Dear All,
Below are two short videos focused on Mary Church Terrell and her unpublished short stories.
In the video below, I provide historical context on Radical Reconstruction (1865-1877), the Rise of Jim Crow, and Mary Church Terrell’s biography.
- Note I slightly misspeak when I describe Plessy v. Ferguson (1896). To be clear:“Plessy v. Ferguson was a landmark 1896 U.S. Supreme Court decision that upheld the constitutionality of racial segregation under the “separate but equal” doctrine. The case stemmed from an 1892 incident in which African American train passenger Homer Plessy refused to sit in a car for Black people. Rejecting Plessy’s argument that his constitutional rights were violated, the Supreme Court ruled that a law that “implies merely a legal distinction” between white people and Black people was not unconstitutional. As a result, restrictive Jim Crow legislation and separate public accommodations based on race became commonplace” (https://www.history.com/topics/black-history/plessy-v-ferguson)
In the video below, I discuss the Jim Crow car and the allusion to boxer Jack Johnson in “Betsy’s Borrowed Baby”:
Below is a link to three slides on interiority and Passing (1929) by Nella Larsen
Slides on Passing (1929) by Nella Larsen for Comment Reply
Questions based on videos and readings for a Comment reply. Choose ONE and write a 2-3 sentence comment reply:
Questions for Video Lecture on Mary Church Terrell
- In the first part of the first video, I cover the rise of Jim Crow after Emancipation. How might the trial of Plessy Versus Ferguson resonate with the plot and setting of “Betsy’s Borrow Baby”?
- Mary Church Terrell was a “black clubwoman.” What did black clubwomen do during the post-reconstruction moment? How might this shape our reading of her fictional works?
- What does writing accomplish when it isn’t published? (based on the video or your own reader response to Terrell’s unpublished work)? What does Terry’s unpublished writing help us understand about her historical moment or experience as a Black woman?
- What does the Jim Crow car do to Black mobility and travel in “Betsy’s Borrowed Baby”?
- How do Irene’s inner thoughts reflect her values?
3. What does writing accomplish when it isn’t published? (based on the video or your own reader response to Terrell’s unpublished work)? What does Terry’s unpublished writing help us understand about her historical moment or experience as a Black woman?
Writing can provide a space of escape and freedom to the Black women writers like Mary Church Terrell. As a reform, writing can give the voice to an experience and by representing it, the writer can escape the tragedy and create her own freedom. Terrell played a significant role in the Black Club Women’s Movement by readdressing the Black society’s loss of rights as second class citizens. Her speech was saying the people in power are violating the principles this country was founded on. How can Black women writers escape through writing and find their own freedom even if it was unpublished? Writing can bring you to incredible places, where one can feel safe to share experiences and be heard without fear. This reminds me of the garrett where Linda can feel safe as her own sanctuary. Writing is like the garrett, providing a space to feel protected and safe to share the experiences, especially when dealing with oppression. Harriet Jacobs used writing to seek an escape, a sanctuary to share her experience with the world. Through writing, Black women writers can seek for freedom, a better future without oppression, looking forward to a community where they would be treated equally as first class citizens.
5. How do Irene’s inner thoughts reflect her values?
Irene’s inner thoughts give us a clear picture of her values, feelings towards Clare, and passing. While reading we get to understand that Irene approaches the concept/practice of passing as something that has a lot of nuance. She uses it when it is convenient to her but is appalled that Clare has decided to live her whole life as s white woman and marry a white man. Irene’s inner thoughts show us that she is someone highly motivated by her morals and her love for being Black and her people. This glimpse into Irene’s inner thoughts shows us right away how contradictory passing is to her values and how Clare will become an issue for her.
Unpublished work gives the reader raw insight into the minds of the author. When a work is published, it goes through many more rounds of editing, with many more outside opinions and minds controlling the final outcome. However, an unpublished work is usually saved from some of that and therefore may give a more honest portrayal of what the author’s opinion or thoughts were. For a black woman like Mary Church Terrell, she was especially restricted and edited in what she would have been allowed to say and publish and her unpublished work likely provides a more honest depiction of her thoughts, feelings, and experiences.
4. What does the Jim Crow car do to Black mobility and travel in “Betsy’s Borrowed Baby”?
The Jim Crow car severely limits Black mobility in “Betsy’s Borrowed Baby”. While the concept of “separate but equal is meant to “placate” to some minimal extent, the inherent inequality of it and the Jim Crow car is dehumanizing to the spirit of a person. It discourages the idea of traveling in the first place, and encourages stagnation, so that a Black person may be more easily exploited as a known, unmoving variable.
