Prior to the revolutionary times of the sixties, African Americans may have felt greater societal pressure to assimilate in order to be accepted by their white counterparts and regarded as respectable individuals. African American men and women who have acquired financial wealth and living as middle-class citizens spent time and money to achieve the look [...]
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A popular method of hair treatment for African-American men during this time was the conk. A chemical relaxer is applied to the hair to straighten curly or kinky hair. These concoctions, typically consisting of lye, were very damaging to the hair. The process was frequently repeated to keep the hair straight and repair damage caused [...] In the study of African American history, the topic of hair may seem at first insignificant. However, the politics of hair has been written about and discussed by various African American scholars and authors, as it is linked with social and personal acceptance for African Americans. The first image below shows soldiers boarding a transport ship, while in the second photo men are relaxing on the deck of a ship. We are not sure whether it is the same ship in both pictures, and we do not know whether the men are shipping out from the United States or are on [...] While the Selective Service Act of 1940—which established the first peace-time draft of men into the armed forces—banned racial discrimination in the recruitment and training of soldiers, segregation of the various units in the military was still a reality. As we have seen in some of the images in previous posts, Walter Lawrence Smith appears [...] What was he thinking? In archival terms, what of the original order in which Walter Lawrence Smith bound the photographs he had taken? Upon opening the military photo album, these are the first faces to greet you. Imagine you came across the following photos. You have already deduced that Mr. Smith was in Japan immediately following World War II. What guesses can you make about what the scenes depict? Are these buildings simply ruins? What do you think happened to them? Drawing information together from the various pictures we can make assumptions that the [...] The image below shows Walter Lawrence Smith standing on a monument. The style of the monument and the text carved into the stone to Smith’s left provide some indication of where he was likely stationed. The carved symbols, called kanji, represent Japanese text and tell us that the monument was built in the thirteenth year [...] Mr. Smith’s discharge paper identifies him as being “Tec 4 Signal Corps.” The Signal Corps is the branch of the United States Army that generally manages communication and other aspects of military intelligence. The “Tec 4″ is short for “Technician Fourth Class” and identifies both Smith’s pay level and rank. Tec 4 was the equivalent [...] This studio portrait is a 5 x 7, black & white print of a woman wearing a cross necklace identified as Adeline Davis residing at 469 E. Willis. Little else is known about the subject. Help us solve the mystery surrounding this individual. |
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