Remembrances in Black: Personal Perspectives of the African American Experience at the University of Arkansas, 1940s–2000s

Foreword

Foreword As I sit here, winding down from what has proven to be yet another rewarding and long day in academe, my evening ritual of checking the mail while intermittently watching the television set to see what the day’s national news conveys has left me both intrigued and saddened. Roland S. Martin, CNN political analyst, is sandwiched between Soledad O’Brian, CNN anchor, and Peter Beinart, senior political writer for the Daily Beast—each is being interviewed on Anderson Cooper 360. The subject of their discussion is the contemporary revival of the seminal doll experiments conducted by Kenneth and Mamie Clark in the 1940s. Most shocking is that some seventy years later, African American children still find that the doll that most “looks like them” is at best bad and worst evil. Yet, from where did these constructions come? What makes being black or the representation of blackness evil? Have black people always felt this way? Have they (we) always had these misgivings about self-worth and value? Fortunately, my sadness is tempered by my reflection on the words proffered by important black figures, who were able to share with me during my formative years powerful narratives and counternarratives that framed a different story about my blackness. Much like the stories and masterful accounts that are conveyed in Remembrances in Black: Personal Perspectives of the African American Experience at the University of Arkansas, 1940s–2000s, I have been able to frame an identity that is based on resilience and strength. As Robinson and Williams state, “This volume is an attempt to better understand the experiences of African Americans at the University of Arkansas on the Fayetteville campus.” What each one of these personal accounts provides is background to the milestones and accomplishments that African Americans, not only at the University of Arkansas but also in other contexts within and outside of academe, have been able to enjoy in the foreground. As the editors so eloquently state, Remembrances in Black prompts the reader to work toward better comprehending not only the challenges to integration in our past, but the residual barriers that still remain. A common refrain that is often echoed in the African American community, particularly among African American church-goers is, “Give me my flowers while I yet live.” This mantra, with its simple yet profound meaning, is exactly what these editors have done for the men and women included in this volume—they have given them their flowers. They have provided these storytellers with the space to create and share their experiences as students, faculty, and staff at the University of Arkansas across a continuum that spans Jim Crow to millennial culture . In addition to a vivid recounting of what it has meant to matriculate at the university, both historically and contemporarily, this book also fills an important void in the literature; namely, the authentic narrative accounts of students of color who attend predominantly white institutions (PWIs). Prepare to engage with these narratives—some will make you laugh, and some will make you cry. However, what they are best at doing is creating a context in which you can better understand the motivations, thoughts, challenges, and opportunities that have made these African American students successful. Robinson and Williams, in providing space for “former xiii students of color to tell of their pain, challenges, opportunities, and triumphs as they travailed to forge a place for themselves at the university” is the best of American sagas, the classic tale of the testimony bookending the text. —Fred A. Bonner II University of Arkansas (1994–1997), EdD 1997 Texas A&M University xiv ■ Foreword ...