#The Waylanders Early Access

[publiccollectors]

Providence! I'm having an exhibit and I'm coming to your city for a quick visit this week. It would be great to meet you at Paper Nautilus on Thursday night. Jan 19, 2023, 6-8 PM!

Protest Grim Reapers Archival Press Photos from Public Collectors

On view Jan 19 – Feb 28, 2023 Reception Jan 19, 6-8pm Paper Nautilus Books, Wayland Square 19 South Angell Street, Providence, RI, 02906

The Public Collectors project Protest Grim Reapers is a dive into the world of discarded and resold press photo archives. This exhibit reproduces details from 27 press photos of the famed Pale Horse rider, spanning from the late 1960s to the early 1990s. Across six of New England’s coldest weeks, we’ll get cozy with the documented personification of death in a neighborhood bookshop. From the back cover of the book that accompanies this collection: The grim reaper is an enduring figure at demonstrations. The reaper—or sometimes simply an angel of death—appears at protests for any cause where the gravity of a death figure feels appropriate. The reaper traditionally carries a scythe and wears a black hood and a skull mask or skull face paint, but sometimes the scythe is replaced with a different symbolic object.  For the past four years I have been collecting press photos of grim reapers at protests against hunger, radioactive waste, animal abuse, the death penalty, the Vietnam war, the closing of a Chrysler plant, demands for clean air and water, restrictions on abortion and more. These older press photos are routinely sold on the secondary market by dealers that acquire the archives of newspapers, or others that have purged their file copies. The dates of these photos reflect the availability of darkroom prints and wirephotos, taken before digital photography became dominant at most news outlets.  In recent years, the grim reaper has been in the news when people wearing this costume attended protests against keeping beaches and schools open during the COVID-19 pandemic. In general, the reaper tells spectators: ‘I am here because this is a matter or life or death for someone or something. I don’t want to be here, but because of you, your corporation, your politicians, or your crimes against humanity, my presence is justified. If this wasn’t deadly serious, I would have stayed at home or worn something else.’  — Marc Fischer / Public Collectors

Marc Fischer is the administrator of Public Collectors, an initiative he formed in 2007. Public Collectors aims to encourage greater access and scholarship for marginal cultural materials, particularly those that museums ignore. Public Collectors’ work includes the Library Excavations publication series and web project, Quaranzine—which produced 100 single page publications with over 75 collaborators at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, and Malachi Ritscher—a project about the late Chicago music documentarian and activist, produced for the 2014 Whitney Biennial. In addition to Public Collectors, Fischer is also a member of the group Temporary Services (founded in 1998) and a partner in its publishing imprint Half Letter Press (ongoing since 2008). He is based in Chicago. www.publiccollectors.org

[silentgameplays]

Dead Lock Early Access Linux Performance Wayland

[annfurry0022]

Notable Figures from Ashland, Ohio: Past and Present.

Located in north-central Ohio, Ashland is a town rich in history and home to numerous individuals who have made significant contributions to various fields. From its founding to the present day Ohio, Ashland has produced notable figures who have left lasting legacies. Let's explore some of these remarkable individuals.

Past Figures:

Clarence Beebe: A prominent figure in Ashland's early history, Beebe was one of the town's founding fathers. He played a crucial role in establishing Ashland as a center for education and culture.

Charles F. Kettering: Born in Loudonville, near Ashland, Kettering was a prolific inventor and engineer. He is best known for inventing the electric starter, which revolutionized the automotive industry. Kettering's contributions extended beyond automotive technology, including developments in aviation and medicine.

Francis Wayland Parker: Though not a native of Ashland, Parker spent a significant portion of his career in the town. He was an influential educator and a pioneer of progressive education. Parker's ideas and methods had a profound impact on the American education system.

Robert Byrd: A distinguished politician, Byrd served as a United States Senator from West Virginia for over half a century. Although not originally from Ashland, Byrd attended law school at Ashland College (now Ashland University), leaving a mark on the town's academic legacy.

Present Figures:

Jon Hamilton: A renowned artist and sculptor, Hamilton has gained recognition for his intricate bronze sculptures depicting scenes from Ashland's history. His works can be found throughout the town, enriching its cultural landscape.

Dr. Sarah Thompson: As a leading physician and community advocate, Dr. Thompson has dedicated her career to improving healthcare access and outcomes in Ashland. She has been instrumental in implementing initiatives aimed at addressing public health challenges and promoting wellness.

Michael Stevens: An accomplished author and historian, Stevens has authored several books chronicling the history of Ashland and its surrounding areas. Through his writings, he has helped preserve the town's heritage and fostered an appreciation for its past among residents and visitors alike.

Emily Carter: A rising star in the field of environmental science, Carter conducts research on sustainable agriculture practices at Ashland University. Her work has the potential to benefit local farmers and contribute to efforts aimed at mitigating environmental impact.

Conclusion:

From its earliest days to the present, Ashland, Ohio, has been home to a diverse array of remarkable individuals who have left indelible marks on the town and beyond. Whether through their inventions, ideas, or community contributions, these notable figures have helped shape Ashland's identity and legacy. As the town continues to evolve, it is certain that future generations will build upon the foundation laid by these inspiring individuals.

[jackdawyt]

I am beyond privileged to share my very Early Access impressions of The Waylanders, thanks to the developers at Gato Studio who gave me an early key. 

The Waylanders is a party-based RPG set in the Celtic and Medieval eras, inspired by classics like Dragon Age: Origins, Neverwinter Nights 2, and The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. I’ve only played the first 10 hours of this game, and I’ve fallen for it. It’s very apparent that the developers of The Waylanders love Dragon Age. And so, to anyone who loves Dragon Age, will love The Waylanders.

I’ve played prologue and the very few early hours of the game which are in early access, meaning there’s plenty of work that needs to be done and nothing in the game is final. However, I was able to get an amazing feel for what the finished game will look like, and believe me when I say, this is the Dragon Age successor we’re all looking for.  

Character

Upon starting the game, you’re taken to a very recognizable character creator, clearly inspired by Dragon Age: Origins. You can choose between a male/female body, four races, six classes, and then an origin story based on each of those choices.  

The races in Waylanders are rather distinct, as opposed to traditional DND races like elves, humans and dwarves. Here we have the choice between human, werewolf, mourian and semi-fomorian.  

The classes are rather straight forward, each of them have unique weapons, abilities and features. As an example, Rangers have the Pets feature which allows them to have animal companions, and Sorcerers can teleport using their specific magic feature.  

You can customise your character with a few hairstyles, facial types, different skin tones, eye, hair and facial hair colours.  

You can then apply more points into your statistics based on your race and class. And the final aspect of customisation is your identity, where you choose your name, pronouns and voice.  

The voice is just for grunting noises in combat, I believe the game follows a silent protagonist so you can make up your own voice.  

After making those final decisions, you’re given a cute lore character summary, backing up each choose you’ve made for your PC. Now your adventure can begin.  

Story

The story is told through a plentiful of cutscenes and long dialogue interactions, of course, just what Dragon Age fans love. I found each of them engaging and I was hooked from the start really.  

I’ve played the prologue twice, and a few blocked out side quests that are still in very early alpha. The story starts with the Spanish Celtic tribes arriving at Ireland to meet and convey a union with their gods. However, things don’t go according to plan, as you can imagine.  

What’s fascinating about The Waylanders compared to Dragon Age for example, is that the lore is steeped in Irish and Spanish folk lore. We discover many legends like ‘The Tuatha D�� Danann’. Which means ‘the tribe of the gods’ in Old Gaelic. It’s exciting lore that actually exists in some of the real world’s sub-cultures today.

The setting of the game is based in medieval Galicia, which is in Spain. The developers are actually from Spain, the stories they’re telling throughout The Waylanders are tales each of them has grown up with.  

I won’t say much more on the main story, other than the protagonist has a mystery that reminds me of Kingdoms Of Amular Reckoning. Of course, another stellar RPG that takes pinches from Dragon Age: Origins.  

The plot seems to surround a lot of time travel themes, going forward and back in time, with many choices and consequences taking effect from your decisions.

As a whole, the writing is excellent. And that’s expected due to the fact that Chris Avellone, best known for writing Fallout: New Vegas, took the helm. Alongside with him, Ex-Telltale's Emily Grace Book who’s the fabulous Narrative Lead.  

Not to mention Mike Laidlaw aided to team with his creative vison to “create a high-level narrative and to structure the game and the story.”

And if that’s not enough, Dragon Age veteran Inon Zur composed the soundtrack of The Waylanders too, which is just beautiful.  

I want to share more about the main characters. So far, they’re compelling, even in just the first hour, I found myself latching onto each of them, with their many different personalities.

In my opinion, the dialogue holds the game up, I found myself engaging in every single conversation I could, interacting with every character. I’d say my favourite character so far is Nazhedja. Naz for short.

She’s very intriguing! Being a mourian, she’s immortal, though she composes herself as a charming and relatable individual.  

The voice cast is amazing and familiar with the likes of Simon Templeman, known for playing Loghain in Dragon Age taking the role of the Celtic Druid Amergin. Personally, as a Brit, I fell in love with hearing so many of my countries’ varying accents.

And apparently there will absolutely be romance in the game, however, it’s not in the alpha stages. But we can all look forward to that!  

Gameplay

The Waylanders gameplay centres on building up the narrative, there’s an emphasis on interactive conversations. You’ll spend a fair amount of time asking questions and getting to know each of the characters in this world, building bonds and shaping the story.  

The game has a linear feel to it, however, once the prologue is done, you can explore many of the hub areas. Very much like Dragon Age: Origins. The world is lush to explore, and the art style is fantastic. It has a cartoony feel to it.  

While exploring the stunning areas, you can switch the camera’s placement for a more isometric feel, or stick to a more third person feel, whatever suits your playstyle. This is an amazing quality of life feature, that I think other games like this need to adopt.  

There’s a huge codex, which updates frequently after conversations. It’s a wonderful touch, I spent plenty of time reading each of the characters and their backstories.  

Combat

The combat is rough around the edges and it can be hard to properly aim and target your opponents. Too often I’d cast a spell at an offensive enemy, and I’d accidently click and switch to my warrior companion who’s bashing the same enemy in the face.  

You can have up to five party companions at a time. And there are these grouped up attacks you can do as a squad called formations. You band together and attack. It works like a charm.  

The combat does feel very identical to Dragon Age: Origins, even down to the animations of fighting and how long it takes to fire a spell, or shoot an arrow from a bow.  

One of the developers gave me a few console commands for my stream, and I was able to see what animal pets we could have, I was very surprised with the amount of animal companions you can have. There’s even a dragon!  

