Author listens to 'Voices'

Eighty-eight years before Rosa Parks' celebrated act of civil disobedience sparked the Montgomery Bus Boycott, and by extension the civil rights movement, a valiant black Charlestonian named Mary P. Bowers refused to relinquish her seat on a segregated streetcar.

Damon Fordham tells this story of defiance, and those of others swimming against the tides of prejudice, in "Voices of Black South Carolina: Legend & Legacy" (History Press). But harbored here also are stories of compassion and cooperation, of noteworthy achievement. While South Carolina historians as a group might have been aware of some of these narratives, most of the public is not, the author says.

"Yet some of the stories in the book are not even known to most historians. They were things I heard from older storytellers such as my father. Then I performed research on them in old microfilm, old newspapers and the like. In many cases, a lot of these stories had not been brought to light in 70 or 80 years."

Born in Spartanburg and raised in Mount Pleasant, Fordham teaches U.S., African-American and world history at Springfield College in North Charleston. Closely associated with the Avery Research Center for African-American History and Culture, he also works with the Trident Literacy Association, through whose auspices he teaches inmates GED (General Educational Development) skills at the Charleston County Detention Center. Over the past two years, Fordham has helped 20 inmates earn high school equivalency status.

His previous books include "True Stories of Black South Carolina" and, as co-author, "Born to Serve: History of the WEMBC" (Women's Educational and Missionary Baptist Convention). The idea for "Voices," a companion piece to "True Stories," has been percolating since 2003.

"I wanted to do a documentary-type history of South Carolina through letters and speeches, materials I had assembled by 2004," Fordham says. "The people at History Press advised me that it would be better to put some of that material into anecdote form, which I began doing in 2007. That resulted in my last book, 'True Stories,' as well as the current one."

The anecdotal approach, with stories cross-referenced and verified as much as possible, felt appropriate to Fordham.

"I grew up in a culture that was rich in storytelling. My dad was a great storyteller. It works for me both in teaching classes and in writing books. It's where I feel I'm most effective. Most historians write for other historians. I write for the average Joe. The people who are not exposed to histories on a regular basis are the ones I feel really need to see this kind of material."

Accessibility is one of his principal goals.

"The anecdotal style is engaging to the reader, as the first book proved. Often, when I discuss such things as the fact that we had a large number of African-Americans who ran the state during Reconstruction, that we had a black lieutenant governor for a while, that you actually had white teachers in black schools in the late 1800s and black students at the University of South Carolina, it's shocking to the average person. But it's common knowledge among those who are students of South Carolina history."

Ranging from the letters of black soldiers during the Civil War, which bring an amplified personal element to the telling of their stories, to voices of protest and dissent, hope and progress, "Voices of Black South Carolina" is Fordham's testament to the human dimension of history.

"People in Charleston may know of Septima Clark, Philip Simmons, Robert Smalls and others, but what I try to do here is present some lesser-known aspects of these people. Apart from conversations with Mr. Simmons, I spoke with people who had some really fascinating experiences with Ms. Clark, for example, that had not been written down."

The centerpiece of his book is twofold. The first is composed of chapters in which Fordham deals with educators who tried to make the education of African-Americans meaningful in the midst of Reconstruction.

"People such as Dr. Benjamin Mays, who was originally from Greenwood, and Elizabeth Wright, the founder of Voorhees College in Denmark, S.C. The stories of these people are largely untold. Second, a story I think is really important is how when Ben Tillman tried to bring Jim Crow laws and disenfranchisement of black people to South Carolina, how Smalls, Thomas Miller, William Whipper and others didn't just take that lying down. They rose up in the state House to try to stop it."

Fordham says he tries to hew to a middle ground with the book, not glorifying or romanticizing on the one hand or condemning on the other.

"But it's pretty obvious that some people, by their actions, are more heroic than others. The record speaks for itself."

The afterword of the book was penned by Fordham three hours after Barack Obama was elected president. With "Voices," he wants to show the progression from the post-slavery period to recent times, "to understand that not only has this country come a long way but to also understand that there are sides to the story that most people don't know. Even during a time of horrible relations between the races there were also periods of cooperation that I document. You can learn from the mistakes and build on the successes."

Next up for Fordham is a book based on the folktales his father, Abraham Fordham, told him as a child. The theme: the importance of storytelling.

"It will be somewhat different from my earlier books. It was listening to all these stories while growing up that got me interested in history. Some of the stories are from the oral tradition, and some were based on events Dad actually witnessed. Then, in about two years, I'll return to the format of 'Voices' for a third and final installment."

Reach Bill Thompson at bthompson@postandcourier.com or 937-5707.