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Black History

Christmas During Slave Era: A Respite from Bondage or Continued Harsh Reality

In Wilmington, N.C., slaves celebrated ‘Jonkonnu’ a contraction of the name John Kunering. Dressed in costumes, the enslaved people went from house to house singing, dancing, and beating rhythms with rib bones, cow horns, and triangles. A gift was expected at every stop. Not all of Wilmington’s whites appreciated the festivities.

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Enslaved people celebrate Christmas. Photo courtesy of history.com.
Enslaved people celebrate Christmas. Photo courtesy of  history.com.

By Tamara Shiloh

Early accounts from white Southerners describe Christmas as a day of kindness and generosity. But the reality of what took place on December 25 during slavery was complex and, in many cases, dangerous.

In Wilmington, N.C., slaves celebrated ‘Jonkonnu’ a contraction of the name John Kunering. Dressed in costumes, the enslaved people went from house to house singing, dancing, and beating rhythms with rib bones, cow horns, and triangles. A gift was expected at every stop. Not all of Wilmington’s whites appreciated the festivities.

Some enslaved people could rest on the holiday; others were forced to work. Many owners hosted social events requiring the work of house slaves. In parts of the country, slaves were given a yule log to burn in the big house. They were granted rest for the same amount of time the log burned, often until New Year’s Day.

More trusted slaves were granted travel privileges to visit family. Gifts from owners were received including leftover food from plantation events. Slaves were given wine and alcoholic beverages for consumption, but according to a theory held by Frederick Douglass, it was not for holiday cheer.

The effects of alcohol were unknown to many slaves, leading most to overindulge. The drunken state would beckon sleep, halting runaways. Some masters traveled to nearby plantations to visit family; even slave catchers wanted time off. Thus, alcohol served as a method to keep the enslaved “in their places” as Christmas was known as the best time to escape to freedom.

A method used to gather slaves and convince them that bondage was their best option for living “peacefully and safely among the masters” was the showering of gifts. But not all slaves partook in the holiday’s so-called pleasures.

According to Robert E. May, a Purdue University professor of history, slaveowners’ fears of rebellion during the season sometimes led to “preemptive shows of harsh discipline. Their buying and selling of workers didn’t abate during the holidays. Nor did their annual hiring out of enslaved workers, some of whom would be shipped off, away from their families, on New Year’s Day.” This became known as heartbreak day.

In “A Slave’s Adventures Toward Freedom Not a Fiction, but the True Story of a Struggle” written by author Peter Bruner in 1918 recalled a personal Christmastime experience involving his owner: “… he was returning from town and so I thought I would catch his Christmas gift; it was always customary in those days to catch peoples Christmas gifts and they would give you something. Instead of giving me the kind of Christmas present I desired, he took me and threw me in the tan vat and nearly drowned me. Every time I made an attempt to get out, he would kick me back in again until I was almost dead. At last, I came up on the other side and jumped out before he was able to get around there.”

For some, traditions of Christmas were tools for celebration. For others, it was harsh treatment. Overall, most held long memories of the season and relished the moments of respite.

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Oakland Post: Week of March 29 – April 4, 2023

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of March 29 – April 4, 2023

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The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of March 29 - April 4, 2023

To enlarge your view of this issue, use the slider, magnifying glass icon or full page icon in the lower right corner of the browser window.

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Black History

UC Berkeley Professor Wins World-Renowned Prize for Research on Women and U.S. Slavery

Stephanie E. Jones-Rogers, UC Berkeley’s chancellor’s professor of history, recently won the prestigious Dan David Prize for her research that focuses on women and slavery. This global recognition for outstanding work in the study of the human past is given annually to up to nine recipients and recognizes emerging scholars whose work “illuminates the past in bold and creative ways.”

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UC Berkeley history professor Stephanie E. Jones-Rogers has researched the issues of gender and economics in American slavery for over 15 years and also won the 2020 Los Angeles Times Book Prize. Photo by Lily Cummings.
UC Berkeley history professor Stephanie E. Jones-Rogers has researched the issues of gender and economics in American slavery for over 15 years and also won the 2020 Los Angeles Times Book Prize. Photo by Lily Cummings.

By Ivan Natividad

Stephanie E. Jones-Rogers, UC Berkeley’s chancellor’s professor of history, recently won the prestigious Dan David Prize for her research that focuses on women and slavery.

This global recognition for outstanding work in the study of the human past is given annually to up to nine recipients and recognizes emerging scholars whose work “illuminates the past in bold and creative ways.”

“Our winners represent a new generation of historians,” said Ariel David, a Dan David Prize board member. “They are changing our understanding of the past by asking new questions, targeting under-researched topics and using innovative methods … they have already challenged how we think about history.”

Recognized for her 2019 book, “They Were Her Property: White Women as Slave Owners in the American South,” Jones-Rogers has researched the issues of gender and economics in American slavery for more than 15 years and also won the 2020 Los Angeles Times Book Prize.

Stephanie E. Jones-Rogers’ book, “They Were Her Property: White Women as Slave Owners in the American South” was published in 2019.

Stephanie E. Jones-Rogers’ book, “They Were Her Property: White Women as Slave Owners in the American South” was published in 2019.

Each winner of the Dan David Prize receives $300,000 to support the scholar’s future endeavors. For Jones-Rogers, that funding will allow her to delve deeper into her new project, “Women of the Trade,” a book focused on European, West African and North American archives that depicts the British transatlantic slave trade through the eyes of women.