Each of the classes prove to be very unique, in my two playthroughs, I played as a Sourcer and a Rogue. I loved the individual features each class provides whether it’s a passive or an actual ability, each class have dynamic ways to stand out. And of course, if you’re undecided which class to play, Waylanders is a party-based RPG, you’ll always have a companion with a different class you can switch to and play as.  

Summary

In summary, judging the early hours of The Waylanders, the game has very reminiscent systems and gameplay that anyone who’s played Dragon Age will find themselves familiar with. However, the game has proven itself to be original with its engaging story, intriguing characters and unique lore.  

Of course, the game is in its early access alpha stages, and there are plenty of bugs and things that need further improvement. But I can see the heart and passion that has gone behind this game, and that’s what I’ve grown to like about this game.  

I’d say to anyone who’s a huge fan of Dragon Age: Origins, why not go and give The Waylanders a shot. The game launches on Steam’s Early Access store on June 16th, support this game as it grows throughout development, and releases as an epic Dragon Age successor.  

[gamefanatics]

The Waylanders: Dragon Age But Make It Celtic

The Waylanders: Dragon Age But Make It Celtic

The Waylanders is an upcoming fantasy RPG with heavy Dragon Age: Origins and Baldur’s Gateinfluences with a Celtic flair. The game started out with its Kickstarter back in 2018 and now Gato Studio has released an alpha version on Steam’s Early Access. That being said, the current release is exactly what they said. Rough, unfinished, yet promising early access. Currently hyper-realistic, gritty…

[rpgchoices]

These are the games I added in the “soon to come out rpg in 2020″, so I just thought I would check them again and see what news were there! I will put in bold the games that are out.

USELESS RPGS RECS NOT REALLY RECS. UPCOMING RPGS FOR 2020 2022/2023 UPDATE

Pendula Swing: The Complete Journey = The game is out on steam! It has some extra (mostly aesthetic) bonus stuff compared to the episodic version of it. Definitely recommend it!

The Waylanders = an isometric rpg with time travelling, companions and romance. The game is out but it does not have good review, I will probably not check it out any time soon.

GameDec = cyberpunk rpg where you solve crimes. I recently played it and I definitely recommend it, it has an interesting storyline and some nice endings too. Probably my favourite of the new games in this list.

Zoria: Age of Shattering =  This is an isometric rpg, not a lot of info out. The date is set for 2023.

The Iron Oath = a pixel-arty isometric rpg, with turn based combat with the promise of party characters with personalities and banter! The game is out for Early Access and the review mentions that there are no characters at all, so I won't be checking this out and I will take this out of future updates unless something changes.

Project Witchstone = another isometric rpg with turn based combat, this one does not have a lot of story or plot information out, still no date yet.

Death Trash = pixel art, isometric rpg in a post apocalyptic world. The game is out for Early Access and it seems to have positive reviews.

Baldur’s Gate 3 = This game has been out in Early Access for about two years, no date for release yet.

Colony Ship = isometric and party based, 12 recruitable companions and turn based combat. The game is out, but the reviews don't really mention characters but mention combat-focused reviews, so I am not sure how much characterization there is. I will probably try it.

Dark Envoy =  I really enjoyed their previous rpg Tower of Time even if the ending was disappointing. It will come out in 2023.

Tainted Grail: Conquest = inspired and reimagining of arthurian legends, party based isometric rpg where you have to investigate what is happening to Avalon post-King Arthur. The game is out... but they also announced a future Tainted Grail: The Fall of Avalon. No review mention characters so I will probably not check this out and exclude this from future lists.

Gatewalkers = I added this game before realizing it’s an RPG Co-Op… so… ignore this, I suppose, unless you really love cooperative games. Planned release date is 2023.

Realms Beyond = This game is gone, people abandoned the project. More info here.

The Hand of Merlin = this arthurian inspired rpg has been in development for a long time, and is finally out. I will probably check this out.

The Way of Wrath = party based turn based rpg where you have to lead your people to safety! It seems to be very story heavy, and similar to Expeditions: Viking. No release date yet.

OTHER GAMES:

Black Geyser: The game is out! It is nice, very generic fantasy story, some characters but not too much.

Solasta: The game is out! I would not recommend it tho, the characters are very minimal and the world feels lifeless.

[blubberquark]

Normal People

Be very careful when people who are themselves professional software developers tell you what kind of features “normal people“ want. They will tell you “normal people don’t care about performance“ or “normal people don’t care about accessibility for screen readers“ or “normal people don’t need standards-compliant html, because they don’t look at the error console“. All too often, they are trying to sound smart, or they are trying to pull the wool over your eyes.

Normal people around the world are still using spinning-platter hard drives, they are still squinting at 720p monitors, they are still using Wii browser, they are running Windows 7, they still have a single-core Atom processor. Normal people cared very much when Snap on Ubuntu made Chromium take a minute to launch.

It’s the tech-savvy early adopters who have 8TB NVMe drives and threadrippers with eight memory channels to access 64GB of RAM. It’s the tech-savvy early adopters who need Wayland because of colour management on their HDR monitor and mixed refresh rates between their 4K TV, their 1440p external screen, and their 1080p 240hz laptop display.

You can usually turn these arguments around. Normal users don’t care that an application is installed via .rpm or .deb files from the distro package manager instead of flatpak, as long as it works. Normal people don’t care that X11 is “a design from the 80s“. Normal people don’t care about systemd-journald using an efficient binary file format. Normal people don’t care about docker, your test suite, your build system, your CI pipeline. And so on, ad nauseam.

Oh wait. Turns out normal people do care about your build system, and it better not be something esoteric that isn’t available on Debian Buster or that requires root privileges to run! Normal people care about segfaults, even if they don’t care about the test suite.

That doesn’t mean that meson, docker, wayland and pipewire aren’t the future, but it means that proponents of shiny new technologies are often making non-sequitur arguments in favour of that point.

What does this mean for game design?

In game design, you should take arguments about “normal people” with a grain of salt. It was enlightening to do play testing sessions or focus groups with random normal people off the street every once in a while to get a reality check - before Covid anyway. You should also ask your fellow game developers if they are talking about what normal people care about, what normal people complain about, or what causes the problems normal people have, and how they know.

As with all other software, people will probably not list “security“ or “parsing” (surprise shoutout to http://langsec.org/ because this is my blog and you can’t stop me) as a main feature they want in a game, but they will definitely blame you if they get hacked and lose their bitcoins because your battle royale has a bug in the netcode.

But in addition to these general concerns, play testers always give bad feedback. This is something you have to live with. Feedback from fellow game designers is usually worth much more than feedback from players, from normal people, but as with players, you should try to verify what fellow game designers are telling you.

If a fellow game designer tells you to make your bullets bigger, you can verify this advice by doing an A/B test with regular and big bullets. If a player tells you that the revolver needs to be buffed, you should investigate what in your game design caused this perception and consider making your bullets bigger!

Players will almost never say “I want the bullets to be bigger“. They will ask you to buff the damage of the gun, or to nerf the boss. They will tell you to to give the boss fewer hit points. You always need to apply something that almost looks like Freudian psychoanalysis to player feedback to make sure you understand what’s actually the problem. Sometimes, the solution is to nudge the player to empty the magazine of the rocket launcher during the weak phases, instead of buffing the revolver, and to assure the player that more rocket launcher ammo will drop after the boss fight.

Game designers are much better at feedback. The pattern you need watch out for is “As a game designer, I personally like this and I understand it, but normal people won’t.“

When a game designer tells you “You should make the bullets bigger, or normal people will think this gun is not powerful enough“, or “You should allow to skip this puzzle, or normal people will get stuck and feel frustrated“, that’s a different story. The game designer understands the solution to the puzzle and the DPS of the gun, but thinks normal people don’t. You don’t need to do an A/B test here, you can playtest the game as it is and see if players actually complain about the gun being too weak, or if they can beat the boss. You can still make the bullets bigger, if you want, because it looks cool, but it’s never bad idea to verify whether normal people actually felt that way.

I have run into this problem a couple of times now, with feedback from experienced game developers that said “You should simplify this game mechanic because it’s too complicated and normal people won’t understand it“ after I had designed a tutorial and gotten data from playtests that confirmed players understood it just fine. I have gotten feedback from experienced game designers that said “You should make this puzzle easier or normal people will get stuck“, when normal people tried a bunch of stuff and got to an aha moment.

That doesn’t mean game designers don not know what they are talking about, or that players know more about game design. If a player says something feels wrong, you need to address it. Game designers are much more likely to propose correct solutions, but whenever a game designer tells you players will feel something is wrong, trust, but verify!

[echo-bleu]

Chapters: 7/? Fandom: Shadowhunters (TV) Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Magnus Bane/Alec Lightwood, background clace - Relationship Characters: Alec Lightwood, Magnus Bane, Maryse Lightwood, Jace Wayland, Isabelle Lightwood Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Arranged Marriage, Arranged Marriage, shadow world politics, Fluff and Angst, Hurt/Comfort, a bit of everything, Whumptober 2020, Sort Of, Chronic Pain, Chronic Illness, Disability, Disabled Character, Wheelchair User Alec Lightwood, Autistic Alec Lightwood, Autism, Supportive Magnus Bane, Falling In Love, Slow Burn, probably, Alec Lightwood Deserves Nice Things, Magnus Bane Deserves Nice Things, They get the nice things eventually, Maryse Lightwood Redemption, Past minor character death, Past Death of a child, Ehlers-Danlos syndrome Summary:

In the wake of the Soul Sword Massacre and Valentine's death, the Downworlders of New York push for a renewal of the local Charter with the Institute, and insist on sealing it with a marriage between a Downworlder and a Nephilim. Magnus Bane, tasked with leading the negotiations, finds himself drawn to the Institute's Acting Head Alec Lightwood, who also turns out to the be the Nephilim prospect. Can they work together to make some real changes in the Shadow World relations? Will Magnus be able to find a good match for Alec among the Downworlders?

Chapter 7

The Hunter’s Moon is reasonably quiet early on a Saturday afternoon, soon after opening. Magnus chose this time on purpose. Alec still frowns in surprise as Magnus opens the door — right, maybe Magnus should have warned him. He doubts Alec has ever stepped foot in a Downworlder bar before.

Well, no time like the present.

“Maia!” Magnus calls over the noise of conversations, keeping the door open with magic to let Alec wheel in.

Maia looks up from behind the counter and lights up when she sees Magnus. He tilts his chin down toward Alec, as discreetly as he can, but they’re already attracting a few stares. It’s not every day a Shadowhunter comes to the Hunter’s Moon, and these people have probably never heard of a disabled Shadowhunter. Which is ironic, Magnus thinks, given that Alec is the Head of the Institute and thus the most important Shadowhunter in the city.

