Index

Cadet, Heindl, Kagawa, Tilev

Gardner Rogers

Rhetoric 105, Section S1

24 February 2004

Mouth To Mouth

On the hot day of August 2, 1943, a racial storm brewed within Harlem, New York.  With the Detroit riots in just weeks past, the white and black people of Harlem felt a mutual, chaotic animosity towards each other.  As a result, the Harlem race riots of 1943 occurred just before James Baldwin’s 19th birthday, which was also the day of his father’s death.  Leaving a devastating gash in the hearts of Harlem natives and the American people, this event not only touched the lives of Harlem’s residents, but also exhibited a picture to the world regarding American race relations.

As the “Official Response to the Detroit Riot,” the Harlem race riots certainly exceeded the physical and emotional destruction the Detroit riot caused.  With “six persons [dead], several hundreds injured, and approximately two million dollars’ worth of property [was] damaged,” the riots proved to be an explosion of frustration violence and contradiction (Capeci xi).  With an unclear beginning, this event proved to be a culmination of small situations that spawned from hot tempers, gossip, and neighboring race riots. 

  Even seeming “facts” about the start of the Harlem riot need to be questioned.  The alarming part is that they all seem to come from what should be fairly reputable sources.  The Facts On File contains numbers quite different than those listed in The Harlem Riot Of 1943.    Facts On File states that there were “5 dead, 500 injured and 500 jailed in 12 hours…” (“Facts” 242).  The cost of all of the rioting also differs with “Facts” saying the damages were closer to five million dollars.  These glaring differences could have occurred for varying reasons from publication dates to possible confused exaggerations.

Tying into “Notes of a Native Son,” Baldwin specifically cites the Harlem race riots when he references his father’s death and mother’s expectancy.  In the essay, Baldwin uses his parents and the people of Harlem as parallels.  Regarding his parents, Baldwin states that his father was holding back death, while his mother awaits her newborn.  As a parallel, in “Notes” the population of Harlem proved to be waiting as well.  “All of Harlem, indeed seemed to be infected by waiting.  I had never before known it to be so violently still” (Baldwin 73).  The riot can be thought of as a sort of birth as well.  When there is such a violent upheaval as this, there is bound to be a new beginning.  Even Baldwin’s wording of what happened, that “Harlem exploded[,]”  can also be a symbol of what happens when a baby is born (Baldwin 81). 

Similarly, in the book Harlem At War, it explains how citizens of Harlem awaited a perfect reason to trigger their emotions in order to rebel.  For example, a black soldier and his mother entered a hotel in Harlem.  With unclear versions of the truth, an argument sparked between an African American female hotel guest and a Caucasian police officer.  With profanities thrown everywhere, the soldier felt his duty was to come to the aide of the young African American woman after she yelled “protect me from this white man” (Brandt 185)!  After trying to intervene, the police officer threatened the soldier with his nightstick.  Because the soldier felt offended, he retaliated by arguing and striking the police officer with his own nightstick.  Once the soldier thought he had knocked the officer unconscious, he sprinted from the crime scene.  Shortly after, the police officer pulled his revolver and shot the soldier in the arm.  The gunshot attracted numerous passers by, while both the soldier and officer rushed to a nearby hospital.

A rumor brewed that “[a] white policeman had killed a black soldier” as a large crowd gathered in the streets of Harlem (Brandt 186).  When a glass bottle shattered on the wall of the hospital, citizens interpreted it as “a signal for chaos” (Brandt 186).  Erupting into a belligerent mob, rioters destroyed Harlem with fury.  “Within minutes, 125th Street was in shambles” and Harlem was completely shattered (Brandt 188).  

In addition, the element that separated the Harlem race riots from previous race riots, was the use of guns.  Because people had never experienced the element of gun use, many people were afraid to leave their offices and homes.  For instance, Evelyn Cunningham, who worked for the Pittsburgh Courier, witnessed the increasing commotion from her office.  Under any other circumstances, Cunningham and her co-workers would have left the office to cover the story.  On the contrary, the uncommon sound of gunfire frightened the reporters and made them stay in their offices (Brandt 187).

Using the Detroit riot as past precedent, the mayor of Harlem, Fiorello H. La Guardia, had implemented plans to eliminate the riots.  This appeal was signed on Friday August 13th, by 138 prominent Americans and was issued in New York. This plan asked for Federal, state, and local governments to “use all wisdom” to prevent repetitions of the Detroit race riots, even as the remnants of the Harlem riots still claimed the streets (“Facts” 259). A quote like this seems ironic, because the Harlem riots involved guns, making it even more violent than the Detroit riots.

While researching the Harlem race riots, it is evident that no one knew the definite truth.  Everything appeared to be a story, instead of a fact.  Holding on to these discrepancies made it difficult for the truth to be discovered and publicized.  The Harlem riot is a perfect parallel to Baldwin’s independence.  The reader can see this reflection through “Notes of a Native Son” and his family situation.  In order to understand Baldwin’s life, he compares his family and the riot. Because of the powerful catastrophes of life and death that occur within them, Baldwin has grasped key elements in explaining his life.

Works Cited

Baldwin, James.  “Notes of a Native Son.”  1955.  James Baldwin: Collected Essays.  Ed. Toni         Morrison.  New York: Library of America, 1998.  63-84.

Brandt, Nat.  Harlem at War:  The Black Experience in WWII.  New York: Syracuse UP, 1996.

Capeci, Dominic J. Jr.  The Harlem Riot of 1943.  Philadelphia: Temple UP, 1977.

Facts on File 1943.  1943.