How did Black Americans forge a cultural identity?

Black New Yorkers line Fifth Avenue to welcom fighters of the 369th Regiment (aka “The Harlem Hellfighters”) home from World War 1 . Image from the US National Archive, via Wikimedia Commons. Public Domain.

UnTextbooked producer Sydne Clarke thinks that African American history is often oversimplified or overlooked. Often that history is taught as things that happened to African Americans. We don’t often hear about the ways in which African Americans fought for and took care of themselves. 

Dr. Leslie Alexander studies Black resistance movements, particularly in America. In her research Dr. Alexander has discovered communities and people who were vital to Black activism, but are often forgotten in re-telling African American history.

On this episode of UnTextbooked, Sydne interviews Dr. Alexander about her book African or American? Black Identity and Political Activism in New York City, 1784-1861. They talk about the creation of Black-led organizations for mutual aid, and about how African heritage influenced Black activism then and now.

Book: African or American? Black Identity and Political Activism in New York City, 1784-1861

Guest: Dr. Leslie Alexander, associate professor of history and African American studies at Arizona State University

Producer: Sydne Clarke

Music: Silas Bohen and Coleman Hamilton

Editors: Bethany Denton and Jeff Emtman