Acting Head, he corrects in his mind, since Alec is so intent on this. He’ll only become the full Head when he’s engaged. Which is why they’re here.

Maia nods in understanding and comes out into the room, gracefully navigating between the tables. “Through here,” she indicates the left side of the window wall, where the tables are significantly lower than in the rest of the room, and the space between them large enough for Alec to maneuver. Magnus and Alec follow her to the only free table, which has a large metal Reserved sign on it. Maia scoops it up and drags a chair away for Alec. “We have a few accessible tables that anyone can sit at but we always keep this one reserved.”

“Thank you, Maia,” Magnus smiles at her sweetly. Alec echoes the sentiment with a grateful nod as he wheels up to the table.

“You rarely bring someone here,” Maia quips at Magnus, grabbing a couple of drink menus from a wall stand behind them. “I’ll be back in a minute to take your orders, you don’t need to come up to the bar.”

“I was hoping you could take a break with us at some point,” Magnus says. “Alec is the...Nephilim prospect.”

Read on AO3.

[bytheangell]

I’ll See You When the Violence Ends

(Read on AO3) Square Filled: Enemies to Lovers for @shadowhunterbingo Pairing: Meliorn/Isabelle  Rating: Mature – Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Tags:  Enemies to lovers, alternate timelines, background character death, canon-typical violence  Summary:   With tensions rising between the Nephilim and the Downworlders, Isabelle finds herself inexplicably drawn toward the enemy... or rather, one in particular.  -------------

The first time Isabelle comes across a Downworlder on her own she’s ten years old. She sneaks out in the middle of the night, long after her parents’ normal second round of checks on her and her siblings to make sure they’re actually in bed and not ignoring curfew by going up on the roof or to each other’s rooms.

She’d seen plenty of Downworlders brought into the Institute by the older Shadowhunters - ones who were caught breaking the laws. She often wonders why they can’t just listen, like she does, and stay in line. They’re sentiments she’s heard voiced by her parents: the Downworlders simply don’t know their place, if they’d fall in line they wouldn’t be hunted, wouldn’t be hurt. Isabelle believes that because she doesn’t know any better. After all, she follows the rules and knows her place, and she’s just fine.

Isabelle is too young to be out alone, fresh off her first rune ceremony the week before, but she goes anyway. She’s curious. She doesn’t intend on being seen, she just wants to see, to catch a glimpse for herself of a Seelie just out and about, doing whatever it is they do when they aren’t… well, in trouble.

“You shouldn’t be here,” comes the voice behind her.

Isabelle spins around with a gasp. She hadn’t heard anyone come up behind her, how--

It’s a Seelie Knight. She sees the way he looks down at her, though despite the tone of warning behind his words he looks… amused.

“Aren’t you a little young to be out claiming victims alone at night?” He looks around then, as if expecting someone else to come out of the shadows behind her. “Or is this a set-up? You scream for help, I get taken in for attacking a poor, defenseless Nephilim child?”

“What?” Isabelle manages, confused by his reaction. “No. Why would I do that?”

The Seelie only shakes his head.

“You’re not going to, are you? Attack me?” Isabelle asks uncertainly. She didn’t take any of the weapons because she didn’t want anyone to notice one missing, but now she regrets the decision because the Seelie’s description is right: she is defenseless, at least against someone like him.

“No,” he says. “Contrary to what your people may want you to believe, we aren’t all monsters.”

Isabelle feels relief at that. Seelies can’t lie, so he has to be telling the truth.

“Why are you here?” The Seelie asks her curiously.

Isabelle wonders if there’s an answer she can give that isn’t going to get her into trouble. “I wanted to see for myself,” she admits, a bit cryptically but better than nothing.

“See what?” The Seelie prompts.

“Magic,” Isabelle nearly whispers the word, foreign and taboo. 

The entrances to the Seelie realms are meant to be a sort of magic, as are the wards guarding them. And she knows the Seelies themselves are capable of magic too, usually involving nature… she hoped if she saw some of them, and they didn’t realize she was watching, she might get to see some of it herself and know what all the fuss is about.

She expects him to be angry, but he surprises her again by laughing.

“Magic… like this?”

Isabelle watches as he bends over the smallest bud of a flower to the right of where they stand, cupping his hands over it with so much tenderness and care, then pulling them away to see a new, full bloom.

Her first thought is that it’s beautiful. Her next thought, as sharp as a mental slap, is that she shouldn’t think it’s beautiful. The magic the Downworlders have is a threat, the demonic blood it’s born from an abomination.

Isabelle turns without another word and sprints back to the Institute, checking behind her every so often half-expecting him to be in pursuit.

The Seelie doesn’t follow and Isabelle doesn’t tell anyone about her encounter, not even Alec.

-------------

Isabelle sees many Downworlders after that, sometimes with others but sometimes alone, and every time ends the same: with her target in custody or a trophy in her hands. She doesn’t think twice of it: her training ensures that any sympathy she has for those with demon blood is wiped away entirely, her success as a Shadowhunter depends on it.

There are expectations placed upon her as a Lightwood. They are, after all, second only to the Morgensterns in terms of family legacies. There are a lot of benefits to being a Lightwood, but only if she earns them.

And earn them she does. She and Alec are forces to be reckoned with. Alec and his parabatai, Jace Wayland, are nearly unstoppable soldiers in the field. Isabelle and her parabatai, Clarissa Morgenstern, are just as deadly. The four of them are the top of their class, easily surpassing their peers and earning assignments of their own as early as thirteen years old.

Isabelle is 15 when she sees the Seelie Knight again.

She faces him in a dark corner of a park where the Seelies Clarissa is meant to be tracking will run towards to flee back to their realm. He’s the first to cross her path.

“You’re not alone tonight,” he says simply, eyeing her fighting stance and activated runes. “And no longer defenseless.”

She remains silent. For a moment she remembers his kindness before but instead of softening her eyes narrow.

Isabelle tenses as he shifts his position to be near a large tree, and she wonders if it’s to draw magic from it. She knows Seelies can call weapons from the earth and she pulls at the bracelet around her wrist, the adamas shifting into a whip in her hands.

 “What? Don’t you want to witness my magic again?” he asks, a harsh edge to his words as a vine drops down from above her, pulling her feet out from under her as it wraps around her ankles and tugs. Isabelle gives a shout and falls, watching him move easily past her. Using his magic to access the Seelie Realm he vanishes from sight while she dangles upside-down by the tree.

He could’ve killed her.

She would’ve killed him.

Isabelle is more than a little confused and has a lot of time to stew in her thoughts before Clary comes to cut her down and take her home, keeping the particulars of how the Seelies slipped away from their follow-up report .

------------

Isabelle is sixteen when she sees the Seelie Knight again. The altercations between the Shadowhunters and the Downworlders turn more frequent - reports of another start coming in almost every other day at this point. She can feel the small encounters building in tension and severity, wondering when they’ll turn to battles, and when those battles will turn to a proper war.

She’s part of a raid that will serve to be a turning point for all involved - one on the Dumort itself, staged at midday so the vampires had little chance to flee. She doesn’t like it - something about the whole set-up doesn’t sit well with her. They’re told the building is harboring fugitives to the Clave, but they’re given no specifics on who or what crimes they’ve committed. They’re not told who inside may be innocent, or given specific targets, and no one asks.

It isn’t a raid - it’s a slaughter. The vampires fight back, because of course they do, and the few who don't flee through secret exits and underground tunnels die bloody.

There’s so much going on that even those who get kills don’t have the time or opportunity to stop and take their spoils - but Isabelle comes across the dead body of Camille in her attempts to find her parabatai in the wide expanse of the hotel, and stops to slide the ruby necklace off the vampire’s neck and hold it delicately in her hands.

When she looks up the Seelie Knight is there, staring at her with just a hint of surprise underneath his otherwise neutral expression.

The vampires must’ve called backup. And if the Seelies are here, to help the vampires of all Downworlders, Isabelle doesn’t like the implications of that for the Nephilim in all of this. Keeping them divided and equally at odds with each other as they are with the Shadowhunters was always a strategy hammered into them from a young age.

It takes Isabelle a second in her panic to realize that his look of surprise isn’t at her, however.

“Camille...” he says the name softly, sadly, almost like a goodbye. Then his eyes catch on the necklace in Isabelle’s hands and he’s across the room before she can blink, the blade of his spear pressed against her throat.

Isabelle’s eyes widen. “It wasn’t me,” she says instinctively. She doesn’t know why - she’s here, after all, she’s a part of this whether this particular life was taken by her hand or not.

It has the desired effect, however, and the Seelie hesitates.

A voice calls from the hallway, shouting “Meliorn! In here!”

The Seelie Knight looks Isabelle over, considering her finally, before lowering his weapon and turning to follow the call out of the door and down the hallway.

On her way to warn the others to retreat she slips the necklace into her pocket and files the name away in her mind for the future.

Meliorn.

---------

Isabelle is out on a routine patrol when she sees the warlock child. She knows the girl is a warlock because she’s seen her with the others on occasion, both on and off the battlefield. For a split second Isabelle considers following her to a less public area to kill her - one less warlock to kill the Nephilim later, after all. Except this isn’t a battle, and while there are no strict rules governing chance public encounters - and while Isabelle knows that many others would certainly seize this opportunity and judge her for allowing it to pass - she can’t bring herself to kill in cold blood.

“Hey,” Isabelle says instead, making her presence known and approaching the warlock with her weapons sheathed. “It isn’t safe for you to be this far alone. Do you know your way back home?”

The child nods.

“Head that way. And travel with a friend next time.”

“I can take care of myself,” the girl states, magic flaring at her fingertips, and for a second Isabelle wonders if she hasn’t made a mistake in judgment. But then the magic is gone again after the quick display, and Isabelle relaxes.

“I’m sure you can,” Isabelle says, and turns to head back to the Institute.

A few moments later she hears footsteps behind her, and then a voice.

“Why did you do that?” Meliorn asks.

“Do what?” She questions, though she already knows.

“Try and warn her?” He clarifies.

Isabelle frowns. “She’s a child, and she’s alone. You really think so little of me to think I’d kill her where she stands? She’s done nothing wrong.”

 “She’s been in the battles. I’ve seen her,” Meliorn points out.

“So have you and I, and yet here we are,” Isabelle counters.

Meliorn smirks. “So we are,” he says.

There’s a charged moment between them during which Isabelle’s fight-or-flight instinct flares within her. Allowing the child to walk away was one thing, but Meliorn?

He seems to consider the same thing, sizing her up, that casual smirk of amusement never faltering.

Without a word he turns to leave.

