The African American experience since the 19th century has included the resettlement of people from slavery to freedom, agriculture to industry, South to North, and rural to urban centers. This book is a documentary history of this process over more than 200 years in Toledo, Ohio. There are four sections: the origin of the Black community, 1787 to 1900; the formation of community life, 1900 to 1950; community development and struggle, 1950 to 2000; and survival during deindustrialization, 2000 to 2016. The volume includes articles from the Toledo Blade and local Black press, excerpts of doctoral and masters theses, and other specialist and popular writings from and about Toledo itself.
Abdul Alkalimat, Ph.D. (1974), University of Chicago, is Professor Emeritus of African American Studies and Information at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. His last book is Roots and Flowers: The Life and Work of Afro-Cuban Librarian Marta Terry González (Library Juice Press, 2015).
Rubin Patterson, Ph.D. (1992), Howard University, is Professor and Chair of the Department of Sociology and Criminology and Director of Environmental Studies at that university. His last book is Greening Africana Studies: Linking Environmental Studies with Transforming Black Experiences (Temple University Press, 2015).
Foreword
âNikki M. Taylor Acknowledgements List of Illustrations
1 Introduction
âAbdul Alkalimat and Rubin Patterson
â1.1âThree Key Theoretical Issues
â1.2âHow This Book Is Organized
â1.3âHow This Book May Be Used
2 Origin (1787â1900)
â2.1âFounding Documents (Documents 1â5)
ââ2.1.1âThe First Law: The Northwest Ordinance (1787)
ââ2.1.2âThe Second Law: Ohio Black Laws (1804)
ââ2.1.3â13th Amendment to the u.s. Constitution (1865)
ââ2.1.4âReconstruction: Civil Rights Act (1875)
ââ2.1.5âSupreme Court Overturns Civil Rights Act
â2.2âDialectics of Settlement (Documents 6â15)
ââ2.2.1âThe Underground Railroad
ââ2.2.2âArmed Struggle
ââ2.2.3âDesegregation
ââ2.2.4âUnderground Railroad in Toledo
ââ2.2.5âTaking Boats to Freedom in Canada
ââ2.2.6âElijah Anderson: General Superintendent of the Underground Railroad in Northwest Ohio
ââ2.2.7âLathrop House (1835â2005)
ââ2.2.8âJames Ashleyâs Eyewitness Account of the Hanging of John Brown (1859)
ââ2.2.9âThe Toledo Riot of 1862
ââ2.2.10âFrederick Douglass and Sojourner Truth Speak in Toledo (1864)
ââ2.2.11âThe Blade, the Black Man, and the Vote (1867)
ââ2.2.12âToledo School Desegregation (1871)
â2.3âEmergence of a Community Vanguard (Documents 15â18)
ââ2.3.1âFounding of Warren ame Church (1864)
ââ2.3.2âPrince Hall Freemasonry in Toledo (1864)
ââ2.3.3âMoses Fleetwood Walker (1857â1919)
ââ2.3.4âStagecoach Mary (1870â1885)
3 Formation of Community Life (1900â1950)
â3.1âEconomics of Survival (Documents 19â27)
ââ3.1.1âToledoâs Black Labor Force (1890â1910)
ââ3.1.2âBlack Population Growth 1910â1930
ââ3.1.3âIndustrial Status of Employment 1936
ââ3.1.4âNeighborhood Segregation
ââ3.1.5âBlack Access to Housing (1940â1950)
ââ3.1.6âToledoâs Black Middle Class (1926)
ââ3.1.7âToledoâs Black Middle Class (1936)
ââ3.1.8âThe Pinewood Avenue District (1929)
ââ3.1.9âEast Toledo
â3.2âCultural Capital (Documents 28â31)
ââ3.2.1âPaul Laurence Dunbar Reads in Toledo (1900)
ââ3.2.2âArt Tatum Performs in Toledo
ââ3.2.3âThe Depression
ââ3.2.4âThe Culture of Black Baseball
â3.3âOrganization and Leadership (Documents 32â42)
ââ3.3.1âThe Frederick Douglass Community Center
ââ3.3.2âInterracial Activities in Toledo (1922)
ââ3.3.3âClub Life in Toledo (1900â1920)
ââ3.3.4âHenrietta Society (1883âpresent)
ââ3.3.5âFighting the Toledo Klu Klux Klan (1915â1944)
ââ3.3.6âHousing and Racial Violence (1929)
ââ3.3.7âBlacks in Toledo Schools (1927)
ââ3.3.8âJ.B. Simmons: Toledoâs First Black Councilman
ââ3.3.9âJames Slater Gibson: A Lawyer Who Pursued Social Justice
ââ3.3.10âCornelius Edwoods: Publisher of The Observer Newspaper (1920s)
ââ3.3.11âFrances Alexander Belcher (1912â1963)
4 Community Development and Struggle (1950â2000)
â4.1âCommunity and Consciousness (Documents 43â48)
