Black Faces, White Spaces: Reimagining the Relationship of African Americans to the Great Outdoors

194 Pages·2014·2.17 MB·English

by  Carolyn Finney

b l a c k f a c e s ,
w h i t e s p a c e s
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b l a c k f a c e s ,
w h i t e s p a c e s
Reimagining the Relationship of
african americans to the Great Outdoors
c a r o ly n f i n n e y
The University of North carolina press Chapel Hill
Publication of this book was assisted by the Wachovia Wells Fargo Fund
for Excellence of the University of North Carolina Press
© 2014 the university of north carolina press
All rights reserved. Designed by Sally Scruggs and set in Calluna by codeMantra.
Manufactured in the United States of America. The paper in this book meets
the guidelines for permanence and durability of the Committee on Production
Guidelines for Book Longevity of the Council on Library Resources. The University
of North Carolina Press has been a member of the Green Press Initiative since 2003.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Finney, Carolyn.
Black faces, white spaces : reimagining the relationship of African Americans to
the great outdoors / Carolyn Finney.
pages cm
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISbN 978-1-4696-1448-9 (pbk.) — ISbN 978-1-4696-1449-6 (ebook)
1. African Americans—Social conditions. 2. Human ecology—United States. I. Title.
E185.86.F525 2014
304.2089'96073—dc23
2014000594
18 17 16 15 14 5 4 3 2 1
For my mother and father, always.
And for MaVynee Betsch, Brenda Lanzendorf, Leola McCoy, and Frances
Hodges, whom I had the great joy and privilege of meeting and sharing
stories with. They passed away before I completed this book, but their
legacy and their spirit live on.
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contents
Preface xi
introduction 1
chapter one
Bamboozled 21
chapter two
Jungle Fever 32
chapter three chapter five
Forty Acres and a Mule 51 It’s Not Easy Being Green 92
chapter four chapter six
Black Faces 67 The Sanctified Church
How Sweet It Is 116
epilogue 137
Notes 139
Works Cited 151
Acknowledgments 163
Index 167
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Illustrations
1. The estate/my home xv
2. “Destroy This Mad Brute” 33
3. White House and watermelons 73
4. The “white” tree in the courtyard of Jena High School in Louisiana 119
5. Poster commissioned from Amos Kennedy Jr. of Kennedy Prints! 129