Chapter 16 - Part 2

Who Spoke for the Negro?

Vanderbilt University’s digitized database of Robert Penn Warren’s conversations with civil-rights activists provides students and scholars with a chance to “listen in” on the movement

By Tim Boyd | June 21, 2012

May 23, 2012 In 2008, the Robert Penn Warren Center at Vanderbilt University held a civil-rights symposium for scholars and for those who participated in the movement. The event commemorated both the fortieth anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr.’s assassination and the unveiling of a new, digitized collection of interviews with civil-rights leaders conducted by Warren during the 1960s. The Warren Center has now launched an updated version of the site, and Chapter 16 recently spoke with Mona Frederick, executive director of the center, about the collection and the opportunities for research it provides.

To Grant a Pardon?

Jonathan D. Sarna’s excellent new study of General Grant’s notorious Civil War order expelling “Jews as a class” suggests that it had unexpectedly positive consequences for America’s Jewish community

By Tim Boyd | March 21, 2012

March 21, 2012 Jonathan D. Sarna’s When General Grant Expelled the Jews is a masterfully written study of the “General Orders No. 11” issued by Ulysses S. Grant in late 1862, a decision that removed all Jewish residents from the military theatre under Grant’s control. Sarna examines the long-term consequences of the order, both for American Jews as a whole and for Grant as an individual. By considering Grant’s motives, the reaction of Jewish leaders in the U.S., and the impact the orders had on Grant’s relationship with the Jewish community for the rest of his career, When General Grant Expelled the Jews persuasively argues that Grant’s actions ultimately strengthened the position of Jews in America and pushed him to seek his own personal redemption. Sarna will discuss the book at the Jewish Community Center in Memphis on March 25 at 2 p.m. Click here for details.

Tias and Primas: On Knowing and Loving the Women Who Raise Us

By Prisca Dorcas Mojica Rodríguez, illustrated by Josie Del Castillo
Seal Press
304 pages
$30

“Within these pages, I found my abuela, my tías and my primas — laughing, crying, and nodding alongside me. This book is a gift of understanding, and loving one’s family, even when our families are complicated and painful. It’s a beautiful reminder of the power of storytelling and the profound connection of kinship.”

~ Paola Mendoza, author, organizer and filmmaker