Blacks Join Confederate Heritage Group After Learning of Family Link

CrimsonTide4 · #1 03-07-2002, 01:18 PM

RICHMOND — A black woman born and raised in the capital of the Confederacy is joining the United Daughters of the Confederacy because "these people are neighbors and ... family."

Nessa B. Johnson, an author active in black history projects, said Tuesday she learned through genealogical research that she had two great-uncles who were Confederate soldiers.

"My grandmother was the daughter of a white doctor from Lunenburg County" in southern Virginia, she said. "He had two sons who served in the Confederacy."

Johnson is well-known in Richmond as an author, producer of a television documentary and children's storyteller of African tales. She currently appears in a TV spot promoting Richmond as "Easy to Love."

She has worked on such projects as the Richmond Slave Trail and a memorial to slaves in the city. She was part of a group that held ceremonies last April to recall the city's surrender to Union forces in 1865.

Author of three books, she created and narrated a TV documentary in the 1970s called "Black History, It Ain't in the Textbook." Her latest book, "Soul of the Universe," is about a Richmond street festival and will be published soon, she said.

"I am for telling the complete story of all the people," including slaves, she said.

Johnson said Tuesday that shortly before Christmas she received an invitation from Richmond's Stonewall Jackson chapter of the UDC to become a member.

She said she spoke at a black church this past Sunday and heard gasps and snickers when she told the congregation she was going to accept the invitation.

"I told them I didn't ask anybody black for their opinion, nor did I ask anybody white, but I went to my Scripture. It talked of Jesus saying love your neighbors as yourself. And I had to realize that these people are my neighbors and more than being neighbors, they are family."

"For them to offer a gesture, they were reaching out a hand to me. Who was I to say, 'No thank you,"' she said.

Johnson, 61, attended a meeting of Stonewall Jackson chapter Jan. 16 and was welcomed by the 20 white women "just like people receive family."

Johnson said she believes some of her white ancestors arrived in Virginia in 1608, the year after the first English settlers landed at Jamestown.

"If they are my ancestors, I am part of what caused slavery," she said. "What can I do about it now?"

For one thing, she said, she can love all people regardless of race. "Once you love them, they aren't enemies anymore."

Salim Khalfani, state executive director of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, said Johnson is "a sweet person" but he "can't fathom how anybody in good conscience of African history could join that organization.

"There are some blacks who would join the Ku Klux Klan if they allowed them to," Khalfani said.

UDC President General Suzanne Silek said the organization has members who are descendants of American Indian troops who served in the Confederate army but that she knew of no black members. She said she has never seen a black member at UDC meetings.

The UDC, based in Richmond, said it is difficult to know for certain if there are black members because race is not mentioned in membership records. The UDC describes itself as a historical educational, patriotic and benevolent organization with about 22,000 members nationwide.

Any female at least 16 years old can be a member of UDC if she is a blood descendant of "men and women who served honorably in the Army, Navy or Civil Service of the Confederate States of America, or gave Material Aid to the Cause," according to the group's Web site.

Lynda Moreau, director of marketing and media relations for the Sons of Confederate Veterans, said the SCV has black members because she has met some of them. The race of SCV members is not kept in membership files.

"We have people of all races and ethnicities," she said.

The UDC received attention in January when the Virginia House of Delegates began to recite the Salute to the Virginia Flag to open its daily sessions. The 30-word salute was written by a UDC member in the 1940s.

Some black delegates found the salute offensive because of its connection to Virginia's segregationist past. The House narrowly defeated a proposal to drop the salute.

lovelyivy84 · #2 03-07-2002, 01:21 PM

Just makes you want to beat your- or maybe her- head against a wall, no?

I feel like we should send her a "Congratulations on becoming a token negro" letter.

So now she can make all sorts of white people feel better about themselves and how not racist they are.

Puke.

Steeltrap · #3 03-07-2002, 01:25 PM

I know this is not a HC thread, but HC WTF about this?

Seems utterly weird, but it's Ms. Johnson's life and her conscience.