ââ4.1.1âDorr Street: Toledoâs Black Downtown
ââ4.1.2âA Report on Black Life in Toledo (1950s)
ââ4.1.3âWhen the Projects were New: Brand Whitlock (1940sâ1950s)
ââ4.1.4âThe Late 60s: Black Pain and Gain
ââ4.1.5âHouse of Day Funeral Service
ââ4.1.6âHenryâs Jeweler & Giftware
â4.2âCulture and Education (Documents 49â69)
ââ4.2.1âThe Study Hour Club
ââ4.2.2âShops Promoted Afro-Culture (1968)
ââ4.2.3âRev. Al Reed Opens Negro History Book Store (1970)
ââ4.2.4âHines Farm Blues Club
ââ4.2.5âArt Tatum and Toledoâs Popular Culture in the Twenties
ââ4.2.6âJon Hendricks First Begins Singing in Toledo
ââ4.2.7âMurphyâs Place
ââ4.2.8âwxts: Radio Jazz from High School
ââ4.2.9âTension at Scott after Negro Homecoming Queen Elected (1957)
ââ4.2.10âThe Declaration of the ut Black Student Union (1970)
ââ4.2.11âHiring Blacks at tu (1986)
ââ4.2.12âFlute Rice: First Black Principal of Scott High School (1968)
ââ4.2.13âAfro Ball Celebrates Heritage (1981-present)
ââ4.2.14âCrystal Ellis Named First African American Superintendent of Toledo Schools
ââ4.2.15âWilbert âSkeeterâ McClure
ââ4.2.16âChuck Ealey
ââ4.2.17âBlack Leadership: Sycophants and Taunters
ââ4.2.18âBlacks at ut Protest âInjusticeâ
ââ4.2.19âut President Meets with Black Students (1994)
ââ4.2.20âJeff Johnson, Black Student Leader at ut (1994)
ââ4.2.21âAbdul Alkalimat Appointed Head of Africana Studies at ut
â4.3âLeadership and Vision (Documents 70â79)
ââ4.3.1âArdella Law Reed (1918â1989)
ââ4.3.2âElla P. Stewart (1893â1987)
ââ4.3.3âRobert V. Franklin, Jr.: Leader in Law and Society
ââ4.3.4âCivic Leader Cordelia Martin
ââ4.3.5âWayman Palmer
ââ4.3.6âBlack Panthers Patrol Dorr Street
ââ4.3.7âLocal Black Leaders Hail King Holiday (1983)
ââ4.3.8âJimmy Jackson, Sports Hero and Businessman
ââ4.3.9âSocial Cyberpower in the Everyday Life of an African American Community (2004)
ââ4.3.10âPowellâs Beauty & Barber Supplies
5 Survival during Deindustrialization (2000â2016)
â5.1âFacing Poverty and Twenty-first-century Racism
ââ5.1.1âPopulation
ââ5.1.2âNazi March
ââ5.1.3âBlack Males
ââ5.1.4âThe Importance of Black Business
â5.2âThe Challenges of Black Leadership
ââ5.2.1âJack Ford
ââ5.2.2âMichael Bell
ââ5.2.3âPaula Hicks-Hudson
ââ5.2.4âEdna Brown
ââ5.2.5âCoalition of Black Trade Unionists
ââ5.2.6âTop Toledoans of 2009
ââ5.2.7âBlack Women Physicians and Dentists
â5.3âDiverse Black Education Leaders and Activities
ââ5.3.1âElla P. Stewart Academy
ââ5.3.2âRomules Durant School Superintendent
ââ5.3.3âHelen Cooks and Toledo Excel
ââ5.3.4âSimmie Blakney: First Black Department Chair at the University of Toledo
ââ5.3.5âPauline Kynard
ââ5.3.6âAngela Siner
ââ5.3.7âGreen Column and Green Africana Studies
ââ5.3.8âEdwina Kofi-Opata and Green Africana Studies
ââ5.3.9âImproving African American Male Graduation Rates: Eliminating the BlackâWhite Graduation Gap
ââ5.3.10âRetention and Graduation Taskforce: Diversifying Student Retention and Academic Success
â5.4âRevitalization of Community
ââ5.4.1âRestoring the Afro-Ball
ââ5.4.2âSteppin in Toledo
ââ5.4.3âSteel Guitar Sacred Music
ââ5.4.4âCharles Welch
ââ5.4.5âAfrican American Festival
ââ5.4.6âToledo Horsemen Club
ââ5.4.7âHistory of the African American Legacy Project
ââ5.4.8âBlack Lives Matter Resolution
ââ5.4.9âName Change at Scott High School
ââ5.4.10âArt Tatum African American Resource Center
6 Black Toledo: The Historical Impulse toward Social Justice
âAbdul Alkalimat and Rubin Patterson
â6.1âTheoretical Reflection
â6.2âHistorical Periodization and Social Transformation
â6.3âDialectics of Urbanization and Proletarianization
â6.4âDialectics of Inequality and Democracy
â6.5âCulture and Social Solidarity
â6.6âMemory and Community Sustainability
â6.7âSituating Black Toledo Vis-Ã -vis Other Books on Urban Black Experiences
Available African American Materials Bibliography Index
Institutes, academic/public libraries, specialists, postgraduate/undergraduate/secondary students, and general readers concerned with the history/culture of people of color, African Americans in particular; the midwestern US; and/or the city of Toledo, Ohio.