Author, Anthropologist and Ethnographer, Dr. Faith Mitchell and I recorded this conversation, Wednesday, June 19, 2024, otherwise known as Juneteenth, now a federal holiday, acknowledging the end of slavery in the United States in 1865 . Faith has written several books. The book we discuss in this conversation was released in 2022 and is titled "Emma's Postcard Album." It is the story of Faith unlocking her mother's trunk after her mom passed away and the historical treasures that she found inside. My guest found a trove of postcards tucked away inside the trunk. The cards are precious records of correspondence between Faith's maternal grandmother, Emma and her friend's and family. Faith felt this was a goldmine of historical references which had been tucked away for far too long. Throughout this conversation, my guest shares stories of her mother Ophelia, her grandmother Emma and great grandmother Isabel who was born in 1848 and was twelve years old when the Civil War started. Faith's childhood was filled with war stories passed down by these women, generation by generation. "It felt like the past had a different quality" says my guest.
Once Faith and I had a confirmed our record date and time, Dr. Mitchell wrote saying "coincidentally this is Juneteenth. What interesting alignment and a good opportunity to honor the ancestors who paved the way for so many of us today." And I couldn't have agreed more.
Ophelia, My guest's mother and one of twelve children, was born in Chester County, Pennsylvania. Faith shares stories of her mother and how enthusiastic and encouraging she was. She wanted Faith to experience anything and anywhere, including a love for a robust education, traveling with her mom and dad and Faith loved spending time with her grandmother and mother and listening to stories about the family from past generations.
Faith also loved spending time outdoors in nature exploring. When she was a young girl she lived in rural Michigan mainly because her mother insisted her daughter go to an excellent school. They found a farmer who was desperate to sell his home and though it was an all white, restricted community, he sold it to the Mitchell's.
Her mom used to say, "Faith, make something of yourself," and because the country was still segregated her mom used to speak to her and say "Black people have to progress and education is the way to progress." Another reflection Faith shared with me is another favorite saying of her mom's which is "the parent opens the door and the child walks through."
There's so much more to this conversation. I hope you enjoy the listen. Faith is fascinating. She's passionate about this country and the journey of her forefathers and all that they fought for in order to become the best that they could be.
My guest was sure to point out that "Ophelia was smart, inquisitive and open to learning anything and everything.She studied to be a teacher."
"Both women are ancestors who have been inspirations to me because of their sense of agency--which comes across in the photos--and their courage against the odds.
Captured in the photo of Faith and her mother Ophelia - "it captures my mother and me in 1963 in the Painted Desert and reflects the fact that my parents valued exploration even in the pre-Civil Rights period when most Black people didn't have an opportunity to travel--and it could be dangerous to do so. My mother tried to open doors for me whenever she could and that's the terminology she used," Faith recalled.
The word grio translates to one who is an oral historian and storyteller originally from West Africa.
INSTAGRAM:@emmas_postcard_album and @hoodoo_medicine
LINKEDIN: https://www.linkedin.com/in/faith-mitchell-0646b313
OTHER: YouTube - https://youtu.be/YeEWX6beGAQ.
WEBSITE: https://www.drfaithmitchell.com/
Emma's Postcard Album, Black Lives in the Early Twentieth Century is now available from the University Press of Mississippi, hashtag#Amazon, and hashtag#barnesandnoble!