Isabelle hesitates, once more uncertain if she should allow him to so easily, but reminds herself that he’s doing the same for her. Should they come to arms she may very well lose, and she doesn’t favor the idea of dying alone in an alley on a routine patrol.

She watches him go, curiously, before leaving herself.

--------

Isabelle sees Meliorn more often after that, though she wishes she wouldn’t. As she feared, the occasional fight turns into the occasional proper attack, and though the Seelies stay out of it more than the vampires, werewolves, and warlocks, they can no longer stay entirely removed as their Queen would prefer.

Isabelle watches Meliorn pierce through the hearts of Nephilim - fellow Shadowhunters, people she cares for, friends - while he witnesses her take talons and pointed ears and warlock marks as spoils of her own battles won. Despite the times they met in the past and walked away from one another she has no doubt now, as their eyes meet in a fiery glare, that should they meet alone again it would end much differently.

And it does, but not in the way she expects.

It’s meant to be a fact-gathering mission: Isabelle is alone, intending on keeping a safe distance and following undetected behind the Seelies as they leave the meeting they had with Magnus Bane and return to their realm. She’s meant to find and report on the location of the entrance, as well as note how many of them attended and the sort of weaponry they seem to be outfitted with. Simple intelligence gathering.

Or at least, it should be.

She’s following behind when she notices that there’s one fewer Seelie in front of her than there should be. Almost instantly she feels hands grabbing roughly at her shoulders, pulling her into a shadow-covered side street.

“Why are you following me?” Meliorn demands - and of course it’s him, Isabelle thinks. Except… maybe this can work in her favor.

She doesn’t answer at first, her mind working in overdrive to plan her way out of this.

“I should kill you for this,” he points out. He could. They’ve both killed for less.

She can’t get to her weapons fast enough, or her stele to activate any runes. She’s at the disadvantage, so she either talks her way out of this (which seems unlikely) or…

“Why don’t you, then?” She challenges. It’s a gamble, banking on the fact that he let her live before and little else, but if it works it could buy her the distraction she needs to not just stay alive, but still get the intel she came for. The fact that he doesn’t react immediately is all the encouragement she needs to try.

Impulsively she leans forward, clearing the space between them to press her lips against his. He tenses but doesn’t move away. After a moment he pushes forward and she thinks, just for a second, that he’s going to kill her anyway. Instead he presses her against the wall behind her forcefully as he moves into the kiss. It’s a heated moment, over as quickly as it began when the sound of approaching footsteps reach them and Meliorn tears himself away as intensely as he’d surged forward.

“Go,” he says, and she pretends to, disappearing around the corner as he goes back to his people.

Except she doesn’t actually leave.

Isabelle waits, watching him go, and then re-activates a rune to quiet her steps to follow behind more carefully this time, watching him step into a tree trunk, vanishing from sight. Isabelle counts to 30, slowly, before following behind. She goes through the entrance and finds herself in the Seelie Realm, trying to take it all in --

--turning to see Meliorn waiting for her, looking disappointed.

“I thought you were better than this,” he says, lifting his hand up. Instead of raising a weapon he opens his palm and blows a powder… no, pollen… into her face. Isabelle barely has time to register what’s happening before she tilts to the side, drowsy, and then falls unconscious into Meliorn’s waiting arms.

She wakes up on the ground beside the tree, and when she stands to touch it the entrance is closed, the tree solid, and no trace of Meliorn or the Seelie Realm besides the slight itch of pollen in her nose.

Damn.

---

Shortly after, Isabelle is called into Valentine’s office.

“Put on your best dress, Isabelle,” he tells her. “You’re going to the Seelie Realm.”

Isabelle freezes. Did someone see her with Meliorn? Had he said something, and now she’s being turned over… as what? A bargaining chip? A trade?

A sacrifice?

“For what purpose?” Isabelle asks, keeping her voice steady.

“An act of goodwill. The Seelie Queen has information regarding a vampire den turning children, but will only give it to us on her terms, one of which is that we come to her for it, the other a temporary truce with her people in return for continued intel.” Valentine looks pleased, and she can see why. It’s a good trade for all involved.

“Why me?” Isabelle can’t help but ask. She’s young, inexperienced in the finer matters of political dealings. This is absolutely not something she’d normally be sent on. There are many more skilled than her, many trained for this very task, who should be going instead.

“You were requested specifically,” Valentine says, eyebrow raised. “Any idea why that may be?”

Isabelle shakes her head despite her very strong suspicions. Valentine hums in response but doesn't push the question.

“It should be straightforward. Give her our word for our end of the bargain, get what information she has currently, leave. We’ll brief you before you go, tell you what you can and can’t agree to… you know how their kind can be, playing games with their words. You’ll need to stay sharp, but you’re a fine Shadowhunter, Miss Lightwood. One of our best. I have no doubt you’ll be fine.”

Isabelle forces a smile and nods. “Of course, Sir. You can count on me.”

---

The next day, with as much training as they could cram into the short span of hours, Isabelle finds herself at one of the ever-changing entrances to the Seelie Realm.

Meliorn is there to meet her. She expected to see him, of course, but she also expected to see more than just him. A test, perhaps, of the Shadowhunters’ ability to be trusted with their promise of truce, to not have a full guard on her for the journey? Isabelle hesitates only a moment before following him into the water in front of them.

The Seelie Realm is beautiful and Isabelle stares in wonder around her. The last time she managed to sneak in for just a moment it wasn’t long enough to get a proper look, but now her eyes linger on the trees and flowers, the bugs that seem abundant but never crowding or overwhelming. She’s so entranced by it that she nearly forgets why she’s here, with Meliorn several yards ahead before she starts after him.

Though they travel in silence, with Isabelle following only half a step behind Meliorn once she catches up she finds it’s less of an escort and more of a pleasant walk. His weapon is relaxed at his side, she notes, her own hand grazing over the holster she wears under her dress just in case.

The million questions Isabelle has all seem to die on her tongue as she realizes she’s more afraid of getting an answer she doesn’t want than being left to wonder.

She isn’t left to wonder for long.

Mere minutes later Meliorn directs her into a tent. It quickly becomes clear that this is a home, a bedroom.

“Why am I here?” Isabelle asks finally, unsure if she means ‘here’ in the Realm at large or ‘here’ in this room specifically.

“Because I wanted you here,” Meliorn replies simply. She sees the desire in his eyes, brazen and without pretense.

“The meeting with the Seelie Queen--” Isabelle starts.

“Is very real, as is the deal to be struck. This is simply a detour, should you agree. I thought it a shame to waste the truce between our people for however little time it may last.” Meliorn sets his weapon down in the corner of the room.

Isabelle takes a tentative step forward from where she paused by the entrance.

“But you can’t possibly like me…. Or trust me,” she adds for good measure. How could either of them after watching the other take the lives of their friends and family countless times? She’s surprised then, after a moment of reflection, to realize she doesn’t actually blame him personally - not when he’s in the same position she is, simply a soldier carrying out orders. There were many times she doubted her assignments, questioned her own actions, even regretted them… did the same hold true for Meliorn? Did he regret the Nephilim lives he took?

“I don’t have to trust you to make love to you,” Meliorn doesn’t bother with trying to ‘woo’ her or anything as mundane as that. “And ‘like’ and ‘desire’ are two separate emotions.”

She huffs out a breath of a laugh in disbelief. He isn’t wrong, it’s just the last thing she’d expected to be faced with after all the worrying and careful planning put into this trip, agonizing over her every action, her every word to the Seelies in their realm. And now…

...now, Meliorn stares at her, waiting patiently for her to give any sign of agreement of what he’d like to happen next, with a fire burning bright in his eyes. She feels it too. There’s been a spark between them since long before that encounter in the alleyway, something that sends a shiver down her spine every time they lock eyes and heat rippling through her every time he draws near. She wondered if he felt it, too, and now she knows he did. He still does.

“Alright,” she says finally, moving forward toward him, stopping just short of touching. They lock eyes again, those sparks mirrored in them, while slow, eager smirks spread across each of their mouths before they meet fiercely. There’s no slow start, no steady buildup before Isabelle pulls Meliorn with her as she takes several steps backward until the back of her knees hit the edge of the bed. He falls on top of her and, in the back of her mind, Isabelle is dimly aware of a muted instinct to panic at being crowded and pinned down by the Seelie.

It’s silenced by the waves of pleasure that wash over her with each brush of teeth, of hands, of lips and tongue. Could it be this simple, this black and white?

Isabelle never imagined any decision could feel this effortless… but she hasn’t made all that many decisions before, has she? It’s always been orders and protocol and expectations.

But not this. This is something different.

She isn’t a soldier here, or a sister, or a parabatai. There is no love demanded of her, no expectation or trust or devotion.

There’s only temporary truce and desire, a combination Isabelle’s growing more fond of by the second as she, for the first time in a very long time, loses herself in something entirely her own.

[tepkunset]

there's an rpg called the waylanders that's in early access on steam right now (you might've heard of it because mike laidlaw is involved) that lets you choose your character's pronouns, including they/them

I’ve never heard of that game, but I’ll check into it!

[corkcitylibraries]

Stormé DeLarverie: the forgotten heroine of the Stonewall Riots

by Deirdre Swain

During Cork Pride Festival in August 2019, the Cork City Libraries’ Stonewall Riots exhibition was displayed in the city. This exhibition commemorates the 50th anniversary of a significant LGBT uprising in New York.  I would like to introduce one of the main protagonists of this momentous event in LGBT history. When the Stonewall Riots of June 1969 and the struggle for LGBT rights are mentioned and celebrated, figures such as Craig Rodwell and Frank Kameny are regarded as two of the principal people involved in bringing about a positive change for the LGBT community. However, the most important person in this event has essentially been forgotten and erased from LGBT history. Her name is Stormé DeLarverie.

So who was this important champion of LGBT rights? Stormé DeLarverie was born in Louisiana in 1920 and grew up in New Orleans. Her mother was an African-American servant in the house of her father, who was Caucasian. Stormé had a tough time growing up biracial in New Orleans. She told the journalist Kirk Klocke in an interview that she still had scars from when bullies hung her by the leg from a fence post. Her brother had to free her from the fence, and she wore a brace for years. She started singing as a teenager in New Orleans dance clubs until she came out as lesbian aged 18. She then moved to Chicago. She stated that the family “had to get me out of New Orleans or I would have been killed”. She does not elaborate on what this meant and whether it was her skin colour or her sexuality, or both, which put her life in danger.

