Negroes and the War by Chandler Owen. A scarce wartime propaganda piece seeking Black support for the war effort.

Published by United States Office of War Information, Washington, D.C., 1942. First and only edition. Photography by Eliot Elisofon (1911-1973). Softcover, printed on newsprint, side staple bound, 13" x 10", 72 pages, richly illustrated with 140 b&w photographs documenting African American opportunities and achievement, showing the activities of professional Black men and women, including the Tuskegee Airmen and boxer Joe Louis in his army fatigues. FAIR CONDITION: the spine fold is scraped, tender, and some pages are pulling from the staples but still firmly attached, the horizontal mailing fold has some small scrapes and tears on the front cover and a long closed tear on rear cover, the inner pages are somewhat fragile, have light wear and age-toning, but overall complete, bright, clean, and unmarked. Scarce.

In 1942, the US Office of War Information (OWI) was created. A government propaganda bureau, they commissioned Chandler Owen to create a work that presented arguments rallying Black support for the war and telling African Americans what they stood to lose should Germany win the war. Although the publication literally brought Blacks into the national war time framework with visible evidence of official recognition and inclusiveness for African Americans, prominent Black leaders quickly and loudly objected. Their overriding criticism was that it failed to make any assurances about future progress in breaking down the barriers of racial inequality.

CHANDLER OWEN (1889-1967) writer, editor, socialist, republican, early activist for African American Civil Rights, and co-founder of radical journal of the New Negro Movement, The Messenger (with A. Philip Randolph).

EXTREMISTS RIGHT AND LEFT

Concern: A Discussion Series. Published by Silver Burdett Company, Morristown, NJ, 1970. Softcover, illustrated wraps, side staple bound, 10" x 6", 56 pages, illustrated throughout with evocative b&w photographs and bold red and blue graphics. VERY GOOD CONDITION: former owners name stamp on the inside of front and rear covers, light bookplate remnants on inside front cover, light edgewear, some age toning and light signs of use and wear, overall tight, bright, clean and unmarked.

Scarce 1970 work addressing the radical counterculture, race and extreme political polemics. The "Concern" series was a set of discussion booklets aimed at engaging students in critical thinking and discussion around various social issues. They were used in school settings to promote dialogue and understanding of complex topics like violence, poverty, and civil rights.

THE JOURNAL OF BLACK POETRY, Fall 1967, Volume 1, Number 6

Published and edited by Joe Goncalves for all Black people everywhere, San Francisco, 1967, first printing. Illustrated wrappers, side staple bound, 10" x 7", 38 pages, illustrated with 3 b&w photographs, graphics and a powerful centerfold image by Black Panther artist Emory Douglas before he joined the Black Panther Party. Also includes work by Sonia Sanchez, Marvin X, Gwendolyn Brooks and others. GOOD CONDITION: covers are lightly toned and have light foxing mainly to the edges, rear cover has offsetting to its upper portion and a light horizontal crease, the staples are rusted but holding well, the inner pages have a small spot here and there but are overall tight, bright, clean and unmarked. A complete, respectable copy.

The Journal of Black Poetry is a radical example of an independently published poetry journal that popularized the imagery and racial characteristics of the Black Arts Movement, the only American literary movement to merge art with a political agenda. More than a poetry journal, it published criticism, reviews, and news about Black cultural issues. The Black Arts Movement was a controversial literary faction that emerged in the mid 1960s as the artistic arm of the Black Power Movement, a militant political mobilization that rejected the integrationist tactics of the Civil Rights era that preceded it.

Souvenir Program, published by the Council of Organizations, Meridian, Mississippi, 1974. First edition, first printing. Organized by C. E. Oatis, Jr. Softcover, illustrated paper wrappers, side staple bound, 11" x 8.5", 110 pages, illustrated throughout with historic b&w photographs, portraits and advertisements of members of Meridians Black Social and Fraternal Clubs and many Black community business advertisers. GOOD CONDITION: covers pulling/tearing from the staples but still attached, covers have wear, light creasing, small spotting and penned contact info, internally, some penned name and addresses, and light signs of wear from age and use, overall a respectable copy of this historic documentation of the Black urban and cultural landscape in 1974 Mississippi. Scarce, none in OCLC collections worldwide.

