The Conquest: The Story of a Negro PioneerMicheaux, Oscar
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The Conquest: The Story of a Negro Pioneer
Micheaux, Oscar
African American pioneers -- Fiction; Autobiographical fiction; South Dakota -- Fiction; Western stories
I have been called a "radical," perhaps I am, but for years I have felt
constrained to deplore the negligence of the colored race in America, in
not seizing the opportunity for monopolizing more of the many million
acres of rich farm lands in the great northwest, where immigrants from
the old world own many of acres of rich farm lands; while the millions
of blacks, only a few hundred miles away, are as oblivious to it all as
the heathen of Africa are to civilization.
In Iowa, for instance, where the number of farms total around two
hundred and ten thousand, and include the richest land in the world,
only thirty-seven are owned and operated by negroes, while South Dakota,
Wisconsin, Minnesota, and North Dakota have many less. I would quote
these facts to my father-in-law until I was darker in the face than I
naturally am. He could offer no counter argument to them, but continued
to vituperate the sins of the white people. He was a member in good
standing of the reactionary faction of the negro race, the larger part
of which are African M.E. ministers.
Since Booker T. Washington came into prominence they have held back and
done what they could to impede and criticize his work, and cast little
stones in his path of progress, while most of the younger members of the
ministry are heart and soul in accord with him and are helping all they
can. The older members are almost to a unit, with some exceptions, of
course, against him and his industrial educational ideas.
A few years ago a professor in a colored university in Georgia wrote a
book which had a tremendous sale. He claimed in his book that the public
had become so over-enthused regarding Booker T. and industrial
education, that the colored schools for literary training were almost
forgotten, and, of course, were severely handicapped by a lack of funds.
His was not criticism, but was intended to call attention of the public
to the number of colored schools in dire need of funds, which on account
of race prejudice in the south, must teach classics. This was true,
although industrial education was the first means of lifting the
ignorant masses into a state of good citizenship. Immediately following
the publication of the volume referred to, thousands of anti-Booker T.'s
proceeded to place the writer as representing their cause and formed all
kinds of clubs in his honor, or gave their clubs his name. They
pretended to feel and to have everyone else feel, that they had at last
found a man who would lead them against Booker T. and industrial
education.
They made a lot of noise for a while, which soon died out, however, as
the author of the book was far too broad minded and intelligent in every
way, to be a party to such a theory, much less, to lead a lot of
reckless people, who never had and never would do anything for the
uplifting of their race.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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