 Stormé began her performing career in the 1940s as Stormy Dale, a big band singer. From 1955 to 1969, she worked as drag king and M.C. of the Jewel Box Revue, a drag/female impersonator touring company, and the first racially integrated drag show in the USA. This company was advertised as “Twenty-five Men and a Girl”, and the solo “girl” of the show was Stormé DeLarverie! She dressed in male attire in her performances, while her male colleagues masqueraded as women. She was often mistaken for a man. However, this did not matter to her – she declared that “Some say sir and some say ma’am….It makes no difference to me”. A dancer named Diana, who died not long after the Stonewall Riots, was the love of her life.

 It was one woman’s struggle with the police that ignited the Stonewall Riots. Accounts of the Stonewall Riots describe how “a butch lesbian in men’s clothing” was arrested for not wearing the three pieces of clothing correct for her gender, and she was brought out to the police van during the raid. She complained to the police, either because they were rough with her or because her handcuffs were too tight (reports differ on this). She fought the police and attempted to go back into the Stonewall Inn several times, whereupon an officer picked her up and threw her into the police van. Her head was bleeding from having been hit with a billy club by the police. As she was pushed into the van, she urged men watching her ordeal to help her, asking, “Why don’t you guys do something?” It was then that the tension of that night (28 June 1969) and of lifetimes of abuse erupted. Gay and lesbian people felt that the police were being unnecessarily brutal, and they reacted in fury.

 The identity of the woman who triggered this important event in LGBT history is disputed, but many reports declare that it was Stormé DeLarverie. As all the accounts differ, the truth cannot be confirmed, however, my research points clearly towards the fact that it was Stormé Delarverie and the fact that her involvement in this momentous event in LGBT history has been unfairly erased. David Carter states in his book, Stonewall: the riots that sparked the gay revolution, that Charles Kaiser, author of The Gay Metropolis, 1940-1996, asserts that it was in fact Stormé DeLarverie who started the riots. However, David Carter disagrees with this, adding that all the witnesses he interviewed for his research describe the woman in question as Caucasian, and Stormé was African-American. However, in certain photos, Stormé does not look particularly African-American; she had, after all, only one African-American parent.

 Stormé in later years

Penny Coleman’s book, Village Elders describes Stormé as “a black woman with a white face”. This contradicts David Carter’s claim that it could not have been Stormé who initiated the Stonewall Riots, because she might actually have looked Caucasian. Ann Bausum describes the woman’s scuffle with police in her book, Stonewall: breaking out in the fight for gay rights, giving a similar account to that of David Carter, but she does not mention the name of the woman who changed the course of history by reacting against the injustices she was experiencing. Stormé herself confirmed that it was she who threw the first punch at the Stonewall Riots.

 Stormé DeLarverie was a campaigner for the LGBT community and for victims of domestic violence throughout her life. She worked as a bouncer at lesbian bars in the latter part of her life. She also appointed herself guardian of lesbians and drag queens in Greenwich Village. She would patrol the streets while legally armed, and would not put up with any form of discrimination, bullying or abuse of any lesbians or drag queens in the village. She saw this as babysitting and referred to the lesbians and drag queens fondly as her “babies”. Being a mixed race androgynous lesbian made Stormé distinctive but also vulnerable. This vulnerability as well as Stormé’s challenges in childhood made her very protective of people in the LGBT community, and she strove to keep this minority group safe. Sadly, Stormé suffered from dementia in later years, and she died following a heart attack in May 2014, aged 93. Her considerable and important contribution to the LGBT rights movement should be acknowledged and held in high regard. Let us honour her and let us not forget her.

View Cork City Libraries’ exhibition, The Stonewall Revolution: 50 years of LGBT liberation

 References

Books

Bausum, A. (2015). Stonewall: breaking out in the fight for gay rights. New York: Viking.

Carter, D. (2004). Stonewall: the riots that sparked the gay revolution. New York: St. Martin’s Press.

Coleman, P. (c2000). Village elders. Urbana: University of Illinois Press.

Harbin, B., Marra, K. and Schanke, R., eds. (2007). The gay and lesbian theatrical legacy: a biographical dictionary of major figures in American stage history in the pre-Stonewall era. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press.

Lamé, A. (2017). From prejudice to pride: a history of the LGBTQ+ movement. London: Wayland.

Willard, A. (1971). Female impersonation. New York: Regiment Publications.

Online Articles

Chu, G. (s.d.). From the archives: an interview with lesbian Stonewall veteran Stormé DeLarverie. [online] Available at: https://www.afterellen.com/people/77167-an-interview-with-lesbian-stonewall-veteran-storm-delarverie  

[Accessed 03 June 2019].

Fernandez, M. (2010). ‘A Stonewall veteran, 89, misses the parade’, The New York Times, 27 June. Available at: https://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/28/nyregion/28storme.html

(Accessed: 03 June 2019).

Heuchan, C. (2018). We need to talk about misogyny and the LGBT community’s erasure of black lesbian history. [online] Available at: https://www.afterellen.com/general-news/561237-we-need-to-talk-about-misogyny-and-the-lgbt-communitys-erasure-of-black-lesbian-history

[Accessed 03 June 2019].

Luce, J. (2010). ‘Gay community’s Rosa Parks faces death, impoverished and alone’, Huffpost, 12 July. Available at:

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/gay-communitys-rosa-parks_b_643746

(Accessed: 03 June 2019).

Montague, A. (2018). Stormé DeLarverie: the lesbian spark in the Stonewall uprising. [online] Available at:

https://socialistaction.org/2018/07/31/storme-delarverie-the-lesbian-spark-in-the-stonewall-uprising/  

[Accessed 03 June 2019].

SurfTone, S. (2019). The night I met Stormé DeLarverie, the lesbian who threw the first punch at Stonewall. [online] Available at: https://www.afterellen.com/people/558507-the-night-i-met-storme-delarverie-the-lesbian-who-threw-the-first-punch-at-stonewall

[Accessed 03 June 2019].

West, R. (2013). ‘Stormé DeLarverie: in a storm of indifference, she’s still a jewel’, Huffpost, 26 March. Available at: https://www.huffpost.com/entry/storme-delarverie_b_2909178?guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ29vZ2xlLmllLw&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAAM3tT1XtMiKEsIZK3SaCwXDGknAlvQv8tp6yGPZfyyxhRu9UkyX91H-dNh9oLYdiA8xAT7Fn4UdIGsuuJXoJ0Ll5nHJZ6Pq6Nkt69fNfFWjdvG-Sg2bEbnxN527BptUappnAQTlO0FJb9KY1AE31N6G9hrrknr-DIifhIaZzf-Mz

(Accessed: 03 June 2019).

Yardley, W. (2014). ‘Stormé DeLarverie, early leader in the gay rights movement, dies at 93’, The New York Times, 29 May. Available at: https://www.nytimes.com/2014/05/30/nyregion/storme-delarverie-early-leader-in-the-gay-rights-movement-dies-at-93.html

(Accessed: 03 June 2019).

[blackkudos]

Booker T. Washington

Booker Taliaferro Washington (April 5, 1856 – November 14, 1915) was an American educator, author, orator, and adviser to multiple presidents of the United States. Between 1890 and 1915, Washington was the dominant leader in the African American community and of the contemporary black elite. Washington was from the last generation of black American leaders born into slavery and became the leading voice of the former slaves and their descendants. They were newly oppressed in the South by disenfranchisement and the Jim Crow discriminatory laws enacted in the post-Reconstruction Southern states in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

Washington was a key proponent of African-American businesses and one of the founders of the National Negro Business League. His base was the Tuskegee Institute, a historically black college in Tuskegee, Alabama. As lynchings in the South reached a peak in 1895, Washington gave a speech, known as the "Atlanta compromise", which brought him national fame. He called for black progress through education and entrepreneurship, rather than trying to challenge directly the Jim Crow segregation and the disenfranchisement of black voters in the South.

Washington mobilized a nationwide coalition of middle-class blacks, church leaders, and white philanthropists and politicians, with a long-term goal of building the community's economic strength and pride by a focus on self-help and schooling. With his own contributions to the black community, Washington was a supporter of Racial uplift. But, secretly, he also supported court challenges to segregation and restrictions on voter registration.

Black militants in the North, led by W. E. B. Du Bois, at first supported the Atlanta compromise, but later disagreed and opted to set up the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) to work for political change. They tried with limited success to challenge Washington's political machine for leadership in the black community, but built wider networks among white allies in the North. Decades after Washington's death in 1915, the civil rights movement of the 1950s took a more active and militant approach, which was also based on new grassroots organizations based in the South, such as Congress of Racial Equality (CORE), the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) and Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC).

Washington mastered the nuances of the political arena in the late 19th century, which enabled him to manipulate the media, raise money, develop strategy, network, push, reward friends, and distribute funds, while punishing those who opposed his plans for uplifting blacks. His long-term goal was to end the disenfranchisement of the vast majority of African Americans, who then still lived in the South. His legacy has been very controversial to the civil rights community, of which he was an important leader before 1915. After his death, he came under heavy criticism for accommodationism to white supremacy. However since the late 20th century, a more balanced view of his very wide range of activities has appeared. As of 2010, the most recent studies, "defend and celebrate his accomplishments, legacy, and leadership."

Overview

In 1856, Washington was born into slavery in Virginia as the son of Jane, an African-American slave. After emancipation, she moved the family to West Virginia to join her husband Washington Ferguson. West Virginia had seceded from Virginia and joined the Union as a free state during the Civil War. As a young man, Booker T. Washington worked his way through Hampton Normal and Agricultural Institute (a historically black college, now Hampton University) and attended college at Wayland Seminary (now Virginia Union University).

In 1881, the young Washington was named as the first leader of the new Tuskegee Institute in Alabama, founded for the higher education of blacks. He developed the college from the ground up, enlisting students in construction of buildings, from classrooms to dormitories. Work at the college was considered fundamental to students' larger education. They maintained a large farm to be essentially self-supporting, rearing animals and cultivating needed produce. Washington continued to expand the school. He attained national prominence for his Atlanta Address of 1895, which attracted the attention of politicians and the public. He became a popular spokesperson for African-American citizens. He built a nationwide network of supporters in many black communities, with black ministers, educators, and businessmen composing his core supporters. Washington played a dominant role in black politics, winning wide support in the black community of the South and among more liberal whites (especially rich Northern whites). He gained access to top national leaders in politics, philanthropy and education. Washington's efforts included cooperating with white people and enlisting the support of wealthy philanthropists. Washington had asserted that the surest way for blacks to gain equal social rights was to demonstrate "industry, thrift, intelligence and property."