2. During the post-reconstruction moment, the black clubwomen help their communities fight against the prejudice and the effects of Jim Crow Law. They ran clinics, trained nurses, provided aid to the poor or sick, had literary societies or even ran small libraries. As the president of the national association of colored women, Mary Church Terrell was able examines the truth in American society the way it was. This might shape our reading of her fictional works because we will get an image of the society in her works.
How do Irene’s Inner thoughts reflect her values?
Irene’s inner thoughts show how much she values her family and the black community above anything. She has a really structured life which she seems to be happy with. She embraces her blackness and is proud of who she is. However, the only aspect of her life that shows contrast is that she uses her light skin to pass as white only for “convenience.” She does it when she is not around Black people because she is pretty confident that white people would never assume she is Black. Besides this, she does not do anything that would risk the stability of her life. I would also say that her inner thoughts tell us how she is kind of repressing her feelings and living up to social expectations.
In the first part of the first video, I cover the rise of Jim Crow after Emancipation. How might the trial of Plessy Versus Ferguson resonate with the plot and setting of “Betsy’s Borrow Baby”?
The whole plot revolves around the result of the Plessy versus Ferguson trial. Betsy’s feels extremely unsafe and uncomfortable on the ride to and from college and home. One of the main reasons is because of the separation of carts and how uncomfortable it is to be in a train where she is powerless and cannot defend herself. She has to submit to the will of white people. That is why she concocts a plan to use a white little girl as a shield of sorts to protect but also give her the access to certain things she didn’t have before
What does the Jim Crow car do to Black mobility and travel in “Betsy’s Borrowed Baby”?
The restricted and poor conditioned “Jim Crow cars” created a clear division between white and Black individuals (not only by color but also by class). White people were allowed to enter the colored cars if they chose to, but Black people were not permitted to enter any other part of the train designated for white passengers; the cars for Black people were poorly made, had limited space, and the people on it were not protected (mainly from the race riots where White people would hunt Black people which happens to Betsy as well). This segregation and unequal treatment had a significant impact on Black mobility, making travel more difficult, uncomfortable, and demeaning for African Americans, limiting their access to certain regions or areas where jobs and educational institutions were located which as a consequence had a detrimental impact on their economic growth, autonomy/access to freedom (and they say “slavery was abolished”?!), and mental health. From the sociologist perspective, Mary Church Terrell would most likely agree that “Jim Crow cars” and the overall “separated but equal” law have contributed to the wealth gap between Black and Brown communities and White communities that we see in this country today (which is still growing).
Mary Church Terrell was a “black club woman.” What did black clubwomen do during the post-reconstruction moment? How might this shape our reading of her fictional works?
Black clubwomen were instrumental in addressing the issues and difficulties that African Americans faced in the United States during the post-Reconstruction era. To promote social and political change, uplift their communities, and fight racial discrimination, they founded a number of organizations and clubs. Activities and projects like education, social welfare, civil rights advocacy, women’s suffrage, artistic expression, economic empowerment, and community building were carried out at that time by black clubwomen.These are only a few instances of the activities black clubwomen engaged in in the years following Reconstruction. Their combined efforts paved the ground for social advancement and built the framework for upcoming civil rights struggles.
Their real experiences and distinct points of view as authors and writers influence their fictional works. Their literary works frequently reflect their involvement in social and political engagement as well as their dedication to racial empowerment. The black clubwoman’s history and activism can influence how we perceive her fictional works in the following ways. The difficulties, victories, and common experiences of black people in literature are commonly depicted in real-life situations. Their publications advance knowledge of the African American experience by providing a more complex and truthful depiction of black life.The historical and social conditions that shaped their literature can be better understood by readers. It enables us to comprehend the importance of their contributions, acknowledge their innovative accomplishments, and participate in
3. What does writing accomplish when it isn’t published? (based on the video or your own reader response to Terrell’s unpublished work)? What does Terry’s unpublished writing help us understand about her historical moment or experience as a Black woman?
Writing, even when it isn’t published, can serve multiple purposes and have various impacts. In the context of Mary Church Terrell’s unpublished work, it can accomplish several important things. Writing allows individuals to articulate their thoughts, emotions, and experiences. By putting their thoughts into words, writers can find solace, clarity, and a sense of release. For Mary Church Terrell, her unpublished writing may have provided a means of self-expression and reflection, enabling her to process her experiences as a Black woman in her historical moment.
