How the Word Is Passed: A Reckoning with the History of Slavery Across America Paperback – December 27, 2022

Eye opening account of Clint’s visit to a number of tourist destinations to understand the real story and tragedy of slavery and discrimination. It is important to be mindful of the hate and prejudice that was used to exploit other humans and the consequences that are still here today. Thank you for writing this book.

Dr. Smith said in a recent interview that some people don't know and some people don't want to know. This is a book for those who don't know the history of slavery in America and its continued profound impact on all aspects of our society, and it's likely that those who think they know actually don't. As a history-lover who was raised in Atlanta and believed myself well-versed in this subject, I realized that there is far more to it than I thought.Dr. Smith brings the reader to areas that demonstrate what slavery was and how it continues to influence us 150 years later. Beginning in Monticello and discussing how recently Jefferson's true story was uncovered and presented, he then takes us to Whitney Plantation where the emphasis is on the slaves instead of the building; Angola Prison to see how incarceration is often a continuation of slavery; Blandford Cemetery to explore how many people refuse to acknowledge the root cause of the Civil War so they can glorify the Confederacy; Galveston Island to discuss the struggle we continue to face after slavery "ended"; New York City to demonstrate that slavery impacted all Americans and not just Southerners; and Goree Island in Senegal to explain how the story reaches beyond our country. He closes by recounting conversations with his grandparents showing that history is personal, inside each of us, and embodied in our family stories and legacies. Throughout this tour we see that slavery is not in the distant past--Dr. Smith notes that his grandfather's grandfather was born into slavery, and that our country had slavery for 250 years but has only been without it for 150 years--and remains embedded in our society in ways we either don't realize or overlook.The uniqueness of this book largely comes from Dr. Smith being both a poet and a historian. His mastery of language takes us not only to the sites through the use of powerful evocative imagery, but allows us to reflect on the experience of an enslaved person. He notes that while stories are often told about Frederick Douglass and Harriet Tubman, they were extraordinary individuals; what about the average person like us? What's their story? Dr. Smith's doctorate in history means that he can explain the importance of each site, find the errors in how stories are told, and share documents (usually primary source) that explain the truth behind the presentations. His training also means he doesn't allow himself the easy way out; yes he shows that the Civil War really was about slavery, but he also notes that the House of Slaves and Door of No Return on Goree Island are probably not accurately portrayed either,While history books are typically written in the third person with an objective bent (in theory if not reality, since history is never objectively told), Dr. Smith puts himself squarely in the story. He explains how it feels to sit in the electric chair in Angola and shares a narrative from someone who experienced a failed execution; he crawls into solitary confinement in Angola and on Goree Island to image how that could break someone; he shares his incredulous anger at the Angola gift shop (with coffee mugs calling it a "gated community"). He re-uses one of his poems to describe a Black child running on streets named after Confederate Generals and what that signifies. He also talks to people, including multiple tour guides, fellow visitors to Monticello (who were history buffs but had no idea Jefferson owned slaves), and--in a particularly powerful scene--attendees at a Sons of Confederate Veterans event at Blandford Cemetery where he legitimately wants to understand their points of view. Dr. Smith is empathic in all of these situations but also holds people accountable for their actions and beliefs. He doesn't argue with people, but presents information and lets them decide what to do with it. He does this with the reader as well.This book arrives at a time when arguments regarding Critical Race Theory are embroiling our country. State legislators and congressional representatives are attempting to abolish all teaching that suggests systemic racism exists in this country. While this book conclusively demonstrates that this hypothesis is false, I find one example particularly powerful. Angola Prison--which is the largest maximum security prison in the US, and the size of Manhattan--is located on a former plantation. Seventy percent of its prisoners are black, with an average sentence of 87 years. Many of its prisoners were convicted by a non-unanimous jury, which is now unconstitutional. Prisoners work the fields for seven cents an hour and are watched over by armed guards on horseback. Dr. Smith notes, "If in Germany today there were a prison built on top of a former concentration camp, and that prison disproportionately incarcerated Jewish people, it would rightly provoke outrage through the world." Somehow, in the US this is not only accepted but worthy of commemorating on a coffee mug and tee-shirts. Slavery and its effects remain strong in this country.We have work to do.