Beginning in 1912, he built a relationship with philanthropist Julius Rosenwald, the owner of Sears Roebuck, who served on the board of trustees for the rest of his life and made substantial donations to Tuskegee. In addition, they collaborated on a pilot program for Tuskegee architects to design six model schools that could be built for African-American students in rural areas of the South. These were historically underfunded by the state and local governments. Given their success in 1913 and 1914, Rosenwald established the Rosenwald Foundation in 1917 to support the schools effort. It expanded improving or providing rural schools by giving matching funds to communities that committed to operate the schools and provided funds for construction and maintenance, with cooperation of white public school boards required. Nearly 5,000 new, small rural schools were built to improve education for blacks throughout the South, most after Washington's death in 1915.

Northern critics called Washington's widespread and powerful organization the "Tuskegee Machine". After 1909, Washington was criticized by the leaders of the new NAACP, especially W. E. B. Du Bois, who demanded a stronger tone of protest in order to advance the civil rights agenda. Washington replied that confrontation would lead to disaster for the outnumbered blacks in society, and that cooperation with supportive whites was the only way to overcome pervasive racism in the long run. At the same time, he secretly funded litigation for civil rights cases, such as challenges to Southern constitutions and laws that had disenfranchised blacks across the South since the turn of the century. African Americans were still strongly affiliated with the Republican Party, and Washington was on close terms with national Republican Party leaders. He was often asked for political advice by presidents Theodore Roosevelt and William Howard Taft.

In addition to his contributions in education, Washington wrote 14 books; his autobiography, Up from Slavery, first published in 1901, is still widely read today. During a difficult period of transition, he did much to improve the working relationship between the races. His work greatly helped blacks to achieve education, financial power, and understanding of the U.S. legal system. This contributed to blacks' attaining the skills to create and support the civil rights movement, leading to the passage in the later 20th century of important federal civil rights laws.

Early life

Booker was born into slavery to Jane, an enslaved African-American woman on the plantation of James Burroughs in southwest Virginia, near Hale's Ford in Franklin County. He never knew the day, month, and year of his birth, but the year on his headstone reads 1856. Nor did he ever know his father, said to be a white man who resided on a neighboring plantation. The man played no financial or emotional role in Washington's life.

From his earliest years, Washington was known simply as "Booker", with no middle or surname, in the practice of the time. His mother, her relatives and his siblings struggled with the demands of slavery. He later wrote:

I cannot recall a single instance during my childhood or early boyhood when our entire family sat down to the table together, and God's blessing was asked, and the family ate a meal in a civilized manner. On the plantation in Virginia, and even later, meals were gotten to the children very much as dumb animals get theirs. It was a piece of bread here and a scrap of meat there. It was a cup of milk at one time and some potatoes at another.

When he was nine, Booker and his family in Virginia gained freedom under the Emancipation Proclamation as US troops occupied their region. Booker was thrilled by the formal day of their emancipation in early 1865:

As the great day drew nearer, there was more singing in the slave quarters than usual. It was bolder, had more ring, and lasted later into the night. Most of the verses of the plantation songs had some reference to freedom... Some man who seemed to be a stranger (a United States officer, I presume) made a little speech and then read a rather long paper—the Emancipation Proclamation, I think. After the reading we were told that we were all free, and could go when and where we pleased. My mother, who was standing by my side, leaned over and kissed her children, while tears of joy ran down her cheeks. She explained to us what it all meant, that this was the day for which she had been so long praying, but fearing that she would never live to see.

After emancipation Jane took her family to the free state of West Virginia to join her husband Washington Ferguson, who had escaped from slavery during the war and settled there. The illiterate boy Booker began to painstakingly teach himself to read and attended school for the first time.

At school, Booker was asked for a surname for registration. He took the family name of Washington, after his stepfather. Still later he learned from his mother that she had originally given him the name "Booker Taliaferro" at the time of his birth, but his second name was not used by the master. Upon learning of his original name, Washington immediately readopted it as his own, and became known as Booker Taliaferro Washington for the rest of his life.

Higher education

Washington worked in salt furnaces and coal mines in West Virginia for several years to earn money. He made his way east to Hampton Institute, a school established in Virginia to educate freedmen and their descendants, where he also worked to pay for his studies. He later attended Wayland Seminary in Washington, D.C. in 1878.

Tuskegee Institute

In 1881, the Hampton Institute president Samuel C. Armstrong recommended Washington, then age 25, to become the first leader of Tuskegee Normal and Industrial Institute (later Tuskegee Institute, now Tuskegee University), the new normal school (teachers' college) in Alabama. The new school opened on July 4, 1881, initially using space in a local church.

The next year, Washington purchased a former plantation to be developed as the permanent site of the campus. Under his direction, his students literally built their own school: making bricks, constructing classrooms, barns and outbuildings; and growing their own crops and raising livestock; both for learning and to provide for most of the basic necessities. Both men and women had to learn trades as well as academics. The Tuskegee faculty used all the activities to teach the students basic skills to take back to their mostly rural black communities throughout the South. The main goal was not to produce farmers and tradesmen, but teachers of farming and trades who could teach in the new lower schools and colleges for blacks across the South. The school expanded over the decades, adding programs and departments, to become the present-day Tuskegee University.

The Oaks, "a large comfortable home," was built on campus for Washington and his family. They moved into the house in 1900. Washington lived there until his death in 1915. His widow, Margaret, lived at The Oaks until her death in 1925.

Later career

Washington led Tuskegee for more than 30 years after becoming its leader. As he developed it, adding to both the curriculum and the facilities on the campus, he became a prominent national leader among African Americans, with considerable influence with wealthy white philanthropists and politicians.

Washington expressed his vision for his race through the school. He believed that by providing needed skills to society, African Americans would play their part, leading to acceptance by white Americans. He believed that blacks would eventually gain full participation in society by acting as responsible, reliable American citizens. Shortly after the Spanish–American War, President William McKinley and most of his cabinet visited Booker Washington. By his death in 1915, Tuskegee's endowment had grown to over $1.5 million, compared to its initial $2,000 annual appropriation.

Washington helped develop other schools and colleges. In 1891 he lobbied the West Virginia legislature to locate the newly-authorized West Virginia Colored Institute (today West Virginia State University) in the Kanawha Valley of West Virginia near Charleston. He visited the campus often and spoke at its first commencement exercise.

Washington was a dominant figure of the African-American community, then still overwhelmingly based in the South, from 1890 to his death in 1915. His Atlanta Address of 1895 received national attention. He was considered as a popular spokesman for African-American citizens. Representing the last generation of black leaders born into slavery, Washington was generally perceived as a supporter of education for freedmen and their descendants in the post-Reconstruction, Jim Crow-era South. He stressed basic education and training in manual and domestic labor trades because he thought these represented the skills needed in what was still a rural economy. Throughout the final twenty years of his life, he maintained his standing through a nationwide network of supporters including black educators, ministers, editors, and businessmen, especially those who supported his views on social and educational issues for blacks. He also gained access to top national white leaders in politics, philanthropy and education, raised large sums, was consulted on race issues, and was awarded honorary degrees from leading American universities.

Late in his career, Washington was criticized by civil rights leader and NAACP founder W. E. B. Du Bois. Du Bois and his supporters opposed the Atlanta Address as the "Atlanta Compromise", because it suggested that African Americans should work for, and submit to, white political rule. Du Bois insisted on full civil rights, due process of law, and increased political representation for African Americans which, he believed, could only be achieved through activism and higher education for African-Americans. He believed that "the talented Tenth" would lead the race. Du Bois labeled Washington, "the Great Accommodator". Washington responded that confrontation could lead to disaster for the outnumbered blacks, and that cooperation with supportive whites was the only way to overcome racism in the long run.

While promoting moderation, Washington contributed secretly and substantially to mounting legal challenges activist African Americans launched against segregation and disenfranchisement of blacks. In his public role, he believed he could achieve more by skillful accommodation to the social realities of the age of segregation.

Washington's work on education helped him enlist both the moral and substantial financial support of many major white philanthropists. He became a friend of such self-made men as Standard Oil magnate Henry Huttleston Rogers; Sears, Roebuck and Company President Julius Rosenwald; and George Eastman, inventor of roll film, founder of Eastman Kodak, and developer of a major part of the photography industry. These individuals and many other wealthy men and women funded his causes, including Hampton and Tuskegee institutes.

He also gave lectures to raise money for the school. On January 23, 1906, he lectured at Carnegie Hall in New York in the Tuskegee Institute Silver Anniversary Lecture. He spoke along with great orators of the day, including Mark Twain, Joseph Hodges Choate, and Robert Curtis Ogden; it was the start of a capital campaign to raise $1,800,000 for the school.

The schools which Washington supported were founded primarily to produce teachers, as education was critical for the black community following emancipation. Freedmen strongly supported literacy and education as the keys to their future. When graduates returned to their largely impoverished rural southern communities, they still found few schools and educational resources, as the white-dominated state legislatures consistently underfunded black schools in their segregated system.

To address those needs, in the 20th century Washington enlisted his philanthropic network to create matching funds programs to stimulate construction of numerous rural public schools for black children in the South. Working especially with Julius Rosenwald from Chicago, Washington had Tuskegee architects develop model school designs. The Rosenwald Fund helped support the construction and operation of more than 5,000 schools and related resources for the education of blacks throughout the South in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The local schools were a source of communal pride; African-American families gave labor, land and money to them, to give their children more chances in an environment of poverty and segregation. A major part of Washington's legacy, the model rural schools continued to be constructed into the 1930s, with matching funds for communities from the Rosenwald Fund.

Washington also contributed to the Progressive Era by forming the National Negro Business League. It encouraged entrepreneurship among black businessmen, establishing a national network.

His autobiography, Up from Slavery, first published in 1901, is still widely read in the early 21st century.

Marriages and children

Washington was married three times. In his autobiography Up from Slavery, he gave all three of his wives credit for their contributions at Tuskegee. His first wife Fannie N. Smith was from Malden, West Virginia, the same Kanawha River Valley town where Washington had lived from age nine to sixteen. He maintained ties there all his life, and Smith was a student of his when he taught in Malden. He helped her gain entrance into the Hampton Institute. Washington and Smith were married in the summer of 1882, a year after he became principal there. They had one child, Portia M. Washington, born in 1883. Fannie died in May 1884.

In 1885 the widower Washington married again, to Olivia A. Davidson (1854–1889). Born free in Virginia to a free woman of color and a father who had been freed from slavery, she moved with her family to the free state of Ohio, where she attended common schools. Davidson later studied at Hampton Institute and went North to study at the Massachusetts State Normal School at Framingham. She taught in Mississippi and Tennessee before going to Tuskegee to work as a teacher. Washington recruited Davidson to Tuskegee, and promoted her to vice-principal. They had two sons, Booker T. Washington Jr. and Ernest Davidson Washington, before she died in 1889.

In 1893 Washington married Margaret James Murray. She was from Mississippi and had graduated from Fisk University, a historically black college. They had no children together, but she helped rear Washington's three children. Murray outlived Washington and died in 1925.

