How the Word Is Passed: A Reckoning with the History of Slavery Across America

Clint Smith is a hell of a good writer for a poet! The research that went into this book is outstanding. It reads like a story, not a history book. You learn some history that has been hidden or over written by others stories. For those of us who are willing to hear the hard truth, this book speaks to our hearts and our conscience. We don't need to carry the guilt of our ancestors for slavery, but we should acknowledge the truth of what those ancestors did, the evilness of it and the ignorance it inspired. Instead of covering up and changing the narrative, we can learn the truth and rectify the hateful legacy they left. A must read. Sure to make the banned list!

In How the Word is Passed Clint Smith takes the reader on a powerful and emotional cross-country journey to show that “the history of slavery is the history of the United States. It was not peripheral to our founding: it was central to it.” The history and stories of places like Monticello, Angola Prison, Blandford Cemetery, and New York City which once had one the largest slave markets on Wall Street prove his point. His account demonstrates not merely the central role of slavery in the past but its fierce legacy until today which still felt deeply from the deep South to the North.All long Smith records the memories and experiences of people he meets on his journeys from tour guides to visitors. At the Whitney Plantation, a place that stands out for its dedication to telling the truth about slavery, the tour guide wants visitors to hear not only about the family separations, rapes, and enforced breeding slaves had to endure, but also appreciate their resilience and intelligence, their love and support of each other since that, too, is a legacy passed down through generations. These stories make us feel viscerally, as Smith does himself, the impact of that history on our lives today. “So much of the story we tell about our history is really the story we tell about ourselves,” which makes me think of James Baldwin’s statement that “We carry our history with us. We are our history.”The message of How the Word is Passed is clear: we cannot move forward as a country unless we reckon with the history of slavery and counter “all the ways this country attempts to smother conversations about how the past shapes the present.” It is a message never more vital than under today’s pressures to suppress and distort that history.Gabrielle Robinson, Author

Dr. Smith said in a recent interview that some people don't know and some people don't want to know. This is a book for those who don't know the history of slavery in America and its continued profound impact on all aspects of our society, and it's likely that those who think they know actually don't. As a history-lover who was raised in Atlanta and believed myself well-versed in this subject, I realized that there is far more to it than I thought.Dr. Smith brings the reader to areas that demonstrate what slavery was and how it continues to influence us 150 years later. Beginning in Monticello and discussing how recently Jefferson's true story was uncovered and presented, he then takes us to Whitney Plantation where the emphasis is on the slaves instead of the building; Angola Prison to see how incarceration is often a continuation of slavery; Blandford Cemetery to explore how many people refuse to acknowledge the root cause of the Civil War so they can glorify the Confederacy; Galveston Island to discuss the struggle we continue to face after slavery "ended"; New York City to demonstrate that slavery impacted all Americans and not just Southerners; and Goree Island in Senegal to explain how the story reaches beyond our country. He closes by recounting conversations with his grandparents showing that history is personal, inside each of us, and embodied in our family stories and legacies. Throughout this tour we see that slavery is not in the distant past--Dr. Smith notes that his grandfather's grandfather was born into slavery, and that our country had slavery for 250 years but has only been without it for 150 years--and remains embedded in our society in ways we either don't realize or overlook.The uniqueness of this book largely comes from Dr. Smith being both a poet and a historian. His mastery of language takes us not only to the sites through the use of powerful evocative imagery, but allows us to reflect on the experience of an enslaved person. He notes that while stories are often told about Frederick Douglass and Harriet Tubman, they were extraordinary individuals; what about the average person like us? What's their story? Dr. Smith's doctorate in history means that he can explain the importance of each site, find the errors in how stories are told, and share documents (usually primary source) that explain the truth behind the presentations. His training also means he doesn't allow himself the easy way out; yes he shows that the Civil War really was about slavery, but he also notes that the House of Slaves and Door of No Return on Goree Island are probably not accurately portrayed either,While history books are typically written in the third person with an objective bent (in theory if not reality, since history is never objectively told), Dr. Smith puts himself squarely in the story. He explains how it feels to sit in the electric chair in Angola and shares a narrative from someone who experienced a failed execution; he crawls into solitary confinement in Angola and on Goree Island to image how that could break someone; he shares his incredulous anger at the Angola gift shop (with coffee mugs calling it a "gated community"). He re-uses one of his poems to describe a Black child running on streets named after Confederate Generals and what that signifies. He also talks to people, including multiple tour guides, fellow visitors to Monticello (who were history buffs but had no idea Jefferson owned slaves), and--in a particularly powerful scene--attendees at a Sons of Confederate Veterans event at Blandford Cemetery where he legitimately wants to understand their points of view. Dr. Smith is empathic in all of these situations but also holds people accountable for their actions and beliefs. He doesn't argue with people, but presents information and lets them decide what to do with it. He does this with the reader as well.This book arrives at a time when arguments regarding Critical Race Theory are embroiling our country. State legislators and congressional representatives are attempting to abolish all teaching that suggests systemic racism exists in this country. While this book conclusively demonstrates that this hypothesis is false, I find one example particularly powerful. Angola Prison--which is the largest maximum security prison in the US, and the size of Manhattan--is located on a former plantation. Seventy percent of its prisoners are black, with an average sentence of 87 years. Many of its prisoners were convicted by a non-unanimous jury, which is now unconstitutional. Prisoners work the fields for seven cents an hour and are watched over by armed guards on horseback. Dr. Smith notes, "If in Germany today there were a prison built on top of a former concentration camp, and that prison disproportionately incarcerated Jewish people, it would rightly provoke outrage through the world." Somehow, in the US this is not only accepted but worthy of commemorating on a coffee mug and tee-shirts. Slavery and its effects remain strong in this country.We have work to do.

