initial, short answer is yes. Overall, Black people have had to confront major barriers to gain quality employment. So any additional challenges do in fact make things more difficult.

Often, folks concentrate on Diversity Initiatives and what comes out of those. Donald Trump and his supporters, for instance are critical of those initiatives because they think they give Black people, women, LGBTQ+ folks, and various people of color unfair advantages. What's often overlooked, though, is that those initiatives often emerged because of some really longstanding racist, sexist, heterosexist, and other troubling practices. Folks somehow forget to talk about gave rise to diversity efforts.

What this means for a young Black man like you is that you'll have to think about learning as much as possible and doing well in classes, yes and at the same time, and it also means making connections with an active supportive network that is assisting you in advancing and effectively navigating professional environments. Too often, folks will tell young Black people "just work hard and graduate." That's a well-meaning response, but it doesn't go far enough in identifying a variety of barriers that young Black men, to name one demographic, actually face.

Let's keep talking my dude.

Related:

• Representation Briefs

DEI on the local level at SIUE

I have a lot of thoughts on what's happening at the national level with DEI. And I'll soon pull together more links to articles for you and others. In the meantime, I wish there was more discussion at the local level regarding how a number of DEI efforts positively shaped SIUE over the last 10 years. Today, we have more Black faculty here than ever in the university's history. Why? Two major developments: 

1.) Every, not many, not most, but every Black faculty member hired since 2015 is a direct beneficiary of organizing by faculty, students, and staff that took place around 2014-2015, where a group of us urged the university to hire more Black faculty. Or, put another way, we asked them to stop routinely overlooking Black candidates. 

2.) The activism following the killing of George Floyd in 2020, led the university to do some soul-searching and create new areas, most notably the Office of Anti-Racism, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.

All of this is to say, the university has greatly benefited from some serious organizing and organizers. 

Related:

• Representation Briefs 

Representation briefs

Last week after news concerning the dismantling of DEI began to emerge, I reached out to about 140 students in my network to get some of their thoughts on the developments and setbacks. I ended up fielding several questions. 

I also began sharing short takes, which I'm referring to as diversity or representation briefs. I'm providing a roundup of some of those write-ups here. 

• DEI on the local level at SIUE

• DEI and Black Employment 

• Representation and Opportunity 

Amiri Baraka, DEI, and Racial Barriers in the Arts

Given the coverage of moves to dismantle DEI this week, I started thinking that folks like me in the arts could and should do more to chart the ways that diversity efforts have been important in areas like American and African American literature. 

In one of his last published writings, Amiri Baraka provides a critical review of an anthology edited by Charles Rowell. At one point, Baraka singles out a statement by Rita Dove who noted that "by the time I started to write seriously, when I was I was eighteen or nineteen years old, the Black Arts Movement had gained momentum; notice had been taken. The time was ripe; all one had to do was walk up to the door they had been battering at and squeeze through the breech."

Baraka responds to that point with one word: "Exactly!" He was amplifying a previous point that he made about he and his fellow Black Artists "trying to fight back" against "slavery, white supremacy, and racism." Their efforts, Baraka indicated, had made it possible for subsequent generations like Dove, Yusef Komunyakaa, and others to simply walk through the doors or barriers that had been battered down. 

Look, you can read a lot in Black poetry studies and not come across writings about how Black poets paved the way for all kinds of advancements in diversity and opportunities for generations of Black poets. One, many people don't know. Two, it's kind of taken for granted now. 

I'm noting it all at the moment though because we're witnessing the public dismantling of DEI at the federal level and among corporations. It'll be interesting seeing how it affects the arts.  

Noted:

• A Notebook on the work of Amiri Baraka

Coverage on the Dismantling of DEI

A roundup of articles from this past week related to the dismantling of DEI. 

• Feb. 6: As Trump Attacks D.E.I., Some on the Left Approve - Noam Scheiber -- New York Times

• Feb. 3: As Trump Attacks Diversity, a Racist Undercurrent Surfaces - Erica L. Green - New York Times

• Feb. 1: Don’t Fall for Trump’s D.E.I. Dodge - Jamelle Bouie - New York Times

• Jan. 30: Does Trump’s Cabinet Look Like a Meritocracy to You? - David French - New York Times

• Jan 26: Trump’s gutting of federal DEI programs will hit rural poor communities - Rachel Ramirez - CNN

• Jan 25: Trump’s anti-DEI order yanks air force videos of Tuskegee Airmen and female pilots - The Guardian

