Browse Items (55 total)

The author of this poem claims that she is "an Asian who wants to be white" and begins the poem with the choice, "I want to be more American." When asked what's stopping her, though, she responds, "That's not who I am." The root of her desire to be…

This "Old Piedmont Negro dialect" poem was written by a white male student masquerading as a black storyteller. Its title refers to the fictional central character, Nias, an enslaved black man who is characterized as an unintelligent, unhygenic, yet…

This sketch (a brief, abstract descriptive poem) begins with the "fear of a black" that is then related to the prevention of typhoid, which "results in the American Army." The three words of "Negro / Mister / Coffee" follow the words "They mystify."…

This untitled black and white photograph featured in the Fall 1994 issue of the Messenger depicts three unnamed black boys. No location is given. This piece was paired with the short story "The Tobacco Road," which is about a white woman being…

This 1907 Messenger essay details the University's history as it is described as a matter of great interest to students and the community. Among the history of the foundation of the college, there is discussion of a "colored" server named Tom who Mr.…

This cartoon shows a white ventriloquist agreeing to his sentiment of, "We were all mighty happy until we were interfered with... Weren't we?" with a blackface-wearing ventriloquist's dummy. This refers to forced integration that occurred in public…

These illustrations, one of a white woman, one of a black woman, one of a white man, and one of a black man, accompany quotes from social scientists denying any difference in intelligence based on race. These statements conclude that the belief that…

This sketch preceding the Campus Notes section of The Messenger depicts two Asian people: one is dressed in a gown with a sword on his lap as the other, dressed as a clown, is jumping over or balancing on his head. This illustration is unrelated to…

This short story is a retelling of the myth of Perseus and Medusa, written in black American dialect by a white student. The young women in the tale are oversexualized and the narrator exhibits colorism by referring to Polydectes's "high yaller"…

This picture of an African-American cook was paired with a Messenger piece titled "Slater Report" on the Slater dining facility and its staff. The picture fails to have a caption, and therefore the cook remains nameless.