This looks at the history of slavery by looking at places where it was practiced and a legacy remains--Monticello, Whitney Plantation, Angola Prison, New York City, Blandford Cemetary, Galveston Island, and Senegal. There are many more places that could be looked at for their stories.I learned a lot. My eyes were opened. Some I knew but most I did not. Now I cannot stay in ignorance any more. While I have not been to Monticello in over 20 years, I want to go back to hear what is now being taught. I have not been to any of the other places Mr. Smith shares the stories from. I have a lot to process and to assimilate with what I know and have learned outside of school.There is a lot of new information coming out from the voices of the oppressed and forgotten. I appreciate their voices being added to what was taught. I can form new opinions based on what I read and learn. We are only now getting a more complete picture of what happened in the past. I can get a more complete and realistic version of what occurred.If we don't learn from history, we will repeat it. I see that happening so much currently. This is a book I wish I had read when I was younger. It explains things so much clearer than the old history textbooks I had 50 years ago.

Eine interessante Zusammenstellung verschiedener geschichtlicher Aspekte, wie Sklaverei wirklich war und welche Rolle sie bei der Entwicklung der USA spielte. Besonders die Vorkommnisse in New York State sind dabei wichtig. Was mich etwas gestört hat: Die meisten Fakten sind seit langer Zeit bekannt (z. B. dass Jefferson mit einer Sklavin mehrere Kinder hatte, die er nicht freigab), auch Ausländern, die sich für das Thema interessieren. Nicht in allen Ländern kann und sollte die Sklaverei im Mittelpunkt der Geschichtsschreibung stehen. Und manche Infos stimmen einfach so nicht, z. B. dass in Deutschland ein Jahr lang im Geschichtsunterricht die Geschichte der USA besprochen wird, dabei aber die Geschichte der Black Americans kaum vorkommt.

The book in its unique approach to history was an eye-opener. The hidden history of slavery & racism in America has been brought out to light. I was devastated at the plight of African Americans, whose slave labour contributed to the building of America. The free land and natural resources were robbed from the American Indians, who were systematically decimated created the base of affluence for this country. Their championing freedom, democracy and equality of all human beings rings hollow in view of this background. Mahatma Gandhi's racism against native Africans, while he championed the cause of Indians in South Africa was shocking. The only redeeming feature was that he evolved into a better human being after he returned to India and took up the cause of all the downtrodden across the world including native Africans, Americans & Dalits in India. Overall an excellent book and changed my perspective of American history and understanding of African Americans.

I came across this via Smith's article in The Atlantic (adapted from one of the chapters herein). It's an excellent read: thought-provoking, beautifully written, and important.Probably my favourite non-fiction read of the year (I've also listened to the audiobook, which I'd highly recommend in addition to the print/eBook edition).

The writer effectively uses stories to present his thesis. While the subject is something that has its roots in the time of colonization, the personal experiences of the author provide a picture of the current effect. Easy to read and follow.