Tuesday, June 19, 2007

Another Elan Repost - Black Women of the Old West

Here's another Elan interview I did with William Katz, an authority on African-Americans in the west who at the time had written extensively on the subject. The topic was fascinating to me because I had never known about these extraordinary people and they were rarely or barely depicted in the media and movies, and when we did see them, they were basically stereotypes or just flat characters. We never got true depictions of these pioneers and what they contributed to the west, so I set about to overhaul the myths and get at the truth.

Thankfully, someone cared enough to set the record straight, to tell the tale of these brave and courageous African-Americans. Mr. Katz has written over 40 books on Blacks in America, including Black Women of the West. Elan was fortunate enough to catch up with him to ask a few questions. The exchange is below.

First, tell us how you became interested in the tale of the Old West from the perspective of African-Americans?

As a secondary school teacher for fourteen years in New York public schools I had been appalled by the omission of African-Americans -- except as willing slaves -- and knew from the books I had read in my home that this was a gross lie. When I found that Africans were among the earliest explorers and pathfinders, I felt an obligation to see this story enter the American mainstream because the pioneers are pictured as the quintessential citizens, and they are always shown as lily-white. Black Pioneers had to ride across the pages of textbooks and movies the way they rode across the prairies and scaled the mountains.

Of the many stories that you have researched about Blacks in the Old West, which ones stand out the most?

I have written about a half a dozen books on Black western heroes, women and men, and it is hard to pick out specific ones.

Do you know of cases where history books or the media have actually "whitewashed" Black historical figures, showing Black heroes or "sheroes" as White?

Barney Ford a runaway slave reached Colorado where he built hotels and other commercial establishments, fought for civil rights and became one of the richest men in the West. But when he appeared in history books of Colorado a picture of a white man was inserted to represent him. These are two of many other examples.

How and why did Black women come to settle in the Old West during the 1800s?

African-American women and men moved with each migration to the frontier, often in large family and friendship groups from the southern states. This was particularly important in that these groups provided support for Black women, and also meant that they had a ready-made community when they settled down and did not have to wait for people with special skills as did white communities. Some African-American women did go west alone such as Elvira Conley, an ex-slave, who settled in Marshall, Kansas, a shoot-im-up railroad town. She opened a laundry and (wisely) made friends with two of her best customers, Wild Bill Hickok and Buffalo Bill. This is only one story I detail in Black Women of the Old West.


Mary Davenport, early pioneer

Describe the relationship between Blacks and Native Americans in the West?

The relationship between people of African descent and Native American people is the vital third part of the American triangle, and my book Black Indians has opened a wide scholarly debate on the subject. They were allies, they intermarried and they were seen as deadly enemies by white colonists and governments. But they persisted, stood by one another and often developed their own alternative settlements beyond the European outposts that dotted the coastlines. It is an incredible story, too long to detail here, but well worth reading about and learning from.

To read more information about William Loren Katz's books, visit his website at http://www.williamlkatz.com/

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