arisbookcorner's review against another edition
4.0
IQ "It is not because colored people are so obsessed with the desire to live among white people that they try and buy property in a white neighborhood. They do so because the houses there are modern, as a rule, and are better in every way than are those which have been discarded and turned over to their own group. If colored people could find houses on a street restrict to themselves which were as well built and as up to date as are those in white districts, they would make no effort to thrust themselves upon their fair-skinned brothers and sisters who object to having them in close proximity" (155).
The quote above is a taste of housing discrimination in the early 20th century and the same logic Terrell mentions could easily be applied to why Black people wanted to send their children to white schools. It is beyond unfortunate that this quote can still be applied to the world today but at the same time this is what made Terrell's memoir so fascinating, the fact that she dealt with so many of the same issues we do today, we've made so much progress but so little at the same time. I decided to read this autobiography because I read somewhere (I think in OUR KIND OF PEOPLE) that she came from a wealthy Black family and married into one in the late 19th century and I was intrigued by how that came about. The writing isn't great stylistically, it can be long-winded and the narratives were occasionally distracting as they seemed to contribute little to her life story. But the life itself is noteworthy and her story contains many little truths and strong observations such as; " What a fine thing it would be if the North were as loyal as to what it claims to be its principles as the South is to its views" (330). That could easily be in an essay written today about our flailing political system.
It was also interesting to read her story since she speaks quite highly of white abolitionists such as Susan B. Anthony, women I'd read who viewed Black men unfavorably but Terrell doesn't mention that, instead highlighting how helpful Frederick Douglass was to Susan B. Anthony and women's suffrage. "Therefore, whenever the women of this country pause long enough to think about the hard fight which had to be waged so as to enable them to enjoy their rights as citizens in this Republic, they should remember the great debt of gratitude they owe to a colored man for the courage he displayed on a crucial occasion in their behalf, when no other man was willing to come to their aid (209-210). It's not all tales of doing 'race work' (although it's the majority of her story aside from her school days), it does have light moments such as when she describes falling in love with her husband, "the course of true love did not always run perfectly smooth, but it always became calm and peaceful after any turbulent eddies that cause it to flow in the wrong direction" (137) but she doesn't mention any serious fights they had which I suppose is indicative of the desire to positively portray Black love. Terrell also manages to make her story quite amusing, whether intentional or not, such as when she talks about her popularity at school; "If I were white, it might be conceited for me to relate this. But I mention these facts to show that, as a colored girl, I was accorded the same treatment at Oberlin College at that time as a white girl under similar circumstances" (71).
Terrell is also delightful because she tends to always stand up to herself in the presence of white people who have wronged her and it's glorious such as when she goes to talk to Commissioner Ross about appointing a Black woman to the DC school board; "Without intending to do so, white people who have the power of placing colored people in responsible positions often appoint individuals who misrepresent their race instead of representing it well, because they are not well enough acquainted with colored people to know whom to select" (163-164), THE SHADE. Too bad none of those colored people she talks about were around to hear it, and how easily this quote could be said of certain people today.
Mary Church Terrell was a remarkable woman and I am so glad she had the foresight to write her story, it is both inspirational and reassuring. Her story shows that she, as a wealthy Black woman, was not an anomaly, nor was she the only Black woman on the speaking circuit, fighting for civi rights and women's suffrage, she is insistent on shining a light on others involved in these battles. I would love to see this book taught at least in women's studies and African American studies classes.
The quote above is a taste of housing discrimination in the early 20th century and the same logic Terrell mentions could easily be applied to why Black people wanted to send their children to white schools. It is beyond unfortunate that this quote can still be applied to the world today but at the same time this is what made Terrell's memoir so fascinating, the fact that she dealt with so many of the same issues we do today, we've made so much progress but so little at the same time. I decided to read this autobiography because I read somewhere (I think in OUR KIND OF PEOPLE) that she came from a wealthy Black family and married into one in the late 19th century and I was intrigued by how that came about. The writing isn't great stylistically, it can be long-winded and the narratives were occasionally distracting as they seemed to contribute little to her life story. But the life itself is noteworthy and her story contains many little truths and strong observations such as; " What a fine thing it would be if the North were as loyal as to what it claims to be its principles as the South is to its views" (330). That could easily be in an essay written today about our flailing political system.
It was also interesting to read her story since she speaks quite highly of white abolitionists such as Susan B. Anthony, women I'd read who viewed Black men unfavorably but Terrell doesn't mention that, instead highlighting how helpful Frederick Douglass was to Susan B. Anthony and women's suffrage. "Therefore, whenever the women of this country pause long enough to think about the hard fight which had to be waged so as to enable them to enjoy their rights as citizens in this Republic, they should remember the great debt of gratitude they owe to a colored man for the courage he displayed on a crucial occasion in their behalf, when no other man was willing to come to their aid (209-210). It's not all tales of doing 'race work' (although it's the majority of her story aside from her school days), it does have light moments such as when she describes falling in love with her husband, "the course of true love did not always run perfectly smooth, but it always became calm and peaceful after any turbulent eddies that cause it to flow in the wrong direction" (137) but she doesn't mention any serious fights they had which I suppose is indicative of the desire to positively portray Black love. Terrell also manages to make her story quite amusing, whether intentional or not, such as when she talks about her popularity at school; "If I were white, it might be conceited for me to relate this. But I mention these facts to show that, as a colored girl, I was accorded the same treatment at Oberlin College at that time as a white girl under similar circumstances" (71).
Terrell is also delightful because she tends to always stand up to herself in the presence of white people who have wronged her and it's glorious such as when she goes to talk to Commissioner Ross about appointing a Black woman to the DC school board; "Without intending to do so, white people who have the power of placing colored people in responsible positions often appoint individuals who misrepresent their race instead of representing it well, because they are not well enough acquainted with colored people to know whom to select" (163-164), THE SHADE. Too bad none of those colored people she talks about were around to hear it, and how easily this quote could be said of certain people today.
Mary Church Terrell was a remarkable woman and I am so glad she had the foresight to write her story, it is both inspirational and reassuring. Her story shows that she, as a wealthy Black woman, was not an anomaly, nor was she the only Black woman on the speaking circuit, fighting for civi rights and women's suffrage, she is insistent on shining a light on others involved in these battles. I would love to see this book taught at least in women's studies and African American studies classes.
frauleinbunny's review
4.0
Not a particularly easy read but really fascinating. Mary Church Terrell was so active and involved in so many organisations and fought for equality. Quite an icon. The book is more about her work than about her private life and partly she jumps a little in time and place.
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