Transcripts For CSPAN2 Book Discussion On The Black Calhouns 20160326

My question is simple. Looking back over the last 20 or 30 years, every time a group has come up to challenge the status quo and challenge the establishment, it appears to me that the establishment demonizes that group. Recently the Tea Party Even the republican establishment demonize the tea party and refer to them as racists and radicals, and they are the lower class, they are not educated. How do you see the similarity between what the establishment it to the tea party and now what they are doing to donald trump . Host before we let you go michael, tell tell us about your own political affiliation. Caller i wrote a very popular book and amazon called rules for conservatives. I am a conservative. As far as whom i am backing this particular race, originally it was rubio, and now i find myself more backing donald trump. Simply because he has been so badly demonized by the establishment i think it is time to kick out the establishment. Host thank you sir. Caller im thinking is drawn on this longterm trend that were seen and when you look at trump and sanders as the antis establishment candidate, they call it in the 2008 election is the same phenomenon that led to brock obama. He was also the entire establish candidate. Senator came was like the slow candidate. What were say now is just an extension of what we been seen for at least a decade now which is capitalizing on this anti establishment that most are feeling. Host he also talked about the establishment is demonizing the tea party or maybe another group,. Guest the fact is the antiestablishment candidates are winning and the have been for a decade now. The fact that we see the establishment reacting so negatively to that illustrates how affected they are by it. Host we been talking about the president ial level what about others. Guest this is a familiar situation with the local level. In arizona theres theres a Gubernatorial Race between two partisan candidates who try to run as independents. For example incumbents are not promoting their partisan identity as much as they used to. Theyre not putting up the local or advertising of logo the need for horses on the farm began to decline rapidly. Was not until the 1930s until they figured out how to make a rubber tired to sit on a tractor and starting in the 1930s and 1940s we have almost complete replacement of horses as the work animals on farms. One thing that often interest people is the impact of super storm sandy on the east coast. Back in 2012. That wiped out that wiped out the 20th century for many people. The elevators no longer worked in new york. The electricity stopped. You cannot charge your cell phone. You cannot pump gas into your car because required electricity to pump the gas. So the power of electricity in the Combustion Engine to make modern life possible this something that people take for granted. Sunday night at eight eastern 9q and a. Starting monday on cspan, the Supreme Court cases that shaped our history come to light with the cspan series, landmark cases. Historic Supreme Court decisions. Our 12 part series explore reallife stories and constitutional dramas behind decisions in americas history. John marshall said this is a political document. It is also a law. If it is a law, we have the courts to tell what it means and that is on the other branches. It sets the Supreme Court apart is that it is the ultimate in type case. We should make the decisions about those debates the Supreme Court said it should make those decision against those debates. Landmark cases begins at ten eastern on cspan and cspan. Org. [applause]. Thank you very much. Yself, t thank you for being here. I am r am delighted to be in beautifulw savannah. Ive been asked to speak a little bit about myself to say what role books have played in my life. Pretty how i first became interested in writing. I think the important thing to begin with is that i was born in 1937, and therefore seen some pretty important changes in american life. I graduated from Radcliffe College in 1959 which means i had a harvard it education. I wish i had studied more and enjoyed myself less. Man doing [laughter] after college i had a terrific job as a reporter at liferobable magazine. A job i loved even though i was paid less than a man doing the same work. Paying jobs, life is probably where i first thought of writing as a career. Part part of being born in 1937 is most young women with College Degrees that interesting, if feel pain jobs and then quit tos get married. I gave up life because my first husband wish ml too. I did i did not work again for 15 years. Delig i have been married twice, my first husband was a film director. My second husband was a journalist, Foreign Correspondent and editor. I have have two wonderful children and to delightful grandchildren. Cod because i was basically an only child with a mother who was a voracious reader, books have have played an enormous part in my life as i traveled in the summers with my mother. And i do not see how i could have gone through childhood and adolescence without books. Hool from doctor doolittle and nancy drew to 17 summer and the ras catcher in the ride, which the house maker and my Quaker Boarding School confiscated for my room as unsuitable. Best way i remember certain great traveling book moments. For example, reading moby dick. State straight