“What is the earliest memory that you have?”
Dr. Mark Schultz of the history department questioned a group of students who attended the seminar “The Reliability of Memory: The Memory of the African-American Community” Thursday, Nov. 19. He said that our memory is a magnificent thing. It is durable, sometimes vivid with color and sound, sometimes only a vague feeling. It seems to be under our control, but it is not.
Schultz focused on history, specifically African-American history. He wrote a book in 2005 which provided an African- American perspective of the Civil War era and segregation in the South.
There is no historical source that you do not have to read with care. “It’s all thin ice,” Schultz said. You have to ask the right questions and piece together the evidence to reinforce your thoughts. Shultz mentioned that the interviews for his book gave very interesting information.
Schultz then gave a brief introduction about history. Before it was written down, history was told oral tradition. It is more difficult to tell stories person to person by memorizing them because of our ability to read. In societies where they cannot read, it is much easier for them to memorize and retell their stories. Also, memory is socially constructed; it’s not just us creating the memory, others contribute to them, as well. We remember in terms of conversation and what we repeat becomes embedded in our memory.
We tend to tell stories that paint us in a good light. We often change the situation in memories. According to Schultz, in one interview with white supremacist politicians, they told stories of being racist at one point, but they were embarrassed by that fact and had changed their ways of thinking.
Shultz also mentioned how oral history could be subjective. It is a weakness, but also a strength. People who love history try to understand it. That is one thing that oral history does well, it connects the people to the history.
Today, we think we know everything there is to know about the Civil War era and segregation. However, Schultz’s interviews with African- Americans descended from slaves, tell us a bit more with surprising detail. For example, Schultz told the students, statistics show that lynching was popular at first, but began to decrease after the 1820s. This is attributed to the social aspect of memory, where parents would share their experiences with their children and the children would use these memories as their own in order to have sense of preparation. A lynching was always reported in the papers, but stories about African- Americans who stood up against white people were almost never reported.
Schultz also described some of the segregation stories he heard during the interviews. In big cities and towns, race lines were clearly drawn and no one dared to cross them. However, in rural areas, the people were less segregated. A sense of the complexity about social underground culture can be seen through these summaries.
Our minds are an extremely powerful tool. Not only do we remember emotionally charged events and how we felt at that particular moment in time, but we rearrange memories so that they are in some sort of order that makes sense. Our minds can protect us by repressing any horrible memories. We are even able to forget. Whether this is a blessing or a curse, one can never be sure.
This two semester-long Art and Memory series will return after the winter holiday break. For more information, check your Lewis e-mail or contact Dr. Ewa Bacon.
Amanda Foresta
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