Politics and the Atlanta compromise

Washington's 1895 Atlanta Exposition address was viewed as a "revolutionary moment" by both African Americans and whites across the country. At the time W. E. B. Du Bois supported him, but they grew apart as Du Bois sought more action to remedy disfranchisement and improve educational opportunities for blacks. After their falling out, Du Bois and his supporters referred to Washington's speech as the "Atlanta Compromise" to express their criticism that Washington was too accommodating to white interests.

Washington advocated a "go slow" approach to avoid a harsh white backlash. He has been criticized for encouraging many youths in the South to accept sacrifices of potential political power, civil rights, and higher education. Washington believed that African Americans should "concentrate all their energies on industrial education, and accumulation of wealth, and the conciliation of the South". He valued the "industrial" education, as it provided critical skills for the jobs then available to the majority of African Americans at the time, as most lived in the South, which was overwhelmingly rural and agricultural. He thought these skills would lay the foundation for the creation of stability that the African-American community required in order to move forward. He believed that in the long term, "blacks would eventually gain full participation in society by showing themselves to be responsible, reliable American citizens". His approach advocated for an initial step toward equal rights, rather than full equality under the law, gaining economic power to back up black demands for political equality in the future. He believed that such achievements would prove to the deeply prejudiced white America that African Americans were not "'naturally' stupid and incompetent".

Well-educated blacks in the North lived in a different society and advocated a different approach, in part due to their perception of wider opportunities. Du Bois wanted blacks to have the same "classical" liberal arts education as upper-class whites did, along with voting rights and civic equality. The latter two had been ostensibly granted since 1870 by constitutional amendments after the Civil War. He believed that an elite, which he called the Talented Tenth, would advance to lead the race to a wider variety of occupations. Du Bois and Washington were divided in part by differences in treatment of African Americans in the North versus the South; although both groups suffered discrimination, the mass of blacks in the South were far more constrained by legal segregation and disenfranchisement, which totally excluded most from the political process and system. Many in the North objected to being 'led', and authoritatively spoken for, by a Southern accommodationist strategy which they considered to have been "imposed on them [Southern blacks] primarily by Southern whites".

Historian Clarence Earl Walker wrote that, for white Southerners,

Free black people were 'matter out of place'. Their emancipation was an affront to southern white freedom. Booker T. Washington did not understand that his program was perceived as subversive of a natural order in which black people were to remain forever subordinate or unfree.

Both Washington and Du Bois sought to define the best means post-Civil War to improve the conditions of the African-American community through education.

Blacks were solidly Republican in this period, having gained emancipation and suffrage with the President Lincoln and his party. Fellow Republican President Ulysses S. Grant defended African Americans' newly won freedom and civil rights in the South by passing laws and using federal force to suppress the Ku Klux Klan, which had committed violence against blacks for years to suppress voting and discourage education. After Federal troops left in 1877 at the end of the Reconstruction era, many paramilitary groups worked to suppress black voting by violence. From 1890–1908 Southern states disenfranchised most blacks and many poor whites through constitutional amendments and statutes that created barriers to voter registration and voting. Such devices as poll taxes and subjective literacy tests sharply reduced the number of blacks in voting rolls. By the late nineteenth century, Southern white Democrats defeated some biracial Populist-Republican coalitions and regained power in the state legislatures of the former Confederacy; they passed laws establishing racial segregation and Jim Crow. In the border states and North, blacks continued to exercise the vote; the well-established Maryland African-American community defeated attempts there to disfranchise them.

Washington worked and socialized with many national white politicians and industry leaders. He developed the ability to persuade wealthy whites, many of them self-made men, to donate money to black causes by appealing to their values. He argued that the surest way for blacks to gain equal social rights was to demonstrate "industry, thrift, intelligence and property". He believed these were key to improved conditions for African Americans in the United States. Because African Americans had recently been emancipated and most lived in a hostile environment, Washington believed they could not expect too much at once. He said, "I have learned that success is to be measured not so much by the position that one has reached in life as by the obstacles which he has had to overcome while trying to succeed."

Along with Du Bois, Washington partly organized the "Negro exhibition" at the 1900 Exposition Universelle in Paris, where photos of Hampton Institute's black students were displayed. These were taken by his friend Frances Benjamin Johnston. The exhibition demonstrated African Americans' positive contributions to United States' society.

Washington privately contributed substantial funds for legal challenges to segregation and disfranchisement, such as the case of Giles v. Harris, which was heard before the United States Supreme Court in 1903. Even when such challenges were won at the Supreme Court, southern states quickly responded with new laws to accomplish the same ends, for instance, adding "grandfather clauses" that covered whites and not blacks in order to prevent blacks from voting.

Wealthy friends and benefactors

State and local governments historically underfunded black schools, although they were ostensibly providing "separate but equal" segregated facilities. White philanthropists strongly supported education financially. Washington encouraged them and directed millions of their money to projects all across the South that Washington thought best reflected his self-help philosophy. Washington associated with the richest and most powerful businessmen and politicians of the era. He was seen as a spokesperson for African Americans and became a conduit for funding educational programs.

His contacts included such diverse and well-known entrepreneurs and philanthropists as Andrew Carnegie, William Howard Taft, John D. Rockefeller, Henry Huttleston Rogers, George Eastman, Julius Rosenwald, Robert Curtis Ogden, Collis Potter Huntington, and William Henry Baldwin Jr.. The latter donated large sums of money to agencies such as the Jeanes and Slater Funds. As a result, countless small rural schools were established through Washington's efforts, under programs that continued many years after his death. Along with rich white men, the black communities helped their communities directly by donating time, money, and labor to schools to match the funds required.

Henry Huttleston Rogers

A representative case of an exceptional relationship was Washington's friendship with millionaire industrialist and financier Henry H. Rogers (1840–1909). Henry Rogers was a self-made man, who had risen from a modest working-class family to become a principal officer of Standard Oil, and one of the richest men in the United States. Around 1894 Rogers heard Washington speak at Madison Square Garden. The next day he contacted Washington and requested a meeting, during which Washington later recounted that he was told that Rogers "was surprised that no one had 'passed the hat' after the speech." The meeting began a close relationship that extended over a period of 15 years. Although Washington and the very-private Rogers were seen as friends, the true depth and scope of their relationship was not publicly revealed until after Rogers' sudden death of a stroke in May 1909. Washington was a frequent guest at Rogers' New York office, his Fairhaven, Massachusetts summer home, and aboard his steam yacht Kanawha.

A few weeks later Washington went on a previously planned speaking tour along the newly completed Virginian Railway, a $40-million enterprise that had been built almost entirely from Rogers' personal fortune. As Washington rode in the late financier's private railroad car, Dixie, he stopped and made speeches at many locations. His companions later recounted that he had been warmly welcomed by both black and white citizens at each stop.

Washington revealed that Rogers had been quietly funding operations of 65 small country schools for African Americans, and had given substantial sums of money to support Tuskegee and Hampton institutes. He also noted that Rogers had encouraged programs with matching funds requirements so the recipients had a stake in the outcome.

Anna T. Jeanes

In 1907 Philadelphia Quaker Anna T. Jeanes (1822–1907) donated one million dollars to Washington for elementary schools for black children in the South. Her contributions and those of Henry Rogers and others funded schools in many poor communities.

Julius Rosenwald

Julius Rosenwald (1862–1932) was another self-made wealthy man with whom Washington found common ground. By 1908 Rosenwald, son of an immigrant clothier, had become part-owner and president of Sears, Roebuck and Company in Chicago. Rosenwald was a philanthropist who was deeply concerned about the poor state of African-American education, especially in the segregated Southern states, where their schools were underfunded.

In 1912 Rosenwald was asked to serve on the Board of Directors of Tuskegee Institute, a position he held for the remainder of his life. Rosenwald endowed Tuskegee so that Washington could spend less time fundraising and more managing the school. Later in 1912 Rosenwald provided funds to Tuskegee for a pilot program to build six new small schools in rural Alabama. They were designed, constructed and opened in 1913 and 1914, and overseen by Tuskegee architects and staff; the model proved successful.

After Washington died in 1915, Rosenwald established the Rosenwald Fund in 1917, primarily to serve African-American students in rural areas throughout the South. The school building program was one of its largest programs. Using the architectural model plans developed by professors at Tuskegee Institute, the Rosenwald Fund spent over $4 million to help build 4,977 schools, 217 teachers' homes, and 163 shop buildings in 883 counties in 15 states, from Maryland to Texas. The Rosenwald Fund made matching grants, requiring community support, cooperation from the white school boards, and local fundraising. Black communities raised more than $4.7 million to aid the construction and sometimes donated land and labor; essentially they taxed themselves twice to do so. These schools became informally known as Rosenwald Schools. But the philanthropist did not want them to be named for him, as they belonged to their communities. By his death in 1932, these newer facilities could accommodate one third of all African-American children in Southern U.S. schools.

Up from Slavery to the White House

Washington's long-term adviser, Timothy Thomas Fortune (1856–1928), was a respected African-American economist and editor of The New York Age, the most widely read newspaper in the black community within the United States. He was the ghost-writer and editor of Washington's first autobiography, The Story of My Life and Work. Washington published five books during his lifetime with the aid of ghost-writers Timothy Fortune, Max Bennett Thrasher and Robert E. Park.

They included compilations of speeches and essays:

The Story of My Life and Work (1900)

Up from Slavery (1901)

The Story of the Negro: The Rise of the Race from Slavery (2 vol 1909)

My Larger Education (1911)

The Man Farthest Down (1912)

In an effort to inspire the "commercial, agricultural, educational, and industrial advancement" of African Americans, Washington founded the National Negro Business League (NNBL) in 1900.

When Washington's second autobiography, Up from Slavery, was published in 1901, it became a bestseller and had a major effect on the African-American community, its friends and allies. In October 1901, President Theodore Roosevelt invited Washington to dine with him and his family at the White House. Although Republican presidents had met privately with black leaders, this was the first highly publicized social occasion when an African American was invited there on equal terms by the president. Democratic Party politicians from the South, including future governor of Mississippi James K. Vardaman and Senator Benjamin Tillman of South Carolina, indulged in racist personal attacks when they learned of the invitation. Both used the derogatory term for African Americans in their statements.

Vardaman described the White House as

so saturated with the odor of the n----- that the rats have taken refuge in the stable, and declared "I am just as much opposed to Booker T. Washington as a voter as I am to the cocoanut-headed, chocolate-colored typical little coon who blacks my shoes every morning. Neither is fit to perform the supreme function of citizenship."

Tillman said, "The action of President Roosevelt in entertaining that n----- will necessitate our killing a thousand n------ in the South before they will learn their place again."

