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Bristol Baker: Slave and Revolutionary soldier.
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Edward Bouchet: First black graduate of Yale.
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Mary Goodman: Established scholarship for black students of Yale Divinity School.
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George Williamson Crawford: First black corporation counsel for New Haven.
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Levi Jackson: First African American captain of Yale football team.
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Constance Baker Motley: Judge and politician.
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Laura Belle McCoy: First African American woman on the Board of Aldermen.
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Earnest Saunders: Civil engineer. Founded Connecticut African American Society.
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Ella Scantlebury: First African American and first woman City Treasurer.
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Helene Grant: Teacher and civic leader.
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Hannah Gray: Established hame for “indigent colored families.”
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Leo Clark, Sr.: Founded house and window cleaning service in 30’s.
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Rufus Greenlee: Vaudeville dancer; opened Monterey Club famous in40’s and 50’s for jazz performances.
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John Dow: First African American Superintendent of Schools.
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John Daniels: City’s first African American Mayor.
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Susan Lincoln: Dean of Students, South Central Community College.
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Henry Parker: State Treasurer; politician.
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Edwin Edmonds: Prominent clergyman and Board of Education member.
LESSON THREE
Subject Matter Area Readings Language Arts
Vocabulary:
“Thank You, M’am”
Willow-wild, daybed, gas plate, latching onto, barren, stoop
“Hard But Soft”
none
Objectives:
Ability to recognize the existence of positives in what many would initially view as negative city setting, populated by potential criminals.
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Ability to express through a short story or poem some thoughts motivated by either or both of these works.
In the course of discussing the problems encountered by African Americans during the more recent history of New Haven, there should be ample opportunity for pupils to share some of the negatives which they have experienced or observed in their city or neighborhood. Though during such discussions, on the surface there is often an appearance of admiration for the rebellious and bold, someone who will go against the system, even if the rebellion is unlawful, there is also a deeper hint of shame and desire to disassociate from the negatives being discussed. While all of these feelings are understandable, they do little to foster understanding of people and events or to help to develop a positive feeling towards one’s city, neighborhood, and self.
Hopefully some of the historical background presented in this unit will serve to explain some of the influencing forces which often motivate an individual caught among the pressures of an urban setting. This background should enable pupils to better understand, though not always accept, the negative behavior they often see or participate in.
In examining the poem and short story which I suggest, they will be encouraged to look beneath the surface to discover possible motivation and to recognize the existence of any positives. Armed with a historical background and experiences gained through the examination and discussion of poetry and prose related to city experiences, pupils then may find another way of finding positives in similar individuals and settings in their own lives. There is a wide variety of selections the teacher may choose from. I have selected two from the many to illustrate my approach.
“Hard But Soft” is a short poem found in “I Heard a Scream in the Street: Poetry by Young People in the City.” It was written by William Barbour, Jr. of New York City. It tells of six “Negro” boys brashly walking down the street; three curse, and three hold a knife in hand. An old woman in the path of a car with failed brakes cannot be saved by the dashing boys. Like the human beings they are, the boys cry.
“Thank You, M’am”, a short story by Langston Hughes, introduces us to a less than capable, slightly frightened purse snatcher named Roger and his imposing, yet compassionate victim, Mrs. Luella Bates Washington Jones. After easily subduing her attacker, Mrs. Jones deals with Roger with an honesty and caring that leaves him completely disarmed. In parting, she gives him ten dollars for the blue suede shoes which were the motivation for his attempted robbery. Overwhelmed by her treatment of him, Roger is unable to express his feelings, and they part without a “Thank you, m’am”.
Both pieces suggest a variety of topics for discussion and/or written response. The following are some possibilities. where do you think the six boys were going? Give them names, and tell us something about each boy. Bring out their strengths and weaknesses. Why were they acting so tough? Who was the old woman? Why did they try to save her? Did the accident have any long-range effect on the boys? Do you know people who act like the boys? Why do they act that way? Have you ever acted that way? Why? Was Roger like the six boys? Would he have tried to save the old woman? Why did Mrs. Jones take him home? Tell us what her life is and has been like. Do the same for Roger. Why did she admit she was ashamed of some of the things she had done? Why did she give him money for the shoes? What does “shoes got by devilish means will burn your feet” mean? Is that saying true? What would Roger say if he could express what he was feeling? Do you know anyone like Roger or Mrs. Jones? Will Roger ever see Mrs. Jones again? Might what she did have any effect upon his life?”
These questions and others which these pieces might suggest should lead pupils beyond an analysis of the characters and events discussed. Hopefully, they will search for motivation, for circumstances which influence others and themselves.
After reading and discussing both works, a follow-up written assignment is recommended. Any of the more provoking of the above suggestions could be used, or pupils might write a continuation of either work, developing another situation involving the established characters. Sharing the results would be a positive conclusion to this lesson. These activities might take more than one session depending upon the teacher’s judgment.
Two examples of hymns which reflect the influence of religion upon the early development of New Haven.
Psalm IXV:
Thy praise alone.
Tune:
York
At the opening of the first College bidding erected in New Haven, in 1718, the congregation united in singing this psalm in Sternhold and Hopkins’s version.
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Thy praise alone, o Lord, doth reign
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In Sion thine own hill:
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Their vows to thee they do maintain,
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And evermore fulfill.
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Of thy great justice hear, O God,
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our health of thee doth rise:
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The hope of all the earth abroad,
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And the sea-coasts likewise.
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With strength thou art beset about,
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And compast with thy pow’r:
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Thou mak’st the mountains strong and stout,
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To stand in ev’ry show’r.
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The folk that dwell thro’out the earth
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Shall dread thy signs to see:
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Which morn and evening with great mirth
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Send praises up to thee.
Hymn:
O god, Beneath thy guiding hand.
Tune:
Duke Street
These wards were written by The Reverend Leonard Bacon, B.A. 1820, minister of the First Church of New Haven from 1825 to 1881 and Member of the Yale faculty and of the Corporation, to mark New Haven’s Bicentennial in 1838.
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O God, beneath thy guiding hand,
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Our exiled fathers crossed the sea;
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And when they trod the wintry strand,
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With prayer and psalm they worshipped Thee.
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Thou heard’st, well pleased, the song, the prayer:
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Thy blessing came; and still its power
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Shall onward, through all ages, bear
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The mem’ry of that holy hour.
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Laws, freedom, truth, and faith in God
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Came with those exiles o’er the waves;
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And where their pilgrim feet have trod,
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The God they trusted guards their graves.
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And here thy name, o God of love,
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Their children’s children shall adore,
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Till these eternal hills remove,
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And spring adorns the earth no more.