Alien Soil

Oral Histories of Great Migration Newark

Katie Singer (Autor)

Buch | Hardcover

250 Seiten

2024
Rutgers University Press (Verlag)
978-1-9788-3354-8 (ISBN)

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Alien Soil: Oral Histories of Great Migration Newark explores Newark’s Krueger-Scott African-American Cultural Center collection of over 100 oral histories. Historian Katie Singer separates these stories into thematic categories of social and political events, including church, work, and activism, in order to paint an intimate portrait of everyday urbanity and the larger Black urban experience in Newark. Through the examination of these Krueger-Scott narratives, Singer challenges historical falsehoods with the lived experiences of Newarkers who traveled North during the Great Migration, as well as established city residents. Alien Soil effectively contextualizes Newark history and re-inserts Black voices into historiography traditionally dominated by “outsiders."

The book begins with the Krueger-Scott Mansion’s deep history, followed by the sequence of events surrounding the proposed Cultural Center. Last owned by African-American millionaire and beauty-culture entrepreneur Louise Scott, the Victorian Krueger-Scott Mansion was built by beer baron Gottfried Krueger in 1888. Through the history of the Mansion, and the ultimately failed Cultural Center project, one learns about the Newark that African Americans migrated to, what they found when they got there, how living in the city changed them, and how they, individually and collectively, changed Newark.

After the Cultural Center project was officially halted in 2000, the cassette tapes of the oral history interviews were stored away at the Newark Public Library. Ten years later they were unearthed, and ultimately digitized. As of yet, no one has applied these sources directly to their research. Deeply committed to these rich, insightful stories, Singer calls for a more thoughtful consideration of all cities, reminding us that Newark is much more than its 1967 rebellion.

KATIE SINGER holds a Ph.D. in American Studies from Rutgers University-Newark and an M.F.A. in Creative Writing from Fairleigh Dickinson University. She teaches writing at Arizona State University's Los Angeles campus and also teaches boxing. She lives in Glendale, CA.

Prologue

Notes

Chapter One: Putting Black History Somewhere: The Krueger-Scott Mansion Project

Part One: The Mansion

The Backstory

Gottfried Krueger (1888-1925)

The Masons (1925-1958)

Louise Scott (circa 1902-1983)

Looking Forward

Consciousness Shifts (1960s)

Baby Steps (1970s – 1980s)

Progress (1990s)

Trouble (still the 90s)

Conclusion

Part Two: The Oral Histories

Notes

Chapter 2: Sundays

Part One: Church

“Community” (1930-1990)

Bethany Baptist (1870s – 1990s)

Queen Of Angels (1926 - 2016)

Individuals (1919-1997)

Politicians (1971-1997)

Part Two: Not Just Church

Sunday Best (1924-1965)

On The Field (1938-1996)

Leisure Activities (1927-1979)

Radio (1936-1997)

Conclusion

Notes

Chapter 3: Workdays

Part One: Paid Work

Domestic Work

Non-Domestic Work

Getting Work (1940s-1950s)

Nursing Work (1948-1969)

Part Two: Socio-Political Work

Women Working (1965-1994)

Men At Work (1974-2006)

Ministry (1912-1969)

Conclusion

Notes

Chapter 4: Hot Days

Part One: The Set-Up

Perpetuated Narratives & Actual Stories (1961-2011)

Firefighting (1950-1994)

“Important Events” (1949-1968)

Remembering (1920-1972)

Cooperation (1944-1961)

The Personal (1935-1977)

Fears

Part Two: Rebellion

“The Riots” (1967)

Memory and the Event

Aftermath Of Words (1967-2007)

Lasting Perceptions (1967-1997)

Conclusion

Notes

Afterword

Questionnaire

Bibliography

Illustrations

Index

Erscheinungsdatum	22.08.2024
Reihe/Serie	CERES: Rutgers Studies in History
Zusatzinfo	31 B-W & 4 color images
Verlagsort	New Brunswick NJ
Sprache	englisch
Maße	152 x 229 mm
Gewicht	68 g
Themenwelt	Sachbuch/Ratgeber ► Geschichte / Politik ► Regional- / Landesgeschichte
	Geisteswissenschaften ► Geschichte ► Regional- / Ländergeschichte
	Geschichte ► Teilgebiete der Geschichte ► Kulturgeschichte
	Sozialwissenschaften ► Ethnologie
	Sozialwissenschaften ► Soziologie
ISBN-10	1-9788-3354-7 / 1978833547
ISBN-13	978-1-9788-3354-8 / 9781978833548
Zustand	Neuware