through, nonstop from a train from new york to california which may be the best way to read moby dick. Discovering a new favorite, hg wells because he was the only englishlanguage author. In the light prairie. Having my mother greet me by immediately thrusting a book into my hand and say, you haveve to read this. Ple it was the first james a bond. [laughter] i have been asked about my life and letters and what inspired my latest book. The idea of a life and letters amuses me because it makes me think of brilliant people who write all day and talk about books all night. My life and letters has been w sporadic, intermittent and late. My first book was published in 1986, my 86, my second book was published in 2001. My third book w he was able to create a successful life of his self and family and utilize his skills so that in 1886, 20 years, 20 years after the war the atlantic constitution would call him the wealthiest colored man in atlanta. B the black calhouns,s, moses and his mother and sister had a sort of Family Business with andrew calhoun. Moses was a butler, his mother was a cook and his sister was a nurse made. They were considered favorite ad slaves. They appear to be generous or owner. He deeded property to moses his mother and sister. The story of the calhouns was the story of moses whose descendents would prosper in tho north and family of mosess sister whose distending state and prospered in atlanta. Ameri from 1865 until 1965, the blacka calhouns lived through the civil rights. Surely the most volatile American Century of all. It was both a a wonderful and terrible century for black americans. On the one hand it was a century of freedom, aspiration, and achievement. On the other hand, for most the freedom for a lucky few the doors of aspirations and achievement were closed. Emancin its important to remember american slaves were freed without compensation, preparation, or education. D american emancipation compared to britains it was a very amply done. Britain compensated slaveowners and mandated education for the ex slaves. Reconstruction officially only lasted ten years. Its spirit was on the psyche or all the calhouns through the generations. They. They not only believed inl america, but believe they had a role to play in the progress of their country and community. In as might be expected, the black calhouns move to move to north to fill their aspirations and achieve success. Less expected perhaps, those those who stayed in atlanta, had equally successful and aspirational lives. As in some ways, even more successful. Obviously many aspects lipan the north north was easier than life in the south. Esting northern parents could raise their children where there were no whites only signs in lepers, museums and parks. High achievement was the norm on both sides of the family. Northern achievement tended to be political in public. Up happy while southern achievement was professional and private. The other were personal. Among the black calhouns, northern marriages, northern marriages tended to be unhappy and families more dysfunctional with more divorce, adultery, etc. Southern marriages were longerrd lasting and seem to be happier. My personal theory is that with fewer political and social choices and opportunities southerners turned inward toward family, church and community. While northerners have northerners had more choices, they also had more temptation. Moses calhoun waited until he was free to marry. At 36 he found a bride who was is 15 years younger, looked white, and had been born free in new orleans. There are two beautifuly daughters cora and were both highly educated in the socallel missionary school which sprang up over the old confederacy after the war. Idence as sponsored by white northern philanthropists and mostly staffed by northern white teachers, these schools instill confidence as well as rigorous academics into their students who had been trained to become the first black teachers in the, south. Cora graduated from Atlanta University and lena graduated from in nashville, tennessee where massachusetts youth known as willy who is prepping for harvard and they fell hopelessly in love. Back in the mountains of massachusetts, the family lived in freedom since colonial day, young willie was both the star student and star athlete. He he had never before seen such a confident young men or beautiful girls as he saw in the south. He was a bold over by what he described in his autobiography as the rosy apricot beauty, 16yearold lena calhoun of atlanta. 10 of he famously named his to be that talented tenth. The 10 that was job was to uplift the other 90 . Both calhoun girls married successful young man. Of breaking willie to boys heart, lena married a slightly older graduate who became principal of the first black high school in nashville. Later, in the class of black middleclass and something about renaissance man, successful hor, ophthalmologist chicago. Her older sister harry a journalist teacher known as the adonis of the negro press. The daughter of cora and lena and their at husbands moved north and the Supreme Court decision that entrenched white supremacy. Their cousins family stayed in atlanta to remain pillars of the black community. Cora and edwin moved to new york city to raise their four sons. Two of whom were born in themny north. The edwin, a former republican activist became a democrat writing pamphlets for the 