The African American Business District provided services that Meridian's Black community could not otherwise receive. Jim Crow laws that were passed across the country from 1876 to 1965 kept most of Meridian's businesses segregated. Many white owned businesses either refused to serve Black customers or served them on a limited basis. Beginning around the turn of the 20th century, pioneering African American businesspeople stepped forward to fill the needs of their community. The Council of Organizations formed in 1972 to promote the social, cultural, and educational interests of the African American community in Meridian. With representation from Black civic, social, business, professional, fraternal, and educational clubs, the Council provides scholarships and hosts the celebrated Meridian Picnic each year in Meridian or host regions. Long time Black Community leader and educator C. E. Oatis, Jr. (1925-2011) served as President of the National Council of Meridianiates for 30 years.

Congressional Black Caucus, 103rd Congress, 1993-1994 : Members, Committee Assignments, Staff Contacts

The Congressional Black Caucus was formed in 1970 when the 13 Black Members of the U.S. House of Representatives joined together to strengthen their efforts to address the legislative concerns of Black and minority citizens. African American Representatives had increased in number from six in 1966 to nine, following the 1969 elections. Those Members believed that a Black Caucus in Congress, speaking with a single voice, would provide political influence and visibility far beyond their numbers.

Published by the Congressional Black Caucus, A Legislative Service Organization, Washington D.C., 1993. First edition, printed in an unnumbered limited edition for Caucus members and their staff. Illustrated softcovers, side staple bound, 8.5" x 6.75", 88 unnumbered pages including covers, each Caucus member has a two page spread that includes their biography and a black & white photographic portrait. VERY GOOD Condition: light shelfwear and a touch of age, otherwise tight, bright, clean and unmarked. Scarce, just 2 copies in OCLC collections worldwide.

The African American Legislators in this 1993-94 Congressional Black Caucus compendium are the Honorable: Kweisi Mfume, Cardiss Collins, Alcee L. Hastings, William Jefferson, Barbara-Rose Collins, Eddie Bernice Johnson, Carol Moseley-Braun, John Conyers, William Clay, Louis Stokes, Ronald V. Dellums, Charles B. Rangel, Harold E. Ford, Julian C. Dixon, Major R. Owens, Edolphus Towns, Alan Wheat, Floyd Flake, John Lewis, Donald M. Payne, Craig A. Washington, Gary A. Franks, Eleanor Holmes-Norton, Maxine Waters, Lucien E. Blackwell, Eva Clayton, Sanford D. Bishop, Jr., Corrine Brown, James E. Clyburn, Cleo Fields, Earl F. Hilliard, Cynthia A. McKinney, Carrie Meek, Mel Reynolds, Bobby Rush, Robert C. "Bobby" Scott, Walter R. Tucker III, Melvin L. Watt, Albert Russell Wynn, and Bennie Thompson.

THE DOWN OF A THISTLE Selected Poems, Prose Poems, and Songs by Margaret Esse Danner

SIGNED & INSCRIBED by African American Poet MARGARET ESSE DANNER

" For Al Birdsong / Margaret / Esse / Danner " in blue ink on the blank free front endpaper.

Published by Country Beautiful, Waukesha, Wisconsin, 1976. First edition. Hardcover in dustjacket, 144 pages. NEAR FINE CONDITION BOOK, un-price-clipped dustjacket has some small edge chips and the spine is lightly sunned.

In 1976 Margaret Esse Danner (1915-1984) published her final major work, The Down of a Thistle, which she dedicated to Black Poet Robert Hayden. Much of her poetry is about the relationship between Black Africa and Black America. Some poems are a homage to Langston Hughes, who also displayed a strong connection to his African heritage and inspired and influenced Danner throughout her life. Her message is one of hope but she did not trivialize the difficulty of being Black in America.

NEGRO PRESS Rare 1938 AFRICAN AMERICAN Thesis BLACK NEWSPAPERS Racism POLITICS

Written by a Black Scholar earning his Master thesis in 1938, this one of the earliest and most thorough studies of the African American Press and Black Newspapers that were published between 1876 and 1936. It identifies the racism and politics that affected Black newspapers, explores the lack of coverage for Black social issues, and examines troubles with white newspapers. The Black press was critical in expanding the sphere of influence for Black leaders and increasing awareness of the Black experience.

