Calvin White – författare

Race, Labor, and Violence in the Delta examines the history of labor relations and racial conflict in the Mississippi Valley from the Civil War into the late twentieth century. This essay collection grew out of a conference marking the hundredth anniversary of one of the nation’s deadliest labor conflicts—the 1919 Elaine Massacre, during which white mobs ruthlessly slaughtered over two hundred African Americans across Phillips County, Arkansas, in response to a meeting of unionized Black sharecroppers. The essays here demonstrate that the brutality that unfolded in Phillips County was characteristic of the culture of race- and labor-based violence that prevailed in the century after the Civil War. They detail how Delta landowners began seeking cheap labor as soon as the slave system ended—securing a workforce by inflicting racial terror, eroding the Reconstruction Amendments in the courts, and obstructing federal financial-relief efforts. The result was a system of peonage that continued to exploit Blacks and poor whites for their labor, sometimes fatally. In response, laborers devised their own methods for sustaining themselves and their communities: forming unions, calling strikes, relocating, and occasionally operating outside the law. By shedding light on the broader context of the Elaine Massacre, Race, Labor, and Violence in the Delta reveals that the fight against white supremacy in the Delta was necessarily a fight for better working conditions, fair labor practices, and economic justice.

For 11 months Calvin White worked for Doctors Without Borders as a mental health specialist in the off-the-radar region of Karakalpakstan in western Uzbekistan. Unlike the higher profile emergency situations which draw that international humanitarian organization''s attention, the milieu for White''s mission was the quiet, slow death in an epidemic of multi-drug resistant tuberculosis. As White''s forward says: "This is a small story about small people written by a small person so maybe there is no interest in it. On the other hand, since most of us on the planet are also small, maybe there is." White takes the reader inside the daily heartbeat of humans we''ve never heard of but come to see as sharing the same pulse. It is a remarkable journey of intimacy and hope, one that reconfigures our understanding of sadness and, ultimately, reaffirms the common spirit of humanity.

With a story spanning over seventy years of the life of respected Elder Calvin White, One Man's Journey weaves personal history with White's account of the Mi'kmaw movement and his role in the reclamation and restoration of pride in Mi'kmaw culture in Newfoundland.Elder White's journey began in the forests surrounding his home of Flat Bay, where he learned to fish, hunt, and gather from a group of respected mentors who influenced and inspired him. His story recounts how the lessons learned from these valuable moments fueled his later work to spearhead the Mi'kmaw movement throughout the island of Newfoundland, amid the fight for recognition by the provincial and federal governments. His words do not shy away from the prejudice and discrimination faced by his people, and they provide a personal account of the history, responsibilities, philosophy, and worldview of his community.One Man's Journey is a personal and critical look at the processes that have led to the recognition of Mi'kmaw people in Newfoundland. The book shares knowledge and history with a new generation so they can continue the movement to which Elder White has been so instrumental.