Between October 2017 and February 2020, the author--a writer for The Atlantic--traveled to several locations in the U.S. and Dakar, Senegal to explore incidents of slavery. He did this in the best fashion, by simply talking to people such as tour guides, academics, and site administrators. Rarely was he confrontational, his tone was mild, but his questions were well prepared and often challenging to the recipient. My belief is, based on my own experience, that if you read this book it will change your viewpoint on American slavery.The first stop was at Jefferson's Monticello in Virginia. This was most interesting to me since I am a serious student of TJ and have visited Monticello myself over 15 times. While there was little new to me in the chapter, for those less familiar with Jefferson, the chapter is a solid intro to the man and how he lived with over a hundred slaves. The chapter did reveal to me that much as at Colonial Williamsburg also in Virginia, much greater emphasis is being placed on discussing the role of enslaved people. I can remember not too long ago when enslaved persons were referred to as "servants," and were not part of the standard tour guide's topics of discussion. Now, there are special tours on the enslaved people and substantial publications relating to them as well. The scholarly staff also has been beefed up with outstanding folks.The author next visited the Whitney Plantation in Louisiana. This is an entirely private contribution of one man. The chapter focuses upon how slavery impacted on children, as well as the intimate tie between slavery and the development of the American economy. Many children died of malnutrition, or were killed by their own mothers to spare them the slavery experience. The third stop was the infamous Angola Prison, the state prison in Louisiana. This chapter is a fascinating and depressing discussion of how the state chose to replace liberated slaves by instituting a convict leasing program. This system continues today--prisoners in effect becoming chattel slaves once again.An especially fascinating chapter is based on the Blandford Cemetery, at Petersburg Virginia. This is a Confederate cemetery with 30,000 graves. It is supported by the Sons of Confederate Veterans and the United Daughters of the Confederacy, still extremely active today. The author has picked the cemetery to discuss an important point. These organizations and others have attempted to rewrite history by supporting "the lost cause" movement. This movement paints a happy slaves situation; that the South was invaded by the North; that slavery was just a small part of the Civil War; that few Confederate soldiers owned slaves, and their allegiance arose for other reasons. They are largely responsible for the hundreds of Confederate monuments across the country. The author does a skillful job of refuting these allegations by using the Confederate states' own Declarations of Secession. If for nothing else, the book is invaluable for exposing the "Lost Cause" to its readers.The most surprising chapter to me, in a book full of surprises, is the one devoted to slavery in New York City. Yes, NYC was not a "good guy" completely different from the South. The author documents the millions of New York slaves, as well as the city's financing the South's slavery industries as well as the Atlantic slave trade.. At one point, the second largest slave market in America, after Charleston, was right in Manhattan. Part of Central Park at one time was owned by freed slaves who were forced out. Much of the author's research is based on a 2005 publication of the NY Historical Society, "Slavery in New York," with essays by leading historians such as Jill Lapore. Copies have become scarce and I was happy to secure mine. I think it is just indispensable if you are interested in NYC and/or American slavery.An essential volume for those interested in the practices and consequences of American slavery--which should be everybody.

Excellent reading and very contemporary. One of the places discussed in the book is Monticello, the home and plantation of Thomas Jefferson. My visit was just after his before the Covid shutdowns. I had read a number of books about TJ and Monticello and this added another dimension to that. The other places discussed in the book I may have heard of like the Angola Prison, other locations not so much. All have Blackness at their heart, and how easily it can be dismissed by others. The author is a noted poet. His style and way of describing locations, the history, is different. His eye can sees things a little differently. My daughter had recommended it to me as she is aware of interest in Black History. She had read it in her Black Literature class at U of Michigan.

First time I read a paragraph that made me emotional. When writing about 2 individuals who received the death penalty that were mentally challenged, I read this:“Dobie Gillis Williams-another manwho suffered from intellectual disability—was killed on January 8, 1999. For his final meal he ate twelve candy bars and a bowl of ice cream.”There’s a lot more to this book than just that though. His illustration of the personal affect slavery had on the people subjected to slavery was valuable information. The amount of family separation, and the propaganda pro-slavery advocates started that you can recognize in language today.