“This prize also means a great deal to me, personally,” Jones-Rogers said in an interview with Rutgers University, her alma mater. “I’m the descendant of enslaved people, the granddaughter of North Carolina sharecroppers, and the daughter of a single New Jersey mother. I’ve been very poor for most of my life. So, I never dreamed of being honored in this way. This prize is something my ancestors could never dream of. It feels wonderful.”

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Alameda County

Niagara Movement Democratic Club Celebrates 50th Anniversary

The Niagara Movement Democratic Club (NMDC) celebrated their 50th Anniversary at Geoffrey’s Inner Circle on Saturday, March 18. The event raised funds for the newly created non-bipartisan Niagara Movement Foundation co-founded by lobbyist-author Virtual T. Murrell the Honorable Elihu Harris, former Oakland mayor, and founding members Sandra Simpson Fontaine, the Honorable Leo Bazile, Anita Williams, Geoffrey Pete and Robert L. Harris.

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Lobbyist/Author Virtual T. Murrell, Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price, Black Panther Party legend, Bobby Seale, and Post News Group publisher Paul Cobb. Photo by Carla Thomas.
Lobbyist/Author Virtual T. Murrell, Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price, Black Panther Party legend, Bobby Seale, and Post News Group publisher Paul Cobb. Photo by Carla Thomas.

By Carla Thomas

The Niagara Movement Democratic Club (NMDC) celebrated their 50th Anniversary at Geoffrey’s Inner Circle on Saturday, March 18. The event raised funds for the newly created non-bipartisan Niagara Movement Foundation co-founded by lobbyist-author Virtual T. Murrell the Honorable Elihu Harris, former Oakland mayor, and founding members Sandra Simpson Fontaine, the Honorable Leo Bazile, Anita Williams, Geoffrey Pete and Robert L. Harris.

Bishop Grady L. Harris provided the invocation and the Honorable Donald R. White served as master of ceremonies. The Honorable Dezie Woods-Jones provided a posthumous tribute to Anita Williams, a founding member of the NMDC, whose memorial was held earlier in that day. Founding member of the NMDC Attorney Sandra Simpson-Fontaine also spoke of Anita Williams’ dedication and commitment. “She worked tirelessly to move our agenda forward,” said Simpson-Fontaine.

The event also celebrated the Honorable Willie L. Brown’s 89th birthday. Brown was unable to attend due to covid, but his daughter Susan Brown accepted an award for him. Brown’s daughter also led the audience in singing the Stevie Wonder version of “Happy Birthday.”

Celebrity guests included the legendary Black Panther Party leader, Bobby Seale and actor Richard Gant.

Mayor Sheng Thao congratulated Geoffrey Pete for his years of service as President of the Niagara Movement Democratic Club and as longtime business owner that deserves Oakland's support. Photo by jonathanfitnessjones.

Mayor Sheng Thao congratulated Geoffrey Pete for his years of service as President of the Niagara Movement Democratic Club and as longtime business owner that deserves Oakland’s support. Photo by jonathanfitnessjones.

Virtual Murrell, founder and founding president of the NMDC, provided the organization’s rich history of advocacy, comradery and being a training ground for over a dozen elected officials. Murrell explained how he, in 1973, along with his friends Leo Bazile, AC Taylor and Johnnie S. Harrison formed the organization in honor of W.E.B. DuBois and William Monroe Trotter’s “Niagara Movement” that began in 1905 to end racial discrimination, segregation and establish voting rights, and equal economic and educational opportunities for African Americans.

“You’re standing on the shoulders of those that came before you,” said Murrell, founder and founding president of the Niagara Movement Democratic Club. Murrell went on to explain that Black people were one-third of Oakland’s population, yet not one elected official of Oakland or Alameda County was Black. Murrell’s club made it their mission to encourage, support, and produce Black candidates to run for office. Their movement transformed the landscape of the city and county’s politics, resulting in the elected official representation of Black people in the region’s politics for the next 50 years. Out of the NMDC came political legends like Congresswoman Barbara Lee and the Honorable Elihu Harris, former mayor of Oakland. Harris joked that he trumped the Honorable Willie Brown by becoming a mayor first.

Historically, the NMDC was created at a time when political power and influence were wielded by conservative Republican William F. Knowland, publisher of the Oakland Tribune, and the former Senate Majority Leader. With the NMDC declaring political warfare on the status quo, the organization produced Oakland City Councilmembers; Wilson Riles Jr., Leo Bazile, and Dezie Woods-Jones, Elihu Harris, Mayor of Oakland and State Legislature, Alameda County Board of Supervisors; Mary King and Keith Carson, Alameda County Treasurer Don White, Oakland School Board representatives Sylvester Hodges, Alfreda Abbott, and Carol Tolbert, California Assemblymember Sandre Swanson, Judge Magistrate Geoffrey Carter, BART Board member, Margaret Pryor, and Peralta Community College Trustee William “Bill” Riley.

In addition to the founder and co-founders, founding members of the NMDC included Shirley Douglass, Edmund Atkins, Art Scott, Irene Scott-Murrell, Anita Wiliams, Al Roger’s, Wilson Riles Jr., Edna Tidwell, Esther Tidwell, Walter Edwards, Sandra Simpson Fontaine, Beverly Brown Spelman, Joyce Wilkerson, Barbara Lee, Michael Penn, William “Bill” Riley, Geoffrey Carter, and Elihu Harris.

Alameda County Board of Supervisors Chairman Nate Miley commended the NMDC with a resolution from the Board of Supervisors, and Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao presented a “Niagara Day” Resolution.

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