Black Coffee discussion

Given the opportunity and resources, which historical figure would you do an in-depth case study on and why?

Phyllis Wheatley. She introduced me to poetry in grade school and her life intrigues me.

I don't have a specific person but I plan to study the reconstruction period. That time period has been screaming for my attention for quite some time. But if I had to choose a person I'd choose Margaret Garner who killed her child to save them from a life of slavery and who was the motivation behind Toni Morrison's Beloved. Or a slave trader just to get behind the mindset of one.

Kisha, there's a book out about her life. It's a biography of letters between her and abolitionists who became friends. It was really good. I read it last year.

kisha wrote: "I don't have a specific person but I plan to study the reconstruction period. That time period has been screaming for my attention for quite some time. But if I had to choose a person I'd choose..."

I too am more a particular period in history type of person. I had started studying about the Reconstruction Period but stopped but to get back into it I am going to read:
Reconstruction: America's Unfinished Revolution 1863-1877
The Wars of Reconstruction: The Brief, Violent History of America's Most Progressive Era
Black Reconstruction in America 1860-1880

BUT - The Race Riots of 1919 has real strong pull on me and while I have researched some the race riots I have been looking for a book that gives a more comprehensive viewpoint before I get back into the specific riots by city. So this book is also sitting on my shelf unread but I need to get back to it:
Red Summer: The Summer of 1919 and the Awakening of Black America

Assata fascinates me as a historical figure. In one of my Pan-African Studies class we were taught that the Igbo tribe chose mass suicide when they were attempted to be enslaved. I have been searching for information on the topic ever since.

Nzinga of Ndongo and Matamba

http://www.amazingwomeninhistory.com/...

Ever since I read about her, I have wanted to know more about her life. I have never seen a historical fiction written about her, but she would make an excellent subject.

I'd want to know about the life of an African slave trader in Africa. I want to know whether or not they understood what type of life they were sending their brothers, sisters, and children into.

My father is an Igbo man born and raised in Nigeria, so I could be a descendant of one of these African slave traders. I'd love to learn their mindset.

That's interesting. And would love to know more about it as well. I was reading a blog about the facts about slavery. They were talking about how when the first group of slaves came to America it wasn't how many would think. It wasn't White Americans kidnapping slaves (at least not mostly). But African slave traders (black and white) were selling them into slavery. I would love to know more about it or read a book that would even touch on the matter slightly. Something new that I'll add on my list of things to research.

That's part of the reason I got hooked on writing historical fiction - when I learned about Anna Kingsley in Spanish East Florida. She was captured and brought over as a slave at age 13 & eventually had slaves of her own. (Am I allowed to mention my historical fiction bk's name?)

Of course you can Rosalie!

That was my first historical fiction, Freedom Bound. Anna Kingsley was an amazing person. I wrote the bk as fiction but everything was really true.

Rosalie wrote: "That was my first historical fiction, Freedom Bound. Anna Kingsley was an amazing person. I wrote the bk as fiction but everything was really true."

Hi Rosalie! I actually own a copy of your book, Freedom Bound! It's on my to read list and one of the ones I've wanted to get to soon.

Great! I'd love your feedback after you've read it.

Who would I research and write about? Rowland Lockey, an artist at the court of Elizabeth I. He was supposedly the son of an archer, but seriously, how many archer's sons became artists, let alone working for the Queen? And he supposedly became an apprentice there some years after having painted a number of very famous and powerful people, including the boy king James VI of SCotland. The story doesn't hang together. What I've found out so far is that he was black, and born in September 1557 after nine months during which Elizabeth totally vanishes from our history books. She was not seen in public even once during that period, spent the whole time in Hatfield...

I'm pretty damned ignorant, but someday I'm going to have to really get an understanding of some Haitian history, and probably need to learn about Toussaint Louverture.

The most likely way I would be interested in learning about someone would be from his or her own writings, and I never thought Louverture was a writer, but apparently there's an Engished edition collection of his essays and speeches: The Haitian Revolution. Another thing to go on the someday-somehow list.

Zad,

You are not alone! I have a slight fascination with Haiti and it's history. I plan to spend the second half of this year learning more about the country, it's culture, and people. A couple of months ago, I tweeted Lin Manuel and Wyclef Jean that they should corroborate and come up with a Louverture version of Hamilton. LOL

As a historian/author who write historical ficton there isn't a time period I haven't studied yet.

Lulu wrote: "Given the opportunity and resources, which historical figure would you do an in-depth case study on and why?"

Frederick Douglass. I didn't learn about his greatness until much later in life; our schools didn't teach about him. I'm in awe of his brilliance and bravery. When I toured his DC home, I was moved to tears.

A. wrote: "As a historian/author who write historical ficton there isn't a time period I haven't studied yet."

I... don't think that's possible.

I've been completely obsessed with Madam C J Walker since I was 13 years old. If I had the time and money I would like to write a book about her and maybe do a companion documentary.

Erin wrote: "I've been completely obsessed with Madam C J Walker since I was 13 years old. If I had the time and money I would like to write a book about her and maybe do a companion documentary."

Truly a remarkable woman.

I also write historical fiction, and there are times and places where the sheer complexity of issues and ethics both fascinates and horrifies me. I know it's been done, but a story I've been tinkering with concerns the conflicts of being black during the American revolution. Would my character support the revolution, which supported slavery, or would she support England, which (at least on the face of it) condemned it? How would she feel when the was was over? How would other people feel about her ambivalence?

Elissa wrote: "I also write historical fiction, and there are times and places where the sheer complexity of issues and ethics both fascinates and horrifies me. I know it's been done, but a story I've been tinker..."

It's a difficult subject to write about. I'm presenting reviewing one about the Middle Passage and learned a lot about it during research that I didn't know.

Last year I recently was introduced to the work of the Afro-German writer & activist May Ayim. She was a disciple of-sorts of Audre Lorde and she was a very crucial black voice writing about being Afro-German during the reunification of Germany. There is not much work published by or about her in English (everything is out-of-print owing to her being forgotten), but she is a very fascinating figure.

I read her English-language anthology Blues In Black And White: A Collection Of Essays, Poetry, And Conversations and tried to as comprehensive a review/introduction as possible.

Carl wrote: "I'd want to know about the life of an African slave trader in Africa. I want to know whether or not they understood what type of life they were sending their brothers, sisters, and children into.

..."

This is an article, written by Nigerian journalist and novelist Adaobi Tricia Nwaubani, discussing the topic of her ancestors trading in Slaves.

There is also a documentary that I once watched, and I'm trying to find again, that interviews an African family who had gained their wealth through the slave trade.


https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa...

After reading about and watching the historical figure in the Netflix movie The Harder They Fall, I’d love to know more about Stagecoach Mary, aka Mary Fields.

The African history journey interests me, as I’m working on another novel that explores African choices which affected African Americans, good and bad.