When Africa awakes: The "inside story" of the stirrings and strivings of the new Negro in the Western worldHarrison, Hubert H.
History
When Africa awakes: The "inside story" of the stirrings and strivings of the new Negro in the Western world
Harrison, Hubert H.
African Americans; African Americans -- Race identity; United States -- Race relations
Mr. William Randolph Hearst, the ablest white publicist in America, has
broken loose, and, in a recent editorial in the New York _American_, has
absolutely endorsed every word of the warning recently issued by Lothrop
Stoddard in his book, “The Rising Tide of Color.” In justice to
Mr. Hearst, it must be pointed out (as we ourselves did in 1916) that he
saw this handwriting on the wall long ago. Mr. Hearst is not
particularly famous as a friend of the darker races; but one must give
him credit for having seen what was involved in the war between the
white nations of Europe and America. As far back as 1915, the present
writer was engaged in pointing out to white people that the racial
aspect of the war in Europe was easily the most important, despite the
fact that no American paper, not even Mr. Hearst’s, would present that
side of the matter for the consideration of its readers. Now, however,
they are beginning to wake up—as people generally do when disaster is
upon them—frantically with much screaming and flapping of arms. But, in
such cases, the doom approaching is but the ripened result of deeds that
have been done, and is, therefore, absolutely inescapable.
The white race has lied and strutted its way to greatness and prominence
over the corpses of other peoples. It has capitalized, christianized,
and made respectable, “scientific,” and “natural,” the fact of its
dominion. It has read back into history the race relations of today,
striving to make the point that previous to its advent on the stage of
human history, there was no civilization or culture worthy of the name.
And with minatory finger it admonishes us that if it were to pass off
the stage as the controlling factor in the World’s destiny, there would
be no civilization or culture remaining. Naturally, we take exception to
both these views, because, for the past, we know better and, for the
future, we think better of the many peoples who make up the cycle of
civilization.
But these conditions are not the gravest at present. The fact of most
tremendous import is that the white race in trying to settle its own
quarrels has called in black, brown and yellow to do its fighting for
it, with the result that black, brown and yellow will learn thereby how
to fight for themselves, even against those whom they were called in to
assist. The white race cannot escape from its dilemma, however. If it
were to decree hereafter that wars between whites should be restricted
to whites alone, then we should be given the poignant spectacle of the
white race continuing to cut its own throat while the increasing masses
of black, brown and yellow remained unaffected by that process, “It is
to laugh,” as the cynical gods would say. Or, to use a trite
Americanism, it is, “heads I win, tails you lose.” It is thumbs down for
the white race in the world’s arena, and they are to be the dealers of
their own death blow. Such are the consequences of conquest!
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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