1910of election that black men for the first men to leave the fought Republican Party and elected democrat for new york. Edwins successful work also won new york its first black National Guard unit, it became the famous 3659th regiment known as harlems own. It was highly decorated in the first world war. Although they were were fought in french uniform under the french flag because of president Woodrow Wilson did not want blacks to bear arms for america. Coras older son, a professionai soldier and veteran died in the war. Not in battle battle but in the 1918 influenza pandemic. Black life in the south also touched by the worlds war. The granddaughter of moses sister married a young medical officer. A wartime captain who became one of the most beloved of members of the black community. The father and grandfather of three more doctors. Had one while life in the south remain difficult for blacks in general, for some atlanta plaques in. Particular, life was very good po indeed. Punished bla a Business Culture rather than a planter culture. Atlanta atlanta always had one eye on northernar investment. While a punish certain black political aspirations, it rarely punished black business aspirations. Atlanta made a good place for enterprising family oriented blacks. Cora horn, true member of the talented ten came into her own during the war as a red cross organizer. A secretary of the brooklyn urban league, as director of the Big Brothers Big Sisters federation were she was a mentor to the very young paul roque said. As an appointing of the mayor of new york to the brooklyn committee. The war years years were actually core slow years. D son she really became an activist in the 1920s after she got the vote. Meanwhile, 1919, she made her granddaughter lena horne, the child of her second son at winona stead, a lifetime member horne of the naacp at the age of two. [laughter] cora was a busy woman and edward horn was a successful mind. But but they had an unhappy marriage. An handsome and debonair he was known to have a lady friend in manhattan. His son, my grandfather ted alsn had an unhappy marriage. Both my mothers young parents deserted her before she was too. After make. After make a small killing on the black socks baseball fan while lenas mother, member, member of an old black brooklyn family left to pursue an unsuccessful theatrical career. A until she was six years she lived with her parents where her grandmother another verse poked her grandfather except to say good morning. Life in your change radically in the 19 twenties. Now a voter, cora horn became a republican activist. Republican activist. Certainly for historical reasons but t possibly to annoy her husband. She campaigned for Calvin Coolidge in 1924 election as four election as a member of the Speakers Bureau for the Republican Party. As a National Organizer and secretary of the Eastern Division of the republicannv national exhilarate. Something else happened in the 1920s. N suddenly harlem was involved. Not just in new york, but around the world. Or, harlem sudden vogue stem from a combination of reasons, from the fact that harlem nightclub protected by compliant mirror happily ignore prohibition. To the discovery of african tribal art and former german colonies which causedhem to change the painting into masks to smash broadway film called shuffle along. A fastpaced review with the hit song im just wild about harry and a hit dance called the charleston. Two whole new group of black poets and novelists, including coras third son frank horn. Known as the family intellectual, frank became a prizewinning poet and young secondtier member of the harlem renaissance. In typical black middleclass family also had a day job. Like his uncle, he was a practicing harlem ophthalmologist. In the mid 1920s, Franklin South for the first time to convene on the first black acting president of an Industrial College in fort valley georgia which could have been the model for the college and the invisible man. Frank frank wrote home about his new southern experience. Ied initiated into the negro race, from now on, i am the enter side doors and backdoors, and sometimes no door at all. Meanwhile, cora cora warns a southern cousin and her daughter married a prosperous husband were also club women but of a very different nature. Middleclass black southern women concentrated onsouth. Selfimprovement rather than do goody nor uplifting the race which could be a dangerous occupation in the 1920 south. They want to talk circles aboutr literature and foreign travel. Politics were prohibited in and do gooding was done through atlantas first congregationalte church. Coras granddaughter, little lena little lena now had her own First Southern experience. In 1923 lenas mother turns out thats an actress wanted her daughter with her but mostly s left her with strangers. Lena now became an object of contention between her mother and grandmother. [inaudible paul between her secure brooklyn life and wherever her mother was in the south. Ed the young lena who went to Nursery School and a Roman Catholic Primary School in brooklyn now attended one room Southern School houses where the other children always hated her. In 1927 however, leanest life change completely when her mother eloped to havana with a white cuban military officer. For the next two years, lena remained in the south, happy at last, living next toto her unclt franks english