The Brownies' Book

Before "The Brownies' Book" began circulating as a publication aimed towards black children, images like these were the only ones present in children's literature:

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/54/Golliwogg2.jpg

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/49/LittleBlackSamboCover.jpg

and writing like this stereotyped and cast shame on black children:

"Ten Little Niggers"

Ten Little Nigger Boys went out to dine;
One choked his little self, and then there were Nine.
Nine Little Nigger Boys sat up very late;
One overslept himself, and then there were Eight.
Eight Little Nigger Boys traveling in Devon;
One said he'd stay there, and then there were Seven.
Seven Little Nigger Boys chopping up sticks;
One chopped himself in halves, and then there were Six.
Six Little Nigger Boys playing with a hive;
A Bumble-Bee stung one, and then there were Five.
Five Little Nigger Boys going in for Law;
One got in Chancery, and then there were Four.
Four Little Nigger Boys going out to Sea;
A Red Herring swallowed one, and then there were Three.
Three Little Nigger Boys walking in the Zoo;
The big Bear hugged one, and then there were Two;
Two Little Nigger Boys sitting in the Sun;
One got frizzled up, and then there was One.
One Little Nigger Boy living all alone;
He got married, and then there were None.

Obviously, the market for children's literature provided an extremely distorted, filled with prejudiced, stereotyped stories of "bad" or "naughty" black children. As we learned about in the first half of the semester (especially in the film "Ethnic Notions"), books and magazines were riddled with caricatures of Little Black Sambo, Pickaninnies, and Golliwoggs. So far, our readings have only focused on the negative portrayals of blacks and how these negative portrayals continued to haunt the race, being perpetuated in different mediums. I began to feel like we would never hear about positive portrayals of blacks and black children in literature, but "The Brownies' Book" changes this, showing black children as heroes and heroines, as confident individuals, and as educated individuals.

In my opinion, one of the most striking pieces in "The Brownies' Book," was "The Heritage," by Blanche Lynn Patterson. It tells the story of a young woman named Julia who is working long, difficult hours to put herself through school. The reader is never told the specific grade level, but I assumed that Julia was in college. She visits with an older mother figured named Mother Mason who reminds Julia that by getting an education she is fulfilling the hopes of two uneducated generations before her. In the conclusion of the short story, Julia says, "Oh, I am so glad you told me. I might have given up and been a failure and disappointment. Now I have something to work for, and I'll keep on, Mother Mason. I'll keep on!"

Now, on one hand, I see the obvious positive message being sent by this piece. "The Brownies' Book," does an excellent job encouraging students to stay in school and combat any societal norms holding them back from achieving their goals. However, I was shocked by the fact that, in a magazine calling itself positive and progressive, geared towards the advancement of the black race, the character of Mother Mason STILL played the part of a Mammy caricature. She speaks in a thick "negro" dialect, with phrases like, "ain't nothin'," "jest" instead of "just," and "Why, chile!" This is something I simply do not understand. By including an uneducated, struggling black figure, the magazine perpetuates negative black stereotypes that the magazine promised NOT to include. I think it is sad that the negative black caricatures were so deeply rooted in culture that even a magazine emphasizing the successes of blacks clings to these stereotypes.