Roosevelt, the NAACP and Amber Valley

Thursday, September 18, 2014

In viewing The Roosevelts, I was quietly struck by the fact that TR's Presidency came to an end in 1909.  That year was notable because the America that TR left behind was not one that was kind and gentle to African Americans.  Indeed, before he left office, an organization was formed (the NAACP) to address some of the long simmering issues concerning the disenfranchisement of African Americans and the hostility that they faced.  You can read about the birth of the NAACP at

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Association_for_the_Advancement_of_Colored_People

Along with the creation of the NAACP, 1909 also saw the beginning of another development that would become, for me, of great personal significance.  In 1909, the town of Amber Valley was founded by a group of African Americans in Alberta, Canada.  You can read about it at

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amber_Valley,_Alberta

This initial group of African Americans included my great great grandfather and the community they founded continues to this day.  The reason for the African Americans leaving TR's America for a hardscrabble existence on the Canadian plains can be summed up in one word - "Freedom".  These African Americans sought to be free from the discrimination that existed in 1909 America.

http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/eppp-archive/100/200/301/ic/can_digital_collections/athabasca/html/amber/index.htm

http://www.blackhistorycanada.ca/topic.php?id=127&themeid=2

In 2009, I was fortunate enough to attend the 100th anniversary of the founding of Amber Valley and it was a beautiful experience.  All in all, what I observed confirmed that the pioneers of 1909 had made the right decision.  This confirmation was bolstered when, in conjunction with viewing The Roosevelts documentary, I read about the plague of lynchings that was prevalent in TR's America.  Granted TR spoke out against the lynchings, but the lynchings persisted never the less.  Indeed, one of the more gruesome lynchings occurred only two years later in Okemah, Oklahoma, a town that neighbors the all-black town of Boley, Oklahoma, where my mother was born. The lynching in Okemah was particularly upsetting because it involved the lynching of a woman and her teenage son.  Virtually the entire town of Okemah witnessed this gruesome spectacle.  Photos were taken and, for years, the photos were sent out on postcards as "souvenirs".   You can read about the lynching of Laura and L. D. Nelson at 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lynching_of_Laura_and_L.D._Nelson

It is within the context of this atrocity, along with other injustices, that my perception of TR and his times is "colored".  In viewing The Roosevelts documentary, I find myself compelled to wonder where the perception of African Americans of The Roosevelts comes into play ... and whether it even matters.

Peace.