Since I’ve done
a great deal of my history research on Yellow Fever in Memphis, I suppose it is
high time I addressed it through the lens of African American Activism:
The Yellow Fever
epidemic of 1878 was a critical moment of Cooperation between whites and
African Americans in the context of the end of Radical Reconstruction. The
details of how the fever arrived in Memphis are fascinating, but in summation
the majority of the population that had the means to flee (middle and upper
class whites) left the city in droves, leaving a non-functional skeleton
government infrastructure in the face of a deadly epidemic.
In this moment,
Southern whites, who so very valued their masculine virtues, sense of fierce
independence, and of course white superiority, appealed to African Americans
for help. The African American militia patrolled the streets to stop looters of
both races. The Black militia also assisted the Citizens Relief Committee by
defending the food shipments from looters. The African American Relief
Committee cooperated with the white relief committee to properly distribute
food and medical supplies. African American nurses saved countless white lives
and in the aftermath of the epidemic even the most virulent racists who had
stayed in the city found themselves thanking the Black community of Memphis for
essentially saving many of those who remained in the city.
I think it's really interesting to think about the Yellow Fever epidemic (and the racial implications of it that you mentioned) and the aggressive efforts by whites over the next few decades to assert their political and natural superiority. We've talked a lot about how the mere threat of black's being considered human was enough to drive many Southern white men to the edge. I think Memphis is a great example of one of the most troubling recurring phenomena in southern racism. Several times throughout the country's history, black and white has united under times of strife in order to carry out the good of the whole nation (no, it's not that simple, but work with me here). Memphis at the turn of the century is the perfect example of how that unity is nothing more than facade. While happy to depend on black labor, protection, patronage, etc. in times of trouble, that just won't fly during peace time. And so, when black people in Memphis have just proven their humanity and worth and ability to coexist as productive members of a community, white aristocrats for some reason are compelled to erect a massive statue to a confederate general and the leader of the Ku Klux Klan. The worst part is that 100 years later, that white aristocracy is still on top and black is still on the bottom, now enforced with 100 years worth of social custom, law, and personal disdain to solidify the segregated social structure that lives on in Memphis, Tennessee.
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