Honeykiss1974 · #4 03-07-2002, 01:26 PM

I am speechless...........
How on earth would any AA want to join an org than has a history (and I am not talking about things that happened hundreds of years ago....the civil rights movement is really only about 30 years ago and continues to this day, but I digress...) of supporting non-AA friendly legilations, policies, and "ways of life".

I believe that I will be adding Ms. Johnson's name to the "Most embarrassing Black Folks " thread because she is really full of

She has even beat the "Crematory Man in GA" IMHO.

lovelyivy84 · #5 03-07-2002, 01:34 PM

I forgot, the letter should be sent to the attention of "Boo Boo The Fool"

prayerfull · #6 03-07-2002, 01:55 PM

'Ole Nessa is in for a rude awakening when she wakes up and realizes that her name is NESSA Johnson, and not Suzy White.

Oh, she's going to realize it one night when she spends some night out with her Confederacy "Sisters" and wakes up to see white capes and cone hats over her bed.

HC "Once you love them, they aren't enemies anymore."

librasoul22 · #7 03-07-2002, 03:48 PM

Playing devil's advocate here...

She seems like someone who is interesting in preserving and fostering some sense of African-American tradition and whatnot. Maybe she is planning to get in there and shake things up a bit. Maybe she is gonna be some radical revolutionary who brings definitive changes to the Daughters of the Confederation...

Or maybe she is just disillusioned...

stillwater15 · #8 03-07-2002, 04:53 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by librasoul22

Or maybe she is just disillusioned...

not only is she disillusioned, but i bet she's also related to condoleeza rice.

suntzu1963 · #9 03-08-2002, 12:24 AM

I'll be sure to pass along the feelings and sentiments of you ladies (who I wholeheartedly agree with).

Hopefully her membership will make her step up to be an advocate for change and social justice within the organization and not just another pawn in the pro- "old south" people's chess game.

librasoul22 · #10 03-08-2002, 02:49 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by stillwater15

not only is she disillusioned, but i bet she's also related to condoleeza rice.

You didn't know? Her and Lee-Lee are cousins.

Anyways, I found it interesting, I am reading a book that compares and contrasts the efforts of Martin and Malcolm. MLK, Jr. said that the only integration that worked for whites is token integration. Exhibit A...

NinjaPoodle · #11 03-08-2002, 03:05 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by lovelyivy84
Just makes you want to beat your- or maybe her- head against a wall, no?

or how about this one?

Steeltrap · #12 03-08-2002, 03:12 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by librasoul22

Anyways, I found it interesting, I am reading a book that compares and contrasts the efforts of Martin and Malcolm. MLK, Jr. said that the only integration that worked for whites is token integration. Exhibit A...

Also, I think that the melanin-challenged class (whites aren't a majority any more in California) is much more comfortable with integration in theory, rather than in actual practice.

ClassyLady · #13 03-09-2002, 01:10 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by prayerfull
'Ole Nessa is in for a rude awakening when she wakes up and realizes that her name is NESSA Johnson, and not Suzy White.

CTFU CTFU CTFU CTFU CTFU CTFU!!!!!

MisplacedGam · #14 03-09-2002, 01:21 AM

Maybe this is an opportunity to change things from the inside out. This is obviously a drastic change in this organizations history, but it is the future that we have to look on to. You can't right the past, but you can make the future anything you want. And this changes will not happen overnight, its a constant struggle against adversity in this day and age, and the only way to fight it is drastic change....
thats just my 2 cents
tori

jali0004 · #15 03-09-2002, 07:28 PM

Quote:

"For them to offer a gesture, they were reaching out a hand to me. Who was I to say, 'No thank you,"' she said.

If they were to offer a generous piece of s**t, would she take it??

Quote:

"If they are my ancestors, I am part of what caused slavery," she said. "What can I do about it now?"

Is it just me, or is she trying to switch to the other side now?? I am all for someone connecting with their past, and their culture, but what her illegitmate great-great uncles did, does not make her to blame for slavery. What about all the other black folx that got "white" in them from slavery times?? Are we ALL to blame for slavery now?? I just don't get it...