What are your thoughts on Mr. Perry's presentation on Hubert Harrison? Feel free to share your comments - critical, positive, or anything in between as long as it's thoughtful.
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Diego Rivera, muralist, Pan-American Unity
Transnational America
Brooklyn College, CUNY, Spring 2010, Prof. James Davis
Parting the Americas at Panama
I really enjoyed the presentation on Hubert Harrison today, but I left still unclear about how someone who seems to be an important political or social leader was able to slip through the cracks of history. I never heard of him until today. The fact that Perry was able to chronicle two volumes on Harrison's life, as well as devote his own life to research, made me wonder who else haven't we heard about that we should remember?
ReplyDeleteThe presentation elucidated a new piece of the puzzle that we know as America. I was not surprised with the omission of Hubert Harrison's pioneering work in the development of human rights struggle. However it was refreshing look at lost piece of american history and it showed how connected the America's history is with other part's of the world.This was personified in Harrison, an immigrant from Caribbean who decided to impart change in his new home.This to me was parallel to our study of the early explorer's and their interactions with the native people they met their at that time.Mr Perry's presentation also gave us the audience secondary information into the various dynamics which shaped what we now know as the civil rights era.
ReplyDeleteRenard, are you comparing Harrison to John Smith and De Vaca? An interesting parallel since they were such different figures. If each is seen as an immigrant looking to impart change in their new home, the notion of immigrant becomes so much more complex.
ReplyDeleteI was surprised Mr. Perry brought up Assata Shakur and didn't even mention she was a CUNY student at BMCC and City College. Classic example of important history glossed over when someone has limited time to focus on only a section of the story.
I really enjoyed his presentation and admire Harrison's intellectual and political integrity. Glad he's back in the narrative.
This Whitman quote reminded me of Harrison's idea that we should take knowledge farther than where we found it: "He most honors my style who learns under it to destroy the teacher."
ReplyDeleteThanks for these comments Jenny, Renard, and Richard. I hope that when you destroy me (see Jenny's comment) you do it with creativity and fervor and there's a good band playing in the background.
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