• Jan 25: Trump is ending DEI in the federal government. Corporate America is way ahead of him - Maria Aspan - NPR

• Jan 24: What is DEI and why is Trump opposed to it? - Ashifa Kassam - The Guardian 

• Jan 24: Some companies are refusing to comply with Trump’s anti-DEI crusade - Ja'han Jones - MSNBC

• Jan 24: Trump’s Attacks on DEI Are a Green Light for the Government to Discriminate - Elie Mystal - The Nation

• Jan 23: Trump's Education Department dismantles DEI measures, suspends staff – Zachary Schermele – USA Today

• Jan. 23: Trump order ending federal DEI programs leaves agencies and stakeholders on uncertain ground - Fernanda Figueroa, Ayanna Alexander and Corey Williams - AP News

• Jan. 23: Trump’s D.E.I. Order Creates ‘Fear and Confusion’ Among Corporate Leaders - Emma Goldberg - New York Times

• Jan. 23: Trump calls DEI programs 'illegal.' He plans to end them in the federal government - Andrea Hsu - NPR

• Jan. 21: Ending Illegal Discrimination and Restoring Merit-based Opportunity - White House

• Jan. 20: Ending Radical and Wasteful Government DEI Programs and Preferencing - White House 

The Greatest 30 Years of Black Men Writing

A short case for the greatest span of writing by Black men. 

Script by Howard Rambsy II 

Editing by Elizabeth Cali 

Production design by Nicole Dixon 

Voiceover by Kassandra Timm

 

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Related: 

• The Greatest 30 Years of Black Men's Writing (podcast episode)

• Black men writers and creativity, 1995 - 2016

• A checklist of videos & whiteboard animations

The Greatest 30 Years of Black Men's Writing

A brief take on the extraordinary literary achievements of Black men writers from1995 to 2024, a period marked by serious, comical, and fascinating compositions.

Script by Howard Rambsy II

Read by Kassandra Timm

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Related: 

• The Greatest 30 Years of Black Men Writing (video)

• Black men writers and creativity, 1995 - 2016

• Episodes of Remarkable Receptions

Blogging about poetry in December 2024

[Related content: Blogging about Poetry]

• December 28: From Nikki Giovanni and Amiri Baraka to C. Liegh McInnis and others

• December 28: The year in African American poetry, 2024

• December 9: Coverage of Nikki Giovanni's passing

• December 1: Blogging about Poetry in November 2024

Alamo Drafthouse Cinema City Foundry

I've always been into movies, but when the Alamo Drafthouse Cinema opened at the City Foundry in December 2022, my movie-going habits really took off. Nearly every weekend for the past couple of years, my wife and I have gone to see a show there.

The space features comfortable reclining chairs, and it's one of those theaters where you can order food during the movie. It’s an all-in-one experience.

Related:

• Writing St. Louis

City Foundry

The City Foundry open in August 2021, but a lot of my friends refer to the space as my "office." It's the place where I meet with folks.  

There are various places to eat, and so I often choose it as a locale to meet so whoever I'm with has choices. I enjoy the space, and it's been one of my frequent spots. 

Related:

• Writing St. Louis

Tower Grove Park

I live just a few blocks from Tower Grove Park, and I've spent considerable time walking and sitting around places in the park. Nearly every year, I attend the Festival of Nations that place in Tower Grove.  But that's just one of the events. 

There's a regular farmer's market at the park. There are various events. And there's often space for peace, quiet, and nature. 

Related:

• Writing St. Louis

Shack's Barber Shop

In March or April 2004, my first spring in St. Louis, I was going to a small office downtown to get my taxes done. On my way in and out of the building, I noticed a barbershop nearby and decided to stop in for a haircut. I've been going there ever since.

For the first decade or so, I used to go on various days when I had time to get my hair cut, but for the last decade, I've had a regular appointment every other Friday. 

Back in 2017, The St. Louis American published an article about the owner, Keith. He and other barber Will have been hooking me up for over two decades now.  

Related

• Writing St. Louis

Writing St. Louis

This year, I'm going to produce a series of short write-ups about this city, St. Louis, which I've lived in now for 22 years.

• Shack's Barber Shop

• Tower Grove Park

• City Foundry

• Alamo Drafthouse Cinema City Foundry

• Jazz St. Louis

• City Winery 

• Ghost Signs 

• Latte Lounge

• Treehouse Vegan Restaurant

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