The Brownies' Book: Preserving African American Memories through Textual Lineage

Abstract

22 | BLACK HISTORY BULLETIN VOL. 78, NO. 2 78 No.2 THE BROWNIES’ BOOK: PRESERVING AFRICAN AMERICAN MEMORIES THROUGH TEXTUAL LINEAGE By LaVerne Gyant As editor of the Crisis magazine, W. E. B. Du Bois wrote a monthly column, “The Children’s Number,” which ZDV¿UVWSXEOLVKHGLQ2FWREHU³7KH&KLOGUHQ¶V1XPEHU´GLVFXVVHGFXUUHQWLVVXHVWKDWDIIHFWHG\RXQJSHRSOHDQG their achievements.1 According to Du Bois, it was “easily the most popular number of the year.”2 In the 1919 edition of the Crisis, Du Bois announced the publication of The Brownies’Book, a new periodical for Black children—which became the¿UVWSXEOLFDWLRQWRWDUJHW$IULFDQ$PHULFDQFKLOGUHQ3 Historically, The Brownies’ Book will be remembered as a hallowed publication that sought to preserve young people’s memories and spark their curiosities through textual lineage. In Du Bois’s announcement of the publication, he characterized The Brownies’Book as a thing of Joy and Beauty, dealing in Happiness, Laughter, Emulation, and designed for Kiddies from Six to Sixteen. It will seek to teach Universal Love and Brotherhood for all little folk—black and brown and yellow and white. Of course, pictures, puzzles, stories, letters from little ones, clubs, games and oh everything.4 The Brownies’Book grew out of Du Bois’s concern for what Black children were learning and their daily experiences in schools. It also grew from a letter a young girl wrote about her desire to learn about Black history and her hatred for Whites.5 The stated goals of The Brownies’Book were: 1. To make colored children realize that being “colored” is a normal beautiful thing. 2. To make them familiar with the history and achievement of the Negro race. 3. To make them know that other colored children have grown into beautiful, useful and famous people. 4. To teach them a delicate code of honor and action in their relations with white children. 5. To turn their little hurts and resentments into emulation, ambition and love of their homes and companions. 6. To point out the best amusement and joys and worth-while things of life. 7. 7RLQVSLUHWKHPWRSUHSDUHIRUGH¿QLWHRFFXSDWLRQVDQGGXWLHVZLWKDEURDGVSLULWRIVDFUL¿FH6 According to Harris, these goals sought to teach children “knowledge of and respect for African culture.”7 'X%RLV$XJXVWXV*UDQYLOOH'LOODQG-HVVLH5HGPRQ)DXVHWRIIHUHGWKH¿UVWLVVXHRIThe Brownies’ Book in January 1920. It was published by Du Bois and Dill publishers, sold for 15 cents a month or $1.50 for a year’s subscription, DQGKDGDFLUFXODWLRQRI$VRQHRIWKH¿UVWSHULRGLFDOVIRUFKLOGUHQThe Brownies’ Book was published from 1920 WKURXJK,QWKH¿QDOLVVXHRIThe Brownies’Book, Du Bois noted that they needed a minimum of 12,000 subscriptions and that the economic times were the reasons they had to stop publishing it. The fault has not been with our readers. We have an unusually enthusiastic set of subscribers. But the magazine was begun just at the time of industrial depression following the war, and the fault of our suspension therefore is rather in the times, which are so out of joint, then in our constituency.8 In The Brownies’ Book, there were stories and poems by Jessie Redmond Fauset, Augusta E. Bird, Nella Larson, $XJXVWXV*'LOO/DQJVWRQ+XJKHV(I¿H/HHDQG$OSKRQVR6WDIIRUG6WRULHVJDPHVSRHPVDQGSX]]OHVZHUHDOVRZULWWHQ by children from around the world. Sections in the periodical included “The Judge,” written by Jessie Redmond Fauset, who had conversations with children—Billikins, Billie, William, and Wilhelmina—about their parents, their behavior, their friends, their schoolwork, and Black history. “The Jury” focused on letters from children. Then there was “As the Crow Flies,” which focused on multicultural awareness, responsibility, and international news, written by Du Bois. The other sections included “Playtime,” which offered puzzles and games from around the world; “Our Little Friends,” which praised BLACK HISTORY BULLETIN VOL. 78, NO. 2 | 23 78 No.2 and highlighted photographs of children; “Little People of the Month,” which featured African American children excelling in academics, music, writing, and art...