In 1842 Charles Lewis Cocke brought sixteen slaves with him to
Roanoke, Virginia, when he founded Hollins College, an elite
women's school. Early students also brought their slaves to the
college town. Upon Emancipation many of the African Americans of
the community -- mostly women -- stayed on as servants. Although
the servants played an integral part in the college system,
students were strongly discouraged from acknowledging them as
people. Rules forbidding any familiarity" with the servants were
published in the catalogs, establishing a certain attitude toward
the African American community that would persist well into the
1940s.
Determined to give voice to a generations-old African American
community that served as the silent workforce for Hollins College,
Ethel Morgan Smith succeeded in finding individuals to step forward
and tell the story of their people. From Whence Cometh My Help
examines the dynamics of a town built on the foundations of slavery
and so steeped in tradition that it managed to perpetuate servitude
for generations. Interviewing senior community members, Smith puts
a face to the invisible population that has provided the support
labor for Hollins College for more than 150 years.
Although African American students have been admitted to Hollins
College for roughly thirty years and two black instructors have
served on the faculty, to this date only one African American from
the Hollins community has ever enrolled as a student. From Whence
Cometh My Help explores the subtle and complex relationship between
the affluent white world of Hollins College and the proud African
American community that has served it since its inception.
Interweaving personalobservations, historical documents, and poetry
throughout a revealing oral history, Smith shares her fascinating
discoveries and the challenges involved in telling a story silenced
for so long.
General
Is the information for this product incomplete, wrong or inappropriate?
Let us know about it.
Does this product have an incorrect or missing image?
Send us a new image.
Is this product missing categories?
Add more categories.
Review This Product
No reviews yet - be the first to create one!
Welcome to Loot.co.za!
Sign in / Register |Wishlists & Gift Vouchers |Help | Advanced search
