Letter to James G. Spady March 17 1983

Resource added
340 E. 90th St., 3B New York, N.Y. 10028 17 March 1983 Mr. James G. Spady Black History/History Museum Committee P.O. Box 15057 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19130 Dear Mr. Spady: Thanks very much for sending me a copy of Sterling A. Brown: A Umum Tribute--and for finding time to include in it my poem "'We Shall Overcome': A Smile for the 1960s." The book has a good deal of value because of the inclusive- ness of the contents: both well-known and little-known works by and about that important man. Any student doing research on him or on Black American literature in general should see the book or at least know how to get it. I have delayed so long in writing you of the receipt of the book because, shortly after receiving it, my mental energy was consumed by facts that I learned near the start of this second semester at CCNY: my son James was badly beaten, for obviously racist reasons--manifest in the police report that I have--by three cops in a San Diego, California, park. He suffered a two-inch skull fracture. Later, while staying with relatives in Niles, Michigan, he brooded over his mis- treatment to such an extent that he committed suicide--shot himself to death. I cannot recover from this brutality, after all the racist injuries that I myself have suffered over the years, to sufficiently to feel any peace of mind in the U.S.A. This is especially true since I regard the police establish- ment as almost criminal in its mentality--regarding Black people, especially--and as almost immune in activities of redress. My main thoughts are of leaving the country again, to resume my poetry writing in a more nearly humane environ- ment. You might like to know that my latest book, A Poet's Mind, has just been released by Regents Publishing Company, Inc., 2 Park Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10016. I've given you a brief indication of its form and content before, I think. I now value it especially because of the role that my son James played in the book: poems about him, as well as other matter. And a good photo of him, as a high school graduate, leads into the final chapter. ... Best wishes to you. Sincerely, James A. Emanuel -S. Lotus Press says that my new -ems, The Broken Bowl, will come out May or June.

Full description

Typed letter to James G. Spady from James Emanuel, dated March 17, 1983. Emanuel tells Spady of the police brutality his son James faced, and how he shortly committed suicide as a result.

Comments

Log in to view and add comments.

Annotations

No one has annotated a text with this resource yet.

  • type
    Image
  • created on
  • file format
    jpg
  • file size
    23 MB
  • container title
    James A. Emanuel Papers
  • creator
    James A. Emanuel
  • issue
    Box 3 Folder 25 Spady, James G., 1972-1983
  • rights
    James A. Emanuel Estate
  • rights holder
    James A. Emanuel Estate
  • version
    17-Mar-83