In the first part of the first video, I cover the rise of Jim Crow after Emancipation. How might the trial of Plessy Versus Ferguson resonate with the plot and setting of “Betsy’s Borrow Baby”?
Plessy versus Ferguson upheld a state law that allowed for “equal but separate accommodations for the white and colored races”. The separation of people of color in the train carts are direct example of the ruling, Betsy is forced to first-hand experience the dangers of the privilege white men felt being in a white designated which was cleaner and serviced.
Betsy’s presence was not accepted until she had a white child in her hands, giving into the racist purpose of the law, it also proves the inferiority that was placed on the colored.
4. What does the Jim Crow car do to Black mobility and travel in “Betsy’s Borrowed Baby”?
It gives those with a mind to separate, to oppress, to humiliate and manipulate a convenient loophole upon which to do their magic, and evil people love little more than they love a loophole. The intent, while supposedly to create equality, is clear with services provided to African Americans being notably worse than those allotted to white people, a notable example being colored/white water fountains. And in the case of things like bus seats, if a service is not available to white people, African Americans were required to give up theirs. And the rules … they were not even. Some places had it easier and some places had it much much worse. It made traveling anywhere, at times, worse than navigating a minefield, with any slip leading to your potential doom.
Black clubwomen concentrated on a variety of concerns. They fought to improve education and literacy rates among Black people, address healthcare inequities, advocate for women’s suffrage, oppose racial prejudice, promote cultural knowledge and pride, and assist the less fortunate in their communities. These women used their united strength to confront racial inequality and improve their communities. Considering Mary Church Terrell’s involvement as a black clubwoman provides essential context for understanding her fictional works. Her experiences and activism influenced her writings, shaping her perspectives and themes. Terrell’s fictional works might explore articles related to racial injustice, gender equality, empowerment, and the challenges faced by Black communities during the post-Reconstruction era. Her writings may reflect the challenges, aspirations, and tenacity of Black people at the time. They may provide insights into the lived realities of Black people, offering light on the era’s social, economic, and political dynamics. Terrell’s fictional works may address racial identity, socioeconomic mobility, activism, and the difficulty of navigating a society marked by racial segregation and injustice.
3) The unpublished writings of Mary Church Terrell shed light on her experiences as a Black woman. In a society that oppressed her, it reveals the inequalities she encountered. Through her writing, Terrell could share her point of view and an intimate account of the problems she and other Black women faced.
Also, Terrell’s work shows how resilient she is and how determined she is to fight for social change. It demonstrates her dedication to addressing Black people’s losing their rights and the country’s violation of its founding principles. Even though her writing was not published, it is evidence of her activism by highlighting her efforts to empower her community.
In a broader sense, Terrell’s unpublished writing exemplifies the importance of preserving marginalized voices and the power of storytelling by providing a firsthand account of Black women’s difficulties, aspirations, and desires for a more equitable society. It helps us comprehend the historical moment as well as their experiences. Terrell’s writing is an important historical piece that helps us learn more about Black women’s experiences in her time.
Question 1
The case Plessy vs. Ferguson was the case that solidified the separate but equal law by ruling against Plessy. This reinforced Jim Crow laws that kept Blacks as second-class citizens. This resonates heavily with the plot and the setting in the short story Betsy’s Borrowed Baby by Mary Church Terrell. This story exposed the unfairness and cruelty of Jim Crow and especially toward black women. What it doesn’t tell you is how many Black women were not as successful as Betsy in fighting off her harassers. The indignities of having to wait until all the white people are served before you can get serviced and you could only hope to there is any food left. Terrell brings to light in a very vivid way the injustice of the Jim Crow laws.
Question 2
Mary Church Terrell was the first president of the Black National Clubwomen group. This was a combination of all the local groups to have a more powerful voice and to assist more people in the Black community. The Black Clubwoman was solely not just self-help but it was a time of reflection. This help came in the form of healthcare, literary workshops, and nurse training. There was a need to understand the changes that were happening in the country. These ranged from Jim Crow to immigration, industrialization, to migration of Blacks from the South. The Black Clubwoman acted as a social scientist to record and learns about the current events at the time. This had an effect on Terrell’s fiction works because her readers had a glimpse of the horrors of the separate but equal law.
