March 15, 2024
Also attending my niece’s inauguration as president of Harvey Mudd College were my two wonderful cousins from Gray, GA (who also attended my commencement address at the University of Georgia in December). At Harvey Mudd, they ran into Barbara Krauthamer, Emory University’s Dean of Arts and Sciences. It was an amazing experience. One of my cousins had seen Dr Krathamer’s lecture on C-Span on photographs of blacks during and post slavery and was stunned to meet her. The reason is that the last photo in Krathamer’s book – one that she spent some time on in the lecture – was that of my cousins’ maternal great grand mother, Minerva Graves Black. I was also stunned because in the photo are her two children. The boy is her son, Frank Black who married my grandfather’s sister and is my grandfather’s brother-in-law. I knew her and often visited her on our trips to Gray. I recall her has being one of the most beautiful women I had ever seen. She was especially close to my mother. Note that Minerva Graves Black and her husband were not related to my father who was from Americus, GA. This is why I tell people that I have Blacks on both sides of the family. Isn’t it a small world? Krauthamer has a slew of wonderful lectures on the south and slavery of blacks including being slaves of Native Americans. Here is the lecture which I recommend highly that you take time to view. photo. https://www.c-span.org/video/?410238-1/emancipation-legacy-photos
haroldblackphd.com 