Dr. Leonard Jeffries: The Challenge of Blackness

Object Details

Creator: Anacostia Neighborhood Museum
Names: Anacostia Community Museum; Anacostia Neighborhood Museum; Jeffries, Leonard; Kinard, John, 1936-1989
Collection Creator: Anacostia Community Museum

Place: Anacostia (Washington, D.C.); Washington (D.C.); United States; Africa

Topic: African Americans; Race; Exploitation; Socialization; Black people -- History; Black people -- Study and teaching; Slave trade; Slavery

See more items in: Museum Events, Programs, and Projects, 1967-1989; Museum Events, Programs, and Projects, 1967-1989 / Recordings of lectures

Citation: Dr. Leonard Jeffries: The Challenge of Blackness, Record Group AV09-023, Anacostia Community Museum Archives, Smithsonian Institution.

Scope and Contents: Dr. Leonard Jeffries talks about the challenge of blackness and the struggle for the control of the mind. He discusses systems of mutual and collective support as well as the system of exploitation originating from European and African slave trade as early as 1482. Jeffries states the challenge of blackness is to deal with the system of exploitation and the greatest control of the system which is the control of the mind. He discusses ways to break the control through a constant effort to change and resocialize our value system, and to develop a socialization process that implants positive values. Jeffries also explains the differences in the value systems of the African-Asiatic tradition and the Euro-American tradition; and provides an overview of early African and American history as related to slave trade and land settlement throughout his lecture. Introduction by John Kinard.; Lecture. Part of ACM Museum Events, PR, and Ceremonies Recordings. AV003079: part 1. AV003540: part 2. AV003103: part 3. Dated 19780606.

Collection Restrictions: Use of the materials requires an appointment. Some items are not accessible due to obsolete format and playback machinery restrictions. Please contact the archivist at acmarchives@si.edu.