THE TRIBUNAL AID
A VIABLE, VALID REQUIREMENT
RESPONDING TO
BLACK NORTH CAROLINA
VOLLMEIV, rsO.2
VtXD.NESDAY. JUNE 16. 1976
*6.00 PER YEAR
2$ CENTS
MEMBER: North Carolina Black Publishers Association—.iNorth Carolina Press Association^ Inc.
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IBKENTENNIAL;
The 1976 Editions of THE TRIBUNAL AID
will be dedicated to AiQerica's bicentennial
Celebration, with emphasis on contributions
our Race has made in the making of America,
from birth to the present.
In 1976 there should not be a need to lift
these contributions from isolated sources. Our
past should be interwoven into the fabric of
■ ^
our civilization, because we are, except for the
Indian, America’s oldest ethnic minority.
We have helped make America what it was,
and what it Is, since the founding of Virginia.
We have been a factor in many major issues in
our history. Th^re have been many misdeeds
Favt' Ashe, Black
against us, yet we have been able to live
through them and fight back. This is living
proof of our history.
Uur roie in the making of America Is neither
well known or correctly known. Many positive^
contributions have escaped historians and
have not found their way into the pages of
History Editor
many history books.
We will strive to give Baders, Black and
white, many little^known facts about our past
and It is hoped that a proper perspective of our
histor}' will be of value to persons who may'
believe that as Black People we have an
unworthy past; and hence, no strong claims to
ail rights of other Americans.
PROFILES OF BLACK WOMEN IN BLACK HISTORY
Lost-Strayed-Or Stolen "
No more sabstantial testimony to the role of the Black
fai the growth and development of America can be
found than the numerons historical landmarks in
varlons regions of the coontry which ate associated with
BUck Americana. Many of these-liice the Alaino and
Banker Hill-are not conventionally known as sites
involving chapters of Negro iiistory.
The late sociologist, E.
Franflin Frazier, paid this
tribute to the 19th centry
woman: "After Emancipa
tion when the whole social
fabric of life crumble and
the \ r\ economic basis ot
Negro existence was de
stroyed. it was the INegro
woman who made the sur-
\i\al of the Negro pos
sible".
The darkest days ol sla
very did not break the spirit
of the Black woman. In
stead these days produced
an amateur lawyer, aboli
tionist, lecturer and the
great "conductor" of the
underground railroad.
In the civil war w hich fol
lowed. Black women served
as nurses, spies and sol
diers in the ranks.
As the century progres-
s*d. the Black woman e-
nierged "As the mainstay
of the INegro race".
Iluring the next few
weeks we will introduce to
you some of these Black
women that wer*- the main
stay of the past.
I83y
Montauk, Long Island
The slave ship Amistad is
broughi into Montauk by a
group of Africans who have
revolted against their cap
tors. The young African
leader Cinque and his
followers are defended
befoie tiie Supreme Court
by former President John
Ouincy Adams, and are
awarded their freedom.
1839
Washington
The State Department re
jects a Negro's application
for a passport on the
grounds that Negroes are
not citizens.
1840
Indiana
ThL Slate forbids racial
inte. marriages and set
fines of $1,000-$5,000 and
prison terms of 10-20 years
from violators. Clerks who
issue licenses and ministers
who perform ceremonies
are alsi implicated.
1841
Hampton, Virginia
Slaves revolt on the vessel
Ccrole en route from
Hampton, Virginia to New
Orleans. Overpowering the
crew and sailing the ship to
the Bahamas, the slaves
are ^ranted asylum and
freedom.
Of Black America
Biaok histoi7 In the Western Hentfspiwre
probably begins with the discovery of the New World
by Christopher Colnmbns hi 1942. Blacks are known to
have participated meaningfolly in a mimber of IstM
explorations made by Enropeans In varioas parts of the
United States and Spanish Amerii^ Facts such as
these at once fashion a new dimension for Black hltiwy
within the mainstream of American history. Inasmuch
as one of the primary purposes of this feature is to
record some historical achievements of the Bladi, It
becomes most important to offer the readn
chronological accounts through which he caa
conveniently familiarize himself with the broad sweep
of American Black history. The years covered here are
1493-1954.
1LL1N IS
Chicagi-; The Art Institute
the Historical Society-
Milton L. Olive Park
Museumof African Ameri
can History and Art-
Provident Hospital and
Trainig School-Under
ground Railway Maker-
Victorv Monument
Among ihc nation's great
ari galleries, the Art Insti
tute has works by Negro
artists and sculptors, in
cluding Tanner's "The Two
Disci, les at the Tomb,"
Richard Hunt's "Hero
Construction," and Marion
Perkins, "Man ofSprrows."
Among the treasures and
exhibits of the Chicago
Historical Society are many
which relate to Negroes, in
cluding a replica of the
cabin built by Jean Du
Sable and the numerous
other artifacts relative to
the days of slavery. John
Jones (1811-1879), a suc
cessful businessman who
settled in Chicago in 1845
and was Cook County
Comi . issioner from 1871 to
1875, and his wife mary are
preserved for posterity by
two Aaron Darling por
traits. Other material ex
plores the role played by
black units from Illinois
during campaigns of the
Civil War.
