first course reading

.British heiress Nancy Cunard in Harlem circa 1930s.

I don't remember the first time I heard the words "Miss Anne," the dismissive nickname used for a white woman or white girl. I do recall being intrigued when a colleague told me about Carla Kaplan's recently published study on an untold narrative: white women in 1930s Harlem. Most people who are familiar with the life of African American novelist-playwright Zora Neale Hurston have heard of Charlotte Mason, a patron of Hurston's during this period. I'd heard, too, of Nancy Cunard, a wealthy British woman and activist, who - like Mason - figures into the story of black arts in Harlem. While reading the opening pages of Miss Anne in Harlem, I couldn't help but think about the ruckus surrounding Miley Cyrus' music and videos of late. I decided to pair the first chapter of this book with one Cyrus video as a means of initiating this course's interest in race and the urban space in the United States. I look forward to meeting the students this coming Wednesday and discussing these and other issues.