teacher fiance in the girls dorm of a poor belly school. Frank himself would be rescued in the back doors of the south in the next decade by invitation to join fdrs socalled black cabinet. And assistant director of the division of Negro Affairs and the new deals National Youth be administration. Received in 1929, lena left the south and went back to brooklyn permanently where her beloved grandfather took her to museums and to the theater. She was so smitten by fred astaire on broadway and the gays divorce that she asked for and b received singing and dancing lessons. Both leading to starring roles in middleclass black brooklyns young amateur theatrics. As well as well as notice in the black h press. Her everything changed for lena in 1932 however, when cora horn died. Her mother returned from cuba with her husband. Now a refugee from the latestnt revolution who spoke no english. Needing money, lenas mother took her out of the Girls High School to audition for the course of the world fares cotton club. A big, lamb or some opera andse showcase a black talent for all white audiences in the middle of a black community. Lenas father ted was one of the rare blacks allowed in to see the show because his best friend , the former world war i black officer was now the numbers king of harlem. Lena, 16 years old and beautiful, whose mother protected her virtue by sitting in the dressing room every night was also famouslyag protected by the black mob. By 1935 however, lena however, lena was ready to move on. Sociy against the wishes of the cotton club lenas mother spirit heard her away to boston to sing with the Noble Society orchestra meeting black musicians playing white music. Ang at the ritz carlton hotel. It was the first black orchestra and she was the first black nigh singer to appear at bostons ritz. Lena sang a blue moon and white dress and one a harvard club that came every night. Was lena 19 years old and tired of show business and her mother hovering in the dressing room took a vacation on her own tori visit her father who lived in pittsburgh who owned a hotel with a discrete private dancing. She met and married my father, 28yearold lewis jones who had a job in City Government and his older lawyer brothers were important in but democratic ward politics. Lena was now a young housewife who made occasional forays into show business. Mostly because her husband never gave up her former girlfriend meet needed the money. This by the burden of my baby brother teddy, lena, finally where mrs. Landry called and into the marriage. Leaving the the children with her father and stepmother in 1940 she went back to new york to look for work. Living at the harlem ywca lena had the calhoun luck. Charlie barnett, one of the most popular of the band was looking for a girl singer. Big band in the 1930s and 40s were like 1960s rock group and popularity. Tir lena made wellreceived recordings with both barnett and artie shaw. Barnett, shaw and Benny Goodman were the only bandleaders who hire black singers for musicians. Lena was tired and hated touring. Fe society w she wanted to be in new york with her children. She now got another career pre break. Singing at cafe society in Greenwich Village. Cafe society was unique in its day, besides presenting young talents like Billie Holiday and others was the only integrated nightclub outside of harlem with black patrons as well as the black performers. Lena was an enormous hit. Unbeknownst to the patrons, caee society was a fundraising outlet for the then legalot know communist party usa. Appeared if she had known, lena would not have care. She did not know communist from a republican. York where but in 19 fifties, every performer performer who appeared at cafe society would be blacklisted. Now however she was able to bring me a little teddy to new york. Ru where we all lived in the her childhood brooklyn home. Teddys visit was shortlived. There is a cruel divorce agreement that i would live with my mother while teddy would live with the father. But my mother and i were soon to live move further away. Because of hers cafe Society Success she received an offer from hollywood, not from the movies, but from a new nightclub. Once again, she was an overnight sensation, one man who came night after night was mgms roger ed, the man who discovered judy garland. Appened talent in beauty one Lena Hollywood contract, the first first in hollywood for a black performer. It might not happen without world war ii. Lena arrived in hollywood the same time that walter right of the naacp in 1940 republican president ial candidate, Wendell Wilkie began their campaign with hollywood producers to eliminate racist era types of people of color, including negroes, asians and lands for the sake of wartime allies. Lena, whose contract partly brokered brokered by her father stipulated no servant or jungle roles and was singlehandedly expected to prove to the ally that america, unlike germany and japan, with not a racist country. Selena became known as the firse black movies star. She became the first blackte person to appear on the cover of a movie magazine. Despite allies of color however, was seen always isolated from the main portion of the movie so they could easily be cut out of the picture when it was shown in the south. In fact, she was cut out of every picture she ever made in hollywood when they were shown in the south. Unless the cast was all