| Description |
xvi, 180 p., [56] p. of plates : ill. ; 23 cm. |
| Bibliography |
Includes bibliographical references and index. |
| Summary |
"Kansas became a state in 1861. Manhattan was founded in 1855, and African-Americans have lived in Manhattan since 1865. Grant and Lee met at Appomatox on April 9, 1865, ending the American Civil War. For many of us, that's ancient history. And so it might seem to us in Manhattan today when we find in this book that one of the original nine Black citizens was J. Henry, a ten-year-old boy from Missouri. J. Henry--he is ancient history. We don't even know his first name. He was just an entry in the census records. And so the story begins. As the African-American population grew in Manhattan, more information was recorded. The author found newspaper articles and obituaries concerning Blacks, and she asked current residents to tell the stories of their ancestors. Page by page, census data became people, and memories revealed the lives of these citizens. The readers see that their rich lives, often quite colorful, were distinctly parallel to those of the white citizens of the town. Only later in the book do we see, as social norms so very slowly changed, the strong lines of separation begin to dissolve. One of the strengths of this book is the author's record of seven generations of African-Americans in Manhattan. She includes clear descriptions of life in the segregated school system and the Douglass Center's contributions to the community. The cloudy past becomes clearer. Readers learn a little of what life was like in Manhattan in years gone by. The personal reminiscences the author includes--especially her own--add a spirit to the book that warms the cold statistics. We believe the author did what she set out to do: to tell the story of 140 years of soul."--From publisher's foreword. |
| Contents |
Dedication -- Foreword -- Acknowledgments -- Introduction -- The Families : Early Manhattan ; The Exodus ; After the Exodusters -- Later arrivals -- Douglass School : The early days ; The renovation of Douglass School ; Teachers and administrators ; Custodians ; Student memories ; Leaving Douglass School ; After the closing of Douglass School ; Community educators -- The Churches : The Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church ; The Church of God ; The Mt. Zion Church of God in Christ ; The Pilgrim Baptist Church ; The Shepard Chapel Church -- Manhattan Black businesses -- The Black soldiers at Camp Funston : 1917-1918 -- Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) : 1934 -- The Colored Center -- The Negro pool -- Clubs and organizations : 1910-2005 : Order of the Eastern Star ; Masons ; Phi Beta Sigma ; The Twentieth Century Litarary and Art Club ; National Association for the Advancement of Colored People ; Juneteenth -- Appendix A : Community deaths since completion of manuscript in 2005 -- Appendix B : Kinship of Wylie Keele -- Appendix C : Family trees -- Bibliography -- Index. |
| Subject |
African Americans -- Kansas -- Manhattan -- History.
|
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African Americans -- Kansas -- Manhattan -- Biography.
|
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Manhattan (Kan.) -- History.
|
| Added Title |
One hundred and forty years of soul |
|
One hundred forty years of soul |
|
History of African-Americans in Manhattan, Kansas, 1865-2005 |
| ISBN |
9780979778810 (pbk.) |
|
0979778816 (pbk.) |
|
