Black History Month

[RJNorton]

Thanks to Laurie for sending these links from the Civil War Trust:

https://www.civilwar.org/news/celebrate-...aign=13018

https://www.civilwar.org/learn/collectio...urce=email

[RJNorton]

From Slave to Dressmaker for the First Lady: Elizabeth Hobbs Keckley

https://www.themarysue.com/elizabeth-hobbs-keckley/

[Rsmyth]

But Elizabeth's bones are not lost to us - right Laurie?

[L Verge]

(02-12-2018 09:30 AM)RJNorton Wrote:  From Slave to Dressmaker for the First Lady: Elizabeth Hobbs Keckley

https://www.themarysue.com/elizabeth-hobbs-keckley/

Too bad that this Mary Sue did not do a little more research and find out that Mrs. Keckly's remains were found years ago by forum member Richard Smyth and that her grave is now marked by an impressive stone donated by contributions raised by the Surratt Society in 2010. Go here for a better bio and photo of marker at National Harony Memorial Park in Landover, Maryland.

P.S. I just enlightened Mary Sue. http://www.surrattmuseum.org/elizabeth-keckly-gravesite

[RJNorton]

Thanks for Laurie for this information:

James L. Swanson - Chasing King's Killer: The Hunt for Martin Luther King, Jr.'s Assassin — at Politics and Prose [Bookstore] at The Wharf

Thursday, February 22, 2018 - 7 p.m. to 8 p.m.

Drawing heavily from memoirs, CIA and FBI reports, magazine articles, and other research, the author presents a fast-paced account of a tumultuous time in U.S. history. Beginning with an introduction by Congressman John Lewis, the book places the events surrounding the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr. into historical context. It explores the legacies of both King, a legendary civil rights activist, and James Earl Ray, the prison escapee who murdered him. Swanson’s extensive source notes will allow young historians to trace—or even continue—research.

This event is free to attend with no reservation required. Seating is available on a first come, first served basis.

Click here for more information.

https://www.politics-prose.com/event/boo...e39706798-

Politics and Prose at The Wharf 70 District Square SW Washington DC 20024

[RJNorton]

Dressmaking Led Elizabeth Keckley From Slavery to the White House

But her memoir caused a rift with Mary Todd Lincoln.

https://www.racked.com/2018/2/26/1704258...dressmaker

[L Verge]

I failed to mention that Surratt House had a fantastic program this past Saturday in commemoration of Black History Month. Some of you may be aware of the controversy over the past few years about the Catholic Church owning plantations and slaves up until the Civil War. It was especially strong in Maryland where the colony was conceived as a Catholic colony and where there was a heavy influence of Jesuits (such as the Mudd clan) from the earliest days. Georgetown University has been heavily involved in this modern controversy because of the Jesuits using slave economy to support the institution.

We invited an outstanding professor, Adam Rothman, to speak on the issue, and we had an SRO audience of over 100 (in a room coded for 75) and turned away about another 10 because of space issues. Dr. Rothman's training from year one has been in black history (although he's white and 40ish), and he holds degrees from Harvard and Columbia. He literally held the audience in the palm of his hand, used no notes, stuck to the facts, and offered no apologies nor excuses for the Church's position of long ago.

The audience was very diverse - black, white, Latino, and even one family from Middle Eastern roots. Quite a few civilian theologians in the audience who knew their history and one lady from Colombia, South America, who reminded us that slavery was not just an American issue and gave some thoughts on the issue in her country. The program lasted for nearly two hours with so any questions - and no one left except to use the facilities. Neither was there any hostility on the issue of slavery or on the Catholic Church.

Rothman is also the author of an interesting book on Beyond Freedom's Reach, a true case of slave kidnapping that ended up in a court case after the Civil War. He works with Georgetown's acclaimed Slave Archives as well as many other related projects. This was truly one of those programs that museum directors dream about.