black, the southern rule stipulated that blackson movies could only be shown as servant types. Ms ct the nightclub continue to be hugely important theatrical venues. From harlems cotton club to Greenwich Village cafe society, and now in late 1942, while she was waiting for her first movie to be released, she became the first black entertainer to appear at manhattansso very elegant hotel. Once again, she was an overnight sensation. So well noticed that she was featured in time, life and newsweek, all life and newsweek, all in the same february 1943 week. Two a nightclub gave for the recognition but world war ii made her star. Black gis needed a pen up. Lena was always embarrassed that she was the only one. While two atlantic cousins married teske airman, lena was crowned as queen, their combat arm. G. I. S she toured black army camps but was kicked out of the uso for refusing to sing in a camp in arkansas where black gis were forced to sit behind german prisoners of war for her show. Her grandmother would have been proud. The postwar postwar year saw many changes in lenas life. One door was shut and others were opened. By 1947, her movie career was essentially over. But her nightclub and performing career was strong. In 1947 she went to europe for the first time. She had Great Success touring the wartorn british isles. For she built fans although in the sky of Stormy Weather were deemed unfit for white g. I. They have been shown throughout. She also had a major success in paris where more importantly she married her second husband, lenny. A white mgm conductor composer, arranger who who became acr wonderful stepfather to me. They came home to find the blacklist which began in 1947 with the hollywood ten. Le all screenwriters and former communist Party Members went to prison refusing to testi before a congressional committee. The blacklist ultimately touch all walks of life. Lena was finally named in 1950 when she was listed. Lenas crime included her appearance at cafe society and especially her friendship with the boy and because actually they were her grandparents friends, the relationship relationship were more dutiful than political. Hollywood communist had indeed wound lena but she was warned against them. In reality, lena was one of the luckier blacklisted artists, although band from network tv for ten years and movies for six years, her nightclub career andhhe International Touring career never suffer. In the days before tv people home at night, she night, she remained one of the highest paid farmers in the world. By by 1957 she was cleared by the blacklist or and starred in jamaica the hit broadway musical. Broadway, by the way basically ignored the blacklist. Lena was not the only black calhoun to be suspect. Franklin came under his ownisti blacklist in washington where he was investigated by the Civil Service Loyalty Board as founder of the National Committee against discrimination in housing. G. Supposedly blacklisting was also an skus for racism and alma antisemitism. D in the appropriately enough, the modern Civil Rights Era began in 1960 and coral horns all my martyr. A fullpage ad appeared in the a atlanta constitution. We, the students of the six affiliated institutions, forming the Atlantic University center, have joined our hearts, minds, body and the cause of gaining those rights which are inherently ours as members of the human race and the citizens of these united states. We must stay at all can do that we plan to use every legal and nonviolent be are disposals to secure full Citizenship Rights as members oo this great to macro sandbars. That same year a Young Atlanta cousin, Moses Calhoun great, great grand niece was chosen to be one of the desegregate or some atlanta high school. Until her mother had second thoughts and sent her daughter to a massachusetts boarding sina school. Meanwhile, in the north lena to herself into the silver its movement. She and franks naturally and Frank Sinatra produced a famous tonight Carnegie Hall benefit. Neither which benefited student nonviolent coordinating committee. The youth branch of the leadership conference. She went to jackson mississippif the on behalf of the naacp, the organization she enrolled by thn age of two to join our Voting Rights rally. She went to the march onn washington where her and she recorded silver rights song called now which was banned from the radio in several states. The enemies of silver rights had very powerful weapons at their disposal. The Civil Rights Movement when the high moral ground early. In the long arc of justice ultimately turned towards the american blacks. Waged the larger more systemic aspect of official racism were defeated in what could be called a second civil war. It was a strange work, raged on one side by churches, children, and, and young people and waged on the other by murders, terrorist, and fire hoses. Despite the assassination and too many martyrs, Voting Rights were achieved. Jim crow was officially dismantled. By officially dismantled. By 1973, the city of atlanta, the city that famously became too busy to hate, had a black mayor. W former students of the Atlantic University manifesto were nowben charged at the municipality. Although the 1970s were hard years for lena who lost her father, husband, and son between 1971 in 1972, in 1972, ther 1980s were an extraordinary change in her career. She opened a onewoman broadways show that bro