Fighting Historical Repetition Requires Vigilance
By: Molly Secours
Tennessee Tribune
Originally posted 11/07/2005
Eight years ago I spent my summer vacation at the week-long Race Relations Summer Institute on the Fisk University campus. As I look back on the first day of the conference, it was, in many ways reminiscent of the first day of kindergarten. I didn't know anyone, was a little nervous and acutely aware that I might be one of very few white people in attendance. I was.
I had never spent more than an hour or two on the campus before and certainly had never spent extended periods of time listening to numerous noted scholars, academicians, artists and performers from around the world--all Black--discussing racism in America.
The opening remarks were held in the Fisk Chapel and for the first time I heard the words of esteemed scholar, historian, author and humanitarian, Dr. John Hope Franklin. And it was there on the Fisk campus that the evolution of my race consciousness began.
By the time his speech was finished, I had the feeling kindergarten was over and there were many challenging years of schooling ahead. White liberal or not, I had plenty of work to do on my own internalized racism and delving back into history was my first task.
On Monday of this week I joined hundreds in a packed Jubilee Hall on the Fisk Campus honoring the scholarship and lifetime achievements of 1935 Fisk graduate, Dr. John Hope Franklin. Later that day the Fisk Chapel--which holds close to 900 people--was brimming with people gathering to hear the 90 year old address those who traveled from across the country to honor him.
Among the multitude of academic accomplishments, Dr. Franklin has served on numerous national commissions and delegations worldwide. Dr. Franklin repeatedly intervened with American racism--most notably when he helped Thurgood Marshall and the Legal Defense Fund successfully reargue Brown v. Board or Education. He is the author and editor of seventeen books, including "From Slavery To Freedom" a best selling book that is frequently used as the text for African American History classes throughout the United States.
Among the hundreds attending the panel discussion and paying tribute to Dr. Franklin were noted scholars, historians and poets--all who either graduated from Fisk or who had been influenced and/or mentored by him.
Leading historian and author Dr. Darlene Clark Hine spoke passionately about Dr. Franklin's work and recounted some of the more personal stories Dr. Franklin tells in his latest autobiography "Mirror to America". She cited one chapter wherein he articulates the 'humiliations of everyday racism'. He describes a young John Franklin helping a blind woman cross a busy intersection until she discovers he is black and refuses further assistance.
Paul Harper, a 1999 Fisk graduate told the audience that when he arrived at Fisk he wanted to be WEB Dubois but upon leaving: "I wanted to be John Hope Franklin."
Dr. Raymond Winbush, former director of the Fisk Race Relations Institute and a former student of Dr. Franklin's gave a personal account of what it was like taking a course from him over thirty years ago. He conveyed how the respect bestowed upon him by his instructor had affected the rest of his academic life and his career as a teacher, a mentor and a scholar.
And then there was poet/author Nikki Giovanni who roused the crowd with words beckoning students to always 'come home' to Fisk to celebrate one another's successes and accomplishments.
Among all of the stories, the accolades and accomplishments recounted today, the one statement of Dr. Franklin's which seems to underscore his entire career and served as motivation for his endless achievements is that "historical ignorance abets racial ignorance".
From "The Free Negro" to "The Militant South" and "Land of the Free", Dr. Franklin's writing have unearthed a history that has been 'white washed' and cleansed for the sole purpose of preserving the mythology that our founding fathers were benevolent and equitable freedom seekers.
The historical ground Dr. Franklin dares to excavate is crucial to rearranging the racial landscape of consciousness for thousands of Americans--both blacks and whites. His writings are responsible for required African American studies curriculums in high schools and colleges around the country that will continue to multiply long after he is gone.
When I first heard Dr. Franklin speak eight years ago, I remember looking around the room and lamenting that there were so few white people in attendance. In fact, at one point during the day I actually stood up and asked--in that whiney upper-register voice that kindergartners tend to use--"Where are all the white people?" Yes, it was like the first day of school all over again.
It didn't take long before I felt foolish for having raised my hand that first day because I quickly realized--and do today--why so few whites turn up for conferences and public discourses on race: because it's difficult and you have to be ready for the work.
As I looked around Jubilee Hall today, it struck me that eight years later there were still few white faces in the audience to honor Dr. Franklin. And as I watched the news that night I was dismayed by the dismissal of this historic event. When will it ever change?
This time, although disappointed, I focused my attention on how many lives Dr. Franklin has influenced, affected and transformed--including my own--and I didn't raise my hand. Instead, I clapped, knowing that there is more work to be done.
Molly Secours is a writer/filmmaker/speaker and frequent co-host on "Behind the Headlines" on WFSK 88.1 FM. She can be reached at: mollmaud@comcast.net or www.mollysecours.com
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