Question 3
Just because a literary work is not published does not mean it does not have value. So in my opinion there is no such thing as literary failure because writing is an expression of the heart and soul. Although much of Terrell’s works did not get published it allowed the writer to critique, imagine and escape the cruel harsh laws of Jim Crow. It was mentioned in the lecture the state of Black publishing during Jim Crow. I can only imagine a few black newspapers or if there were very few if any Black book publishing companies. It should note the content of Terrell’s stories would not be one that mainstream media would want to publish.
Question 4
During slavery, most Blacks did not have the right to travel without their master. So boarding a train or some other type of transportation was foreign to Blacks. What made this experience unpleasant were the Jim Crow laws. The Black sections were tight quarters and inferior to whites. In Betsy Borrowed Baby it showed how whites could come in the Black section demean, bully, and assault the Black patrons without any consequences. This is why Betsy regretted the train ride down into the South. This is something she endured by herself so that her family wouldn’t worry.
Question 5
In my view, Terrell was a highly educated woman who could have led a good life without being involved in the Black Woman Club. She had a vision and saw that Black people were suffering and she wanted to help. Not only help but exposed the cruel and unnecessary hate behind Jim Crow. In her subtle but brutal way, she exposes the unfairness in Betsy’s Borrowed Baby. Betsy is forced to ride in the colored section on the way south. However, on her return trip is allowed to sit in the white section because she is pretending to be the nurse for the young white girl. Betsy along with the white girl is allowed to eat in a white dining car. She is not subjected to the abuse and neglect found in the colored section. This is Terrell showing the fakeness of Jim Crow.
Question 2: Mary Church Terrell was a “black clubwoman.” What did black clubwomen do during the post-reconstruction moment? How might this shape our reading of her fictional works?
Black clubwomen played a significant role during the post-Reconstruction era in the United States. These women were part of various social, cultural, and political clubs and organizations dedicated to improving the conditions of African Americans and advocating for civil rights and social justice.
During this period, which spanned from the late 19th century to the early 20th century, black clubwomen focused on several key areas of activism. They worked towards educational reform, establishing schools and promoting literacy among African Americans. They also fought for women’s suffrage and gender equality, recognizing the intersectionality of race and gender in their struggles.
Black clubwomen organized campaigns against racial discrimination, particularly in public spaces and institutions, and fought for the elimination of segregation and Jim Crow laws. They advocated for the rights of African American workers and supported labor movements. Additionally, they played a crucial role in addressing social issues such as poverty, healthcare disparities, and housing conditions within their communities.
Understanding Mary Church Terrell as a black clubwoman helps shape our reading of her fictional works by providing a broader context for her experiences and activism. Terrell’s involvement in social and political clubs would have informed her understanding of the challenges faced by African Americans during that time. Her works might reflect the issues she fought for and the social realities she observed.
Terrell’s fictional works may touch upon themes of racial inequality, discrimination, and the experiences of African American women. They could explore the complexities of identity, the struggles for civil rights, and the importance of community activism. By drawing on her experiences as a black clubwoman, Terrell might have sought to shed light on the social, cultural, and political issues affecting African Americans during the post-Reconstruction era and the need for collective action to bring about change.
Work that remained unpublished is still work that has been written. Writing can be a form of catharsis for many, and a way for them to truly communicate in a way they feel they would otherwise not be able to. By communicating through her work, Mary Church Terrell was able to voice an in-depth and accurate account of what it was like to be a black clubwoman in the era of Jim Crow laws. Furthermore, if a work is unpublished, it can provide a look into literary work that has not entered an official canon, like published (and much more accessible) works have.
What does writing accomplish when it isn’t published? (based on the video or your own reader response to Terrell’s unpublished work)? What does Terry’s unpublished writing help us understand about her historical moment or experience as a Black woman?
When a written piece is not published it allows the work to maintain its original form. Whereas the written piece must go through editors and a lot of times the original idea is corrupted and altered completely. This would especially be true for written pieces by black authors especially if they had to do with white people. Terry’s unpublished writing help us understand her unadulterated thoughts and feelings to what is happening in her surroundings.
3. As a “black clubwoman,” Mary Church Terrell was part of a group of black women who formed social clubs and organizations during the post-reconstruction era. Black clubwomen played crucial roles in addressing issues of racial uplifting, education, and social justice within their communities and beyond. By understanding Mary Church Terrell’s involvement within these organizations, we can contextualize her fictional works as reflections of the experiences of black women during that time, providing valuable insights into their struggles and triumphs within a racially oppressive society.