Four Hundred Souls

Four Hundred Souls

Adult nonfiction
"This 'cargo,' this group of twenty to thirty Angolans, sold
from the deck of the White Lion by criminal English marauders in
exchange for food and supplies, was also foundational to the American
story. But while every American child learns about the Mayflower,
virtually no American child learns about the White Lion.
And yet the story of the White Lion is clasically American. It
is a harrowing tale--one filled with all the things that this country
would rather not remember, a taint on a nation that believes above all
else in its exceptionality."
I'd told myself I wasn't going to read Ibram X. Kendi and Keisha
N. Blain's Four Hundred Souls: A Community History of African America,
1619-2019. It was too hefty. I envisioned chapter after chapter of
history. Nearly four hundred pages worth. But when I took a closer
look I found out I was totally wrong.
Kendi and Blaine are the editors, not the sole narrators. There
are ninety contributors including ten poets. Kendi explains that
rather than have a single author for the book "...But why not have a
community of women and men chronicling the history of a community?
Why not a Black choir singing the spiritual into the heavens of
history? Four Hundred Souls: A Community History of African America,
1610-2019 is this historic moment."
Most of the contributors actually wrote their pieces during
2019. Each covers a five year chunk of the time line. The first,
Arrival, by Nikole Hannah-Jones, describes the arrival of the two very
different ships and the contradictions in American character they
point to. In the last Alicia Garza discusses the Black Lives Matter
movement. In between lie an abundance of riches including:
*Brenda E. Stevenson's Black Women's Labor about how in the 17th
century Black women's legal designation as less feminine than white
women led to larger work loads and harsher punishments;
*Crystal N. Feimster's Lynching about the crusader Ida B. Wells-
Barnette;
*Michelle Duster's Red Summer about the 1919 Race Riot in Chicago;
*Angela Y. Davis' discussion of the devastating effects of President
Clinton's tough on crime laws;
*and so many more distinct and engaging pieces.
I'd encourage you to use this book as a stepping stone. There are
author bios at the end of the book. Check out those of the writers
who most spoke to you. Many of them have authored their own books.
Make a list of those you plan to check out. I certainly did.
In Blain's epilogue she addresses the question of whether or not
Black Americans have yet the point of being their ancestors' wildest
dreams. She concludes not yet, but the potential is there.
"The task ahead is not an easy one. But we can help chart out a
path that leads us all to a better future--the kind of future that
will more closely resemble our ancestors's wildest dreams."
That, in itself, constitutes ample reason to read the book.
On a purrrsonal note, Eugene and I celebrated our 32nd anniversary
last night. I made an excellent dinner centered around porterhouse
steak. I'd baked a molasses cake for dessert. Everything was ready
at 6:00. But I wasn't surprised when Eugene didn't get back until
nearly 9:00. Construction workers often have to put in long days,
especially in summer. The meal and dessert were delish. I gave him a
gift card to his favorite store. He gave me money that will really
come in handy when it's time to buy textbooks. Earlier that day I
solved a problem. The feminist health care provider I finally signed
on with last year is a short drive from my house. But it's two buses
each way. Add in all the waits and you are looking at at least five
hours. I found myself thinking, I'd get there faster walking. So I
tested my hypothesis by doing a test walk. One hour each way. And it
counts as exercise as opposed to standing around waiting for a bus. I
was going to buy a treat on the way back. But thoughts of Tobago
waiting at home killed any desire for sugary stuff. She is motivating
me to do the right thing when it comes to diet and exercise. That
sweet kitty is going to get me in better shape than I was in before
the pandemic started. (Jules)
Well of course. If the love of a good cat can't inspire one to get in
shape, I don't know what can. 32 years is great. Remind me what a
year is. (Tobago)
A great big shout out goes out to our Eugene.
Tobago and Jules Hathaway



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