Posted on 03/02/2023 5:21:49 AM PST by Twotone
In his deeply moving autobiography, "Up From Slavery," Booker T. Washington, who was born in 1856 to an enslaved family on a Virginia plantation, describes the first shred of education he acquired. He was 9 years old when the Civil War ended and, like every other enslaved child, had been deliberately kept illiterate and innumerate.
With the arrival of freedom, Washington's family journeyed to West Virginia, where his stepfather arranged a job for him in a salt-furnace. It was there that his education began.
"The first thing I ever learned in the way of book knowledge was while working in this salt-furnace," he wrote years later. Each salt-packer's barrel was marked with a specific number, and young Booker saw the same number — "18" — chalked on his stepfather's barrel each day. "I soon learned to recognize that figure wherever I saw it, and after a while got to the point where I could make that figure, though I knew nothing about any other figures or letters."
That first taste of learning, negligible though it was, ignited in Washington a burning hunger for more. In time he would become one of the nation's great educators, but his own education could not have begun more humbly: Soon after we got settled in some manner in our new cabin in West Virginia, I induced my mother to get hold of a book for me. How or where she got it I do not know, but in some way she procured an old copy of Webster's "blue-back" spelling-book, which contained the alphabet, followed by such meaningless words as "ab," "ba," "ca," "da." I began at once to devour this book, and I think that it was the first one I ever had in my hands.
(Excerpt) Read more at jewishworldreview.com ...
I think that burning desire for ignition is quenched in weed, phones, and the opiates of the mass.
My favorite quote of Booker T. Washington:
“There is another class of coloured people who make a business of keeping the troubles, the wrongs, and the hardships of the Negro race before the public. Having learned that they are able to make a living out of their troubles, they have grown into the settled habit of advertising their wrongs — partly because they want sympathy and partly because it pays. Some of these people do not want the Negro to lose his grievances, because they do not want to lose their jobs.”
― Booker T. Washington
Without welfare. Without abortion. I point this out at least once when I lead a financial small group in my majority black church. I also point out it wasn't in some far away fantasy land, but right here in Sweet Home Alabama. And it was at a time when a few people alive were old enough to remember slavery. Don't complain about race relations today holding folks back. And look at how their success started.
Booker T. Washington wrote Carver, who was already famous for his agricultural knowledge, a letter asking him to come to Tuskegee and help the black folks. Carver responded, and this is key, that he'd be happy to come help as long as he's able to use his agricultural knowledge to help everybody, not just blacks. He brought his Christian first, black second, attitude to Tuskegee. Next thing you know, everybody black or white or some color in between was writing or visiting Tuskegee asking for farming advice, with Carver and his students helping everybody be smarter with agriculture, particularly in the south's rebuilding phase. I believe that's why God blessed Tuskegee and the students. Note that this was decades before the Red Tails (Tuskegee Airmen) in World War II. Tuskegee, a black college, put themselves on the map with a Christian first attitude.
Unfortunately you wouldn't know about that today unless you're really into reading history on your own. The academic industry today is all about the Democrat party cult and their identity politics.
BTTT - Thank you! My sixth-grade history teacher (she was also my cousin) actually met G.W. Carver. He was much revered by most everyone in the south long ago.
Thank heavens for Booker T and George Washington!
Eventually Edison figured out a plant that could grow in the south that could produce rubber: goldenrod. But he died before he could perfect the process. So Ford enlisted Carver to complete the work. Ford was very impressed with Carver and thought the country could use more people like him. Carver suggested donating to Tuskegee. To this day the Ford Motor Company annually donates huge amounts to Tuskegee.
“Up From Slavery” should be required reading in every school.
Booker T. Washington should’ve been the first Black President.
They also tried using the latex from the stems of Sweet Potatoes to fabricate Rubber, but he determined that it did not produce a good quality rubber.
Once on a day off, I read Up from Slavery in one long sitting. Could not put it down. My sufferings were nothing compared to his; yet his determination and spirit continued to lead him on, regardless of whatever disdain or oppression he faced from whites. Having started life as a slave child, eventually he met with President McKinley, if I recall correctly, in the White House, and was one of the first black persons, if not THE first in US history, to be invited there as a guest.
He was a naturally diligent person, and even as a small boy made it his mission to leave no stone unturned when he had a task to do. He described when the mistress of the household asked him to sweep a room, he swept in in one direction and then the other direction and back again until it was as clean as possible. She returned the favor by teaching him to read, which was a forbidden practice for slaveholders to do in much of the South.
His story of having a goal to educate black youth and working tirelessly to the point of exhaustion to make it happen was a life-changing inspiration. I changed my business practices from that day to be more like him. I did not passively leave it to my clients to have to point out flaws in my first or second drafts if any of the content was under my control; I began to deliver my most excellent performance possible right from the start, no matter how small the assignment. So began my climb upward. Eventually I was advising CEOs.
So glad to be among Booker T fans — one of the best Americans ever. See post 11 above.
What a marvelous story! My Wife is the same way, if she sees a mistake (and rarely does one get by her) she will make sure it is corrected before the final product goes out (PR and Advertising.) A life lesson very well learned!
BTW, Just bought it on Kindle. $2.99!
As someone posted above, if they solve the problem, they are out of jobs.
“There is another class of coloured people who make a business of keeping the troubles, the wrongs, and the hardships of the Negro race before the public. Having learned that they are able to make a living out of their troubles, they have grown into the settled habit of advertising their wrongs — partly because they want sympathy and partly because it pays. Some of these people do not want the Negro to lose his grievances, because they do not want to lose their jobs.”
Booker T. Washington
“I am afraid that there is a certain class of race-problem solvers who don’t want the patient to get well, because as long as the disease holds out they have not only an easy means of making a living, but also an easy medium through which to make themselves prominent before the public.”
Booker T. Washington, My Larger Education
“Among a large class, there seemed to be a dependence upon the government for every conceivable thing. The members of this class had little ambition to create a position for themselves, but wanted the federal officials to create one for them. How many times I wished then and have often wished since, that by some power of magic, I might remove the great bulk of these people into the country districts and plant them upon the soil – upon the solid and never deceptive foundation of Mother Nature, where all nations and races that have ever succeeded have gotten their start – a start that at first may be slow and toilsome, but one that nevertheless is real.”
Booker T. Washington, Up from Slavery
“My experience is that people who call themselves “The Intellectuals” understand theories, but they do not understand things. I have long been convinced that, if these men could have gone into the South and taken up and become interested in some practical work which would have brought them in touch with people and things, the whole world would have looked very different to them. Bad as conditions might have seemed at first, when they saw that actual progress was being made, they would have taken a more hopeful view of the situation.”
Booker T. Washington
Steve Martin in: The Jerk
Born a poor black child
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5NeS4ueaU6w
Got Rhythm
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l6AlQgq9MRE
Birthday
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O7why8Xo_RQ
For $35K per kid it would be more efficient to teach the youngster at home with tutors. Probably would only take a couple of years for a few hours a week to become proficient in math and reading. Would save the cost of buildings, school busses, etc.
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