Race, History, Story, Woman, Culture

Dear Dr. Evelyn Higginbotham,

I would like to thank you deeply and whole heartedly for writing your article about African-American Women and “race”—it is a history, a voice, and a subject that needs to be looked upon, as you so finely state at the beginning of the article. It is true, I feel, that we have not been considered, that race has not been considered throughout American history, and it is lovely that you write so well on the subject.

I would like to thank you first, for defining race for others and me. For the longest time, I could not understand what it meant, and why he masters of the slaves made it so essential to everything—all I knew is, when they saw difference, they knew it and felt it, they made it apparent, and made themselves powerful. But, it is as Gates puts it, one of the largest tropes of difference in human history. There is no biological basis really; there is nothing but some phenotypes, some customs, and some “culture”. It is definition for the efficiency and economy of power.

I knew that, and knew it well. In fact, as you probably know, that is how I escaped from slavery. Just by looks and ways of speaking, my husband and I were able to escape from slavery. Yes, I am black, and a woman—but I looked, moved, and sounded white. I then, and therefore was essentially white. But it was hard, not to lose our cover for a thousand miles. But, because we did it, because I could perform and pass as a white person, I think is evidence enough to prove there is no such thing as race… well kinda.

As to womanhood, race and womanhood makes all the sense in the world. A woman, because of her blackness could be raped, at one time in America, and it would not be seen as an act at all. But Rape, woman and man, when color enter the mix, it is neutralized. That fact is amazing. Or this thing, feminist theory, suggesting in each of lives the privileges of a white woman—I do not think so. Maybe in me, because I am partially white, but I know a lot of my very negro friend-slaves are just not white. They are black…and that means something, something special.

Thank you for article, it is well received,

Sincerely,

Ellen Craft.

Question 1)

What is the point of learning the Craft’s Story? How does it reflect history, race, and performativity? And, what information about historical documents and laws do we learn about from reading this story? How does it affect the reality of now having a black (mixed-race) president?

Question 2)

What, fundamentally, from the Elsa Brown reading, is culture and race? How are race and culture defined as overlapping terms? What examples of Negro and White traditions are compared? And do the comparisons hold true for other race-culture comparisons as well?