Religion & Racism: In His Image But . . .

by Donald R Barbera

In His Image But . . . Racism in Southern Religion, 1780-1910 is an eye-opening book for those unaware of how the Christian Church played a key role in promoting white supremacy, slavery and racism in general. There will be those who deny the connection, but at every turn, the church in the South found ways to support slavery while bringing the slaves to salvation. The book by was written in 1972 by former Duke Professor, H. Shelton Smith and leaves no doubt how the Church not only approved of slavery, but supported it.

“Our nation has been full of white racism from the start; blacks have been counted as inferior and degrading, even if useful. Thomas Jefferson wanted blacks out of slavery but also out of the country. Patrick Henry could lament the slavery of Negroes but be "drawn along by the general inconvenience of living without them" (p. 23).

Shelton meticulously documents the flow of support for slavery by the white church. Interestingly, one of the supporters of freeing the slaves, but send them back to Africa was Thomas Jefferson, most likely with the exception of Sally Heming. From the Methodist and Baptist churches, the pressure on slaves was relentless and Shelton captures the connection.

He shows that any regression in racist issues tied with the church would never be settled fairly. The documentation of how the Church helped lead the South into the Civil War all on the part of losing their free labor.

THE NEGRO MOTORIST GREEN BOOK

I wrote this several years ago at the insistence of a few friends who that I needed to share information that I assumed everyone knew. Of course, we all know what comes of assuming. So, here it is.

Today, most folks wouldn’t believe unless they saw it, but “The Negro Motorist Green Book” was a necessity for African Americans traveling around the United States during the Jim Crow era when discrimination against “people of color,” especially blacks, ran rampant in the United States. I remember fingering my way through it and asking my father why we needed it. Always, his answer was cryptic and mysterious, but my older made it clear “white folks don’t want us near them.”

Growing up in the Jim Crow era, I knew that in my tiny hometown of Independence, Kansas, that was exactly the case. I saw the signs that said, “White Only, Negro Section and Colored Drinking Fountain,” but I assumed that was just in our town. Traveling with my family to Chicago and St. Louis let me know that the same rules applied and were even worse.

When the first version the “Green Book” appeared in 1936, the level of car ownership among African Americans was expanding rapidly as many blacks drove to avoid segregation and humiliation on public transportation. The black “middle class” was in its infancy and having a car was a way to find work or get to a job without the usual humiliation of sitting in the back of the bus or being harassed while waiting for it.

Racial profiling started long before the term required invention during the late 1980’s. Since blacks could drive and afford cars, African Americans had a long history of inappropriate stoppages, arrests and brutality by the police, especially in the South. In addition to the police, blacks faced real dangers such as physical threats of violence and armed expulsion from “sundown towns,” which posted signs saying, “Niggers be gone by sundown.” The “or else,” was understood by both blacks and whites.

In addition to danger of physical violence, blacks faced a variety of inconvenience and humiliation ranging from being refused accommodation or food by white-owned hotels to white-owned businesses refusing to serve Negroes or even repair their vehicles

Victor H. Green, a New York mailman and travel agent, published the first “Green Book” in 1936 to help African American drivers avoid running into difficulties or embarrassments and to help make trips more enjoyable and safe. The first “Green Book” was New York focused but eventually grew to cover the entire United States and portion of Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean.

The book allowed us to find lodgings, businesses and gas stations that would serve us as we traveled. We often stayed at boarding houses or someone’s home on long trips. We were always welcome even though we didn’t know most or any of the people we stayed with. We often went off the main highway into small “Negro” towns where we could refuel and use the bathroom without needing to “go out back” to a privy for “coloreds.”

The “Green Book” was largely unknown in white America, but for black drivers, it was a necessity. Taking a trip during the Jim Crow era could easily end in disaster and even death. Organizations such as the NAACP and the Urban League reported lynchings in towns where whites thought of Negroes with new cars as too “uppity” or prosperous. “See the USA in a Chevrolet,” was a popular advertisement during that era, but African Americans, it didn’t make a difference if they drove a Chevy, Ford or Chrysler, seeing the USA was like being a pioneer in early America.

The “Green Book” stopped publication shortly after the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which outlawed the types of racial discrimination that had made the book necessary. Nevertheless, long after the Civil Rights era, black drivers in the United States faced major problems when traveling. To this day, large numbers of blacks avoid small towns when traveling, especially in the South. Nevertheless, the Negro Motorist Green Book served a useful purpose and in many ways, a book of that type could be useful today for every traveler.

A PDF of the 1949 edition can be downloaded from this site. (Warning: It is quite large) http://www.autolife.umd.umich.edu/Race/R_Casestudy/87_135_1736_GreenBk.pdf

Selfies: Narcissism or Just Fun?

The Internet is literally flooded with “selfies” and mostly it is just plain fun taking pictures of yourself, friends or alone at a historic site, beautiful backgrounds such as forests and mountains and definitely including all the family and yourself. However, at what point do “selfies” turn into narcissism?

Narcissism as it is known today outside of psychiatry is reflected in “excessive interest in oneself and one's physical appearance. Other words used to describe include, vanity, self-absorption, conceit, self-centeredness, egotism and egoism."

To keep up with demand, “selfie sticks” were invented to hold a telephone camera at a distance to eliminate foreshortening so common in arm’s length shots. Alone, that innovation helped increase and improve the quality of “selfies” and “selfie” group shots. It was an excellent idea, especially for the person holding the patent. In Las Vegas, the gadgets are in nearly every store along the new strip.

Nice shots of couples that previously couldn’t be taken without asking a stranger to shoot a picture with your camera, disappeared with the “selfie.” When with that special person, early everyone wants to document that special time. It is a memory captured digitally that may last forever in some form. They are especially good at capturing moments never imagined like standing with a celebrity, the Pope or even the President of the United States.

Yet, the personal facial “selfie” seems to say something probably not intended, but gives others who view them on social websites on a regular basis wonder what it is so special about you that you want to share your new head shot on a constant basis. Obviously, there is nothing wrong with loving yourself if for no other reason that it is difficult to love others if one doesn’t love themselves.

For many, the “selfie” is a tool to capture unforgettable moments with friends, family and loved ones. It has also proved a great resource for grabbing pieces of history, landscapes and even shots at Madame Tussauds Wax Museum standing with Muhammed Ali or Abraham Lincoln. It provides a means to do something nearly impossible to do without the use of tripods, timers or remote shutters.

Still, there is the individual “selfie,” which more than likely is little more than sharing changes in style, photographic effect or before and after shots. However, at what point do they become intrusive "I love me" expressions?

So, the question persists, is it narcissism or just fun?