BIBLIOGRAPHY ’ * *
Drotning, Phillip T, A
Guide to Negro History in
America New York; Dou
bleday and Company, 1968
Katz, William Loren
Eyewitness: The Negro in
The Du Sable Marker on
the Michigan Avenue
Briage marks the site of the
first buikiing in the area
that is now part of the city
of C: ica^o. It was also the
home of Jean Baptiste
Pointe Du Sable, a Negro
fur trapper and trader from
Sanio Domingo.
According to records in
Cah. kia, Illinois, Du Sable
was marrieti to a Potawa-
tamie Indian in the year of
1788. The earliest known
reieience to him appears in
an army report by a British
colonel in 1779, but there
are several other descrip
tions of him and his. home
afier that date. Fot in
stance, he is known to have
owned a farm in Peoria, 111.,
as wed as other property in
St. Charles, Missouri,
where his son eventually
settLd.
In 1790, Du Sable's
sold his 'Chicago' home,
and went to live with his
son in St. Charles, where
he died in 1814.
The -.ite of Du Sable's
home is marked by a plaque
on the northeast approach
to the Michigan Avenue
Contlausd ca %
America New York: Pitt
man Publishing Corpora
tion 1967
Ploski, Harry A. l*h»
Kaiser. Ernest The Nagio
Alamanac New YoHc; Bel-
luether Company
Historical Landmark^i
j
•" f \
IDA B. WELLS BARNETT
Anti-Lynch Crusader
Ida B. Wells Barnett (1864-1931) was
born in Holly Springs, Mississippi and
educated at Rusk University begor marry
ing Ferdinand L. Barnett, Assistant
State's Attorney for Cook County in 1895.
Mrs.. Barnett went directly into social
work, although she was affiliated with a
number of newspapers, notably as editor
of FREE SPEECH in Memphis, Tenn.
In 1895, Mrs. Barnett complied the
first statistical pamphlet of lynching,
THE RED RECORD. She later became
chairman of the Anti-Lynching Bureau of
the National Afro-American Council and
a famous speaker on Negro rights. In
1908 she organized the Negro Fellowship
League and became its first President.
She was also a member of the National
Association for the Advancement of
Colored People. In 1913 she was ap
pointed probation officer for the city of
chica^o and in 1915 yvas elected Vice-
President of the Chicago Equal Roghts
League.
Her work as a crusading newspaper
woman and civil rights leader is com
memorated in a housing project named
after her by the city of Chicago.
MARY JANE PATTERSON
First Black Woman to Receive Bachelor
Of Arts Degreeat Oberlin
Mary Jane Patterson (1840-1894) was
probably the first American Black woman
to receive a Bachelor of Arts degree.
Born in Raleigh, North Carolina, Miss
Patterson was brought to Oberlin, Ohio
by her parents while she was very young.
Her parents are believed to have been
fugitive slaves. After one year of study in
the Preparatory Department and four
years in the college, she received her
degree from Oberlin College in 1862.
Upon graduation she went to Phila
delphia and taught for seven years in the'
Institute for Colored Youths. In 1871 she
became the first Black Principal of the
newly established Preparatory High
for Blacks, holding the position, until
1884. In this capacity she was largely
responsible for building up the institu-
tion. 'I'oday the famed Dunbar High
School occupies the site. She was later
succeeded by a black man, but remained
active as a teacher until her death.
MARIA SELIKA WILLIAMS
Internationa Concert Singer
Maria Selika Williams was a coloratura
soprano considered one of the a^reat Black
prinia donnas of the 19th century. She
was heard by Mrs. Frances Gaskin in San
Francisco and was persuaded to come to
Boston to pursue a professional career in
the East.
While in Boston, Madame Selika stay
ed with a relative of Mrs. Gaskin, con
tinuing her studies until she became pro
ficient in French, Italian and German. As
a results of this intensive study, she
became one of the earliest Black singers
to have received rigorous training neces
sary to launch a full-fledged operatic
career. For her stage name, she took that
of "Selika", the heroine of MEYER—
BEER' S OPERA L' AFRIC AINE.
After a successful American concert
season in 1880, Madame Selika left for
Europe with her husband, as aspiring
baritone known as "VILOSKI". Her
success abroad was immediate. The
Paris newspaper FIGARO reported that
she had a very strong depth and compass
trilled like a feathered songster. Her per
formance in short was an "artistic
triump". In Berlin, according to the
newspaper TAGESBLATT, she "roused
the audience to the highest pitch of
enthusiasjn.^^
After several years of successful con
cert appearences, Madam Selika and her
husband settled in Philadelphia. After
the death of her husband in 1921, she
moved to New York and taught voice at
the Martin-Smith School of Music in
Harlem.