THE NEGRO PRESS OF KANSAS by Rashey B. Moten, Jr. Includes "Chronological List of Negro Newspapers In Kansas from 1876 to 1938." Unpublished Master's Thesis, University of Kansas, written in 1936, approved 1938. Softcover, 8.5" x 11", velo bound document, 130 photocopied pages printed on one side only. NEAR FINE Condition: the vintage photocopied pages have the usual copy machine marks, smudges, and variations in brightness, as well as light signs of age and use, overall tight, bright, clean, and unmarked. Scarce.

Rashey Burial Moten, Jr. (1913-2000) the first African American to lead a Catholic Charities organization, Executive Director at Catholic Charities Kansas City Saint Joseph from 1970 to 1981. President Carter appointed Moten to the Advisory Committee for the White House Conference on Families. Moten was instrumental in launching Head Start in 1965 under President Lyndon B. Johnson.

The Patent Wood Box Blacking Songster, circa 1876

Rare unrecorded Songster with song lyrics, illustrated quack medicine and household polishing product advertisements. What makes this piece exceptional is the diabolically racist reconstruction era advertisement for a mousetrap, depicting a caricaturized Black man holding a Catch-Em Alive Mouse Trap with mouse tails dangling from it and on the bottom of his shoe is written 15 Amendment. The 15th Amendment to the US Constitution, ratified in 1870, granted African American men the right to vote. Its appearance on the sole of his shoe coupled with the offensive caricature reflects the social and political climate of the Reconstruction era writ large, mocking Blacks newly acquired voting rights highlights the challenging racial dynamics of the time. I could not find another copy of the Songster, the ad, or a trading card depicting the ad.

With the emphasis on blacking polish, and requests for agents to sell their wares, perhaps published by the American Chemical M'F'G Co., Rochester, New York, manufacturers of the Patent Wood Box Stove Blacking Polish Paste for leather, furniture and stoves (cakes of black-leading or graphite-based blacking and polishing paste in a patented, paddle-shaped, wooden box with swivel lid), circa 1876. Lacking its wrappers (4 pages: the front cover, inside front cover, (unnumbered), inside rear cover, and rear cover (numbered pages 29 and 30)), 5.5" x 4.5", 28 pages (of 30), single thread sewn stitched binding. CONDITION: Imperfect, lacking wrappers, edgewear, edge chips, soiling, tearing, toning, creasing, and mouse gnawed at the bottom edge, page 12 containing the racist ad has a 1" closed edge tear, tiny stab hole in the upper margin, mouse gnawing in the lower margin, and age toning but remains solid and bright. Unrecorded and scarce.

Hand SIGNED by African American Composer and Blues Musician W. C. HANDY in ink on the ffep.

UNSUNG AMERICANS SUNG Edited by W. C. HANDY. Published by Handy Brothers Music Co., Inc. New York City [rubber stamped], 1944. First edition, First printing. Hardbound in original dark blue textured cloth with gilt printing on the front cover, 11" x 7.5", 236 pages, illustrated with a photographic frontispiece portrait of Handy, two full page photographic illustrations, and eight full page illustrations of African Americans from sketches by Beauford De Laney, and musical scores. VERY GOOD CONDITION: a few droplet stains and light wear to the covers, internally, toning to the pastedown and a penned gift inscription from the former owner Kitty Dalton, a chorus girl for Billy Rose on the ffep, otherwise tight, bright, clean and unmarked.

Handy's important musical and cultural collection of song tributes to outstanding African Americans, explores the different dimensions of musical development that exist within Black culture, while also highlighting the struggle and triumph that exist for people of color. Includes poetry, illustrations, children's songs, choral works, scenes from major works, and art songs. Handy, the "Father of the Blues" composed the music for Phillis Wheatley poetry, and collaborated with Langston Hughes on a number of his poems as did Margaret Bonds, there are over 30 contributors including jazz luminaries Eubie Blake, James P. Johnson, Andy Razaf, Luckey Roberts and Ismay Andrews.

William Christopher Handy (1873-1958) born to former slaves, W. C. Handy was one of the first to compose, play and publish a steady stream of blues, spiritual arrangements, marches, hymns, and miscellaneous songs. His collections include Blues: An Anthology (1941), and A Book of Negro Spirituals (1938). His books include: Negro Authors and Composers of the United States (1936), Father of the Blues (1941), and Unsung American Sung (1944).

Beauford De Laney (1901-1979) Noted African American Artist.