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Damn near white : an African American family's rise from slavery to bittersweet success / Carolyn Marie Wilkins.

Van Pelt Library E185.86 .W479 2010
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Format:
Book
Author/Creator:
Wilkins, Carolyn Marie
Language:
English
Subjects (All):
Wilkins, Carolyn Marie--Family.
Wilkins, Carolyn Marie.
Wilkins, Carolyn (Carolyn Marie).
Families.
Wilkinson family.
African Americans--Biography.
African Americans.
African Americans--Civil rights.
African Americans--Race identity.
African American families--Biography.
African American families.
African Americans--Illinois--Chicago--Biography.
Illinois--Chicago.
Genre:
Biographies.
Physical Description:
x, 186 pages : illustrations, portraits ; 25 cm
Other Title:
African American family's rise from slavery to bittersweet success
Place of Publication:
Columbia : University of Missouri Press, [2010]
Summary:
"Carolyn Wilkins grew up defending her racial identity. Because of her light complexion and wavy hair, she spent years struggling to convince others she was black. Her family's prominence set Carolyn's experiences even further apart from those of the average African American...Carolyn's parents insisted she follow the color-conscious rituals of Chicago's elite black bourgeoisie--experiences Carolyn recalls as some of the most miserable of her entire life. Only the company of her mischievous Aunt Marjory...does Carolyn feel a true connection to her family's African American heritage. When Aunt Marjory passes away, Carolyn inherits ten bulging scrapbooks filled with family history and memories. What she finds...inspires her to discover the truth about her ancestors--a quest that will eventually involve years of research, thousands of miles of travel, and much soul-searching..."--Dust jacket flap.
Contents:
The black bourgeois blues
The research begins, 1995
The early career of J. Ernest Wilkins
Chicago
I discover a new ancestor
Memphis, Tennessee, 1874-1878
The renegade Baptist, 1885-1887
The people's temple, 1887-1888
The bigamist, 1889-1915
St. Louis
Farmington, Missouri
Blackness
J. Ernest Wilkins in Washington, 1853-1955
In Washington, 1955-1957
The Civil Rights Commission, 1957-1958.
Notes:
Includes bibliographical references (pages 171-177) and index.
ISBN:
9780826218995
0826218997
OCLC:
610853360

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