SUSAN ELIZABETH FRAZIER
President of Women's Auxiliary of the
369th Infantry Regiment, New York
National Guard
Telegram and undertook a trip to the
European battlefields seen by the regi
ments she had served.
Susan Fraizer served as President of
the WOMAN'S LOYAL UNION, a group
engaged in social work. She was an
active church member of St. Phillips Pro
testant Episcopal Church, where she was
a Sunday School teacher and President of
the Church Missionary Society, Full
military honors were held in the 369th
Regiment Armorv. and her caske! was
draped with the American liag as taps
were sounded. The occasion is thought to
unique in the annals of Black
womanhood.
ALICE DUNBAR NELSON
Author-Editor
Alice Dunbar Nelson (187.5-19.3.'>), the
wife of the noted Black poet, PAUL
LAURENCE DUINBAK, was an accom
plished editor and writer who published
serveral volumes in her lifetime. Mrs.
Nelson was l>orn in New Orleans and
educated in her native city at Straight
(College and later attended the University
of Pennsylvania, Cornell University and
the School of Industrial Art in Philadel
phia. She married Paul Laurence Dunbar
in 1898, that same year her VIOLET AND
OTHER TALES was published in the
Boston MONTHLY REVIEW. A year
later, her (XM)DNESS OF ST. ROCQUE
was published by DOOD. MEAD CO.
Among her other published work was
MASTERPIECES OF NEGRO ELO
QUENCE (1914) and PEOPLE OF
COLOR IN LOUISIANA (1916).
In 1904 Dunbar died and Mrs. Dunbar
remained a widow until 1916 when she
married Robert J. Nelson of Pennsylvania
Mrs. Nelson was not only a writer, she
taught school in New Orleans, New York
City, and Wilmington, Delaware. In
Wilmington she was also engaged in
social s;rvice work at the Industrial
School for Colored Girls. She was the
Susan Elizabeth Frazier (1864-1924) was
a teacher born in New York, the daughter
of Louis and Helen Eldridge Frazier. She
attended public schools in New York and
graduated from Hunter College in 1888.
Susan became a full-time teacher in the
New York City Schools in 1895, a post she
held until her death.
During World War I, she organized
and became President of the Woman's
Auxiliary of the OLD FIFTEENTH
NATIONAL GUARD. After the war, she
continued to work with the 369th Infantry
New York National Guard, successor to
the wartime regiment. Susan won a con
test sponsored by the New York Evening
Associate editor of the AFRICAN
METHODIST EPISCOPAL REVIEW and
the WILMINGTON ADVOCATE,
Among other organizations in which
she took part were the National Associa
tion for the Advancement of Colored
People, The association for the Study of
Negro Life and History, The National
Federation of Colored Women's Clubs
and the International League for Peace
and Freedom.
GERTRUDE BUSTILL MOSSELL
Pennsylvania Editor
Gertrude Bustill Mossell (1855-?) a noted
Black writer and author was born in
Philadelphia, Pa. and educated in the
Robert Vaux Grammar School. Her
graduating essay was published in the
CHRISTIAN RECORDER, and she decid
ed to devote most of her time to writing;
free-lance articles which were published
in the Recorder and the Standard Echo.
Mrs. Mossell also taught school in
Pennsylvania and New Jersey for seven
years. She remained active profession
ally, serving as editor of the Women's
Departments of two newspapers, the New
York AGE and the Indianapolis WORLD.
In 1880 she also assisted her husband in
the publication of an alumni magazine.
For the next seven years, she worked on
three of the most inlluential dailies in
Philadelphia the PRESS, the TIMES, and
the INQUIRER.
By this lime, several magazines across
the country were featuring her literary
efforts, which soon cluminated with the
publication of the book in 1894 entitled
THE WORK OF THE AFRO-AMERI
CAN. Her book soon became a best
seller.
Civa WAR RELIEF ORGANIZER
SUSAN PAUL VASHON (18:58-1912)
distinguisht^d herself particularly during
the Civil War in Pittsburgh, Pennsyl
vania when sh»; cared for the sick and
wounded soldiers and organized “sani
tary rfdeif bazaars" to raise money to
house Black refuge«;s. Thousands of
dollars were netted and the money was
used to relocate displaced war victims.
Mrs. Vashon was originally from Boston
Massachusetts. Her father, Elijah W.
Smith, was a famed composer and corn-
etist; her mother, ann Paul Smith, died
when Susan was very young.
Her early education was completed at
Miss O'Mears Seminary in Somerville,
Massachusetts, from which she graduat
ed with valedictory honors as the only
Black pupil. For a short while she taught
school in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania before
marrying Professor (ieorge B, Vashon.
Mrs. Vashon was widowed in 1878
after having given birth to seven
children. During her marriage, Mrs.
Vashon taught in the public schools of
Washington, D.C. and later served as
principal of the Thaddeus Stevens School
(named after the Republican Senator)
active during the Civil War period. In
1882 she and her family moved to St.
Louis, where she lived until her death.
Honoring America's Bicentennial 1976
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