Ladislaus Hengelmüller von Hengervár, the Austro-Hungarian ambassador to the United States, who was visiting the White House on the same day, said he found a rabbit's foot in Washington's coat pocket when he mistakenly put on the coat. The Washington Post described it as "the left hind foot of a graveyard rabbit, killed in the dark of the moon". The Detroit Journal quipped the next day, "The Austrian ambassador may have made off with Booker T. Washington's coat at the White House, but he'd have a bad time trying to fill his shoes."

Death

Despite his extensive travels and widespread work, Washington continued as principal of Tuskegee. Washington's health was deteriorating rapidly in 1915; he collapsed in New York City and was diagnosed by two different doctors as having Bright's disease, related to kidney diseases. Told he only had a few days left to live, Washington expressed a desire to die at Tuskegee. He boarded a train and arrived in Tuskegee shortly after midnight on November 14, 1915. He died a few hours later at the age of 59. He was buried on the campus of Tuskegee University near the University Chapel.

At the time he was thought to have died by congestive heart failure, aggravated by overwork. In March 2006, his descendants permitted examination of medical records: these showed he had hypertension, with a blood pressure more than twice normal, confirming what had long been suspected.

At Washington's death, Tuskegee's endowment was close to $2 million. Washington's greatest life's work, the education of blacks in the South, was well underway and expanding.

Honors and memorials

For his contributions to American society, Washington was granted an honorary master's degree from Harvard University in 1896 and an honorary doctorate from Dartmouth College in 1901.

At the center of Tuskegee University, the Booker T. Washington Monument was dedicated in 1922. Called Lifting the Veil, the monument has an inscription reading:

He lifted the veil of ignorance from his people and pointed the way to progress through education and industry.

In 1934 Robert Russa Moton, Washington's successor as president of Tuskegee University, arranged an air tour for two African-American aviators. Afterward the plane was renamed as the Booker T. Washington.

On April 7, 1940, Washington became the first African American to be depicted on a United States postage stamp.

In 1942, the liberty ship Booker T. Washington was named in his honor, the first major oceangoing vessel to be named after an African American. The ship was christened by noted singer Marian Anderson.

In 1946, he was honored on the first coin to feature an African American, the Booker T. Washington Memorial Half Dollar, which was minted by the United States until 1951.

On April 5, 1956, the hundredth anniversary of Washington's birth, the house where he was born in Franklin County, Virginia, was designated as the Booker T. Washington National Monument.

A state park in Chattanooga, Tennessee, was named in his honor, as was a bridge spanning the Hampton River adjacent to his alma mater, Hampton University.

In 1984 Hampton University dedicated a Booker T. Washington Memorial on campus near the historic Emancipation Oak, establishing, in the words of the University, "a relationship between one of America's great educators and social activists, and the symbol of Black achievement in education."

Numerous high schools, middle schools and elementary schools across the United States have been named after Booker T. Washington.

In 2000, West Virginia State University (WVSU; then West Va. State College), in cooperation with other organizations including the Booker T. Washington Association, established the Booker T. Washington Institute, to honor Washington's boyhood home, the old town of Malden, and Washington's ideals.

On October 19, 2009, WVSU dedicated a monument to Booker T. Washington. The event took place at WVSU's Booker T. Washington Park in Malden, West Virginia. The monument also honors the families of African ancestry who lived in Old Malden in the early 20th century and who knew and encouraged Washington. Special guest speakers at the event included West Virginia Governor Joe Manchin III, Malden attorney Larry L. Rowe, and the president of WVSU. Musical selections were provided by the WVSU "Marching Swarm."

At the end of the 2008 presidential election, the defeated Republican candidate Senator John McCain recalled the stir caused a century before when President Theodore Roosevelt invited Booker T. Washington to the White House. McCain noted the evident progress in the country with the election of Democratic Senator Barack Obama as the first African-American President of the United States.

Legacy

The historiography on Booker T. Washington has varied dramatically. After his death, he came under heavy criticism in the civil rights community for accommodationism to white supremacy. However since the late 20th century, a more balanced view of his very wide range of activities has appeared. As of 2010, the most recent studies, "defend and celebrate his accomplishments, legacy, and leadership."

Washington was held in high regard by business-oriented conservatives, both white and black. Historian Eric Foner argues that the freedom movement of the late nineteenth century changed directions so as to align with America's new economic and intellectual framework. Black leaders emphasized economic self-help and individual advancement into the middle class as a more fruitful strategy than political agitation. There was emphasis on education and literacy throughout the period after the Civil War. Washington's famous Atlanta speech of 1895 marked this transition, as it called on blacks to develop their farms, their industrial skills, and their entrepreneurship as the next stage in emerging from slavery.

By this time, Mississippi had passed a new constitution, and other southern states were following suit, or using electoral laws to raise barriers to voter registration; they completed disenfranchisement of blacks at the turn of the 20th century to maintain white supremacy. But at the same time, Washington secretly arranged to fund numerous legal challenges to such voting restrictions and segregation, which he believed was the way they had to be attacked.

Washington repudiated the historic abolitionist emphasis on unceasing agitation for full equality, advising blacks that it was counterproductive to fight segregation at that point. Foner concludes that Washington's strong support in the black community was rooted in its widespread realization that, given their legal and political realities, frontal assaults on white supremacy were impossible, and the best way forward was to concentrate on building up their economic and social structures inside segregated communities. Historian C. Vann Woodward in 1951 wrote of Washington, "The businessman's gospel of free enterprise, competition, and laissez faire never had a more loyal exponent."

Historians since the late 20th century have been divided in their characterization of Washington: some describe him as a visionary capable of "read[ing] minds with the skill of a master psychologist," who expertly played the political game in 19th-century Washington by its own rules. Others say he was a self-serving, crafty narcissist who threatened and punished those in the way of his personal interests, traveled with an entourage, and spent much time fundraising, signing autographs, and giving flowery patriotic speeches with lots of flag waving — acts more indicative of an artful political boss than an altruistic civil rights leader.

People called Washington the "Wizard of Tuskegee" because of his highly developed political skills, and his creation of a nationwide political machine based on the black middle class, white philanthropy, and Republican Party support. Opponents called this network the "Tuskegee Machine." Washington maintained control because of his ability to gain support of numerous groups, including influential whites and black business, educational and religious communities nationwide. He advised on the use of financial donations from philanthropists, and avoided antagonizing white Southerners with his accommodation to the political realities of the age of Jim Crow segregation.

The Tuskegee machine collapsed rapidly after Washington's death. He was the charismatic leader who held it all together, with the aid of Emmett Jay Scott. But the trustees replaced Scott, and the elaborate system fell apart. Critics in the 1920s to 1960s, especially those connected with the NAACP, ridiculed Tuskegee as a producer of a submissive black laborers. Since the late 20th century historians have given much more favorable view, emphasizing the school’s illustrious faculty and the progressive black movements, institutions and leaders in education, politics, architecture, medicine and other professions it produced who Worked hard in communities across the United States, and indeed worldwide across the African Diaspora. Deborah Morowski points out that Tuskegee's curriculum served to help students achieve a sense of personal and collective efficacy. She concludes:

The social studies curriculum provided an opportunity for the uplift of African Americans at time when these opportunities were few and far between for black youth. The curriculum provided inspiration for African Americans to advance their standing in society, to change the view of southern whites toward the value of blacks, and ultimately, to advance racial equality, At a time when most Blacks were poor farmers in the South, and were ignored by the national Black leadership, Washington's Tuskegee made their needs a high priority. They lobbied for government funds, and especially from philanthropies that enabled the Institute to provide model farming techniques, advanced training, and organizational skills. These included Annual Negro Conferences, the Tuskegee Experiment Station, the Agricultural Short Course, the Farmers' Institutes, the Farmers' County Fairs, the Movable School, and numerous pamphlets and feature stories sent free to the South's black newspapers.

Washington took the lead in promoting educational uplift for the African Diaspora, often with .funding from the Phelps Stokes Fund or in collaboration with foreign sources, such as the German government.

Descendants

Washington's first daughter by Fannie, Portia Marshall Washington (1883–1978), was a trained pianist who married Tuskegee educator and architect William Sidney Pittman in 1900. They had three children. Pittman faced several difficulties in trying to build his practice while his wife built her musical profession. After he assaulted their daughter Fannie in the midst of an argument, Portia took Fannie and left Pittman.

She resettled at Tuskegee. She was removed from the faculty in 1939 because she did not have an academic degree, but she opened her own piano teaching practice for a few years. After retiring in 1944 at the age of 61, she dedicated her efforts in the 1940s to memorializing her father. She succeeded in getting her father's bust placed in the Hall of Fame in New York, a 50-cent coin minted with his image, and his Virginia birthplace being declared a National Monument. Portia Washington Pittman died on February 26, 1978, in Washington, D.C.

Booker Jr. (1887–1945) married Nettie Blair Hancock (1887–1972). Their daughter, Nettie Hancock Washington (1917–1982), became a teacher and taught at a high school in Washington, D.C. for twenty years. She married physician Frederick Douglass III (1913–1942), a great-grandson of Frederick Douglass, the famed abolitionist and orator. Nettie and Frederick's daughter, Nettie Washington Douglass, and her son, Kenneth Morris, co-founded the Frederick Douglass Family Initiatives, an anti-sex trafficking organization.

Representation in other media

Washington and his family's visit to the White House was dramatized as the subject of an opera, A Guest of Honor, by Scott Joplin, noted African-American composer. It was first produced in 1903.

E. L. Doctorow's 1975 novel Ragtime features a fictional version of Washington trying to negotiate the surrender of an African-American musician who is threatening to blow up the Pierpont Morgan Library. The role was played by Moses Gunn in the 1981 film adaptation.

Works

The Future of the American Negro – 1899

Up from Slavery – 1901

Character Building – 1902

Working with the Hands – 1904

Tuskegee & Its People (editor) – 1905

The Negro in the South (with W. E. B. Du Bois) – 1907

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357.

What do you do with your plastic grocery bags after you unload your things? >> Either toss them or put them under the sink for future use. Generally depends on how many are already under the sink. Are you afraid of being electrocuted? >> I mean, no, not without reason or anything. Like, I wouldn’t go touch an electric fence on purpose, of course, but I don’t think about the possibility of electrocution unless it’s immediate. Have you ever slept in a water bed? >> No. What do you think about Britney Spears comeback? >> I’m guessing this is an older survey. Ever bite your tongue twice in a row while eating something? >> Yes, and it’s the fucking worst.

Do you cook your own meals or do your parents? >> --- Did you sleep in or wake up early today? >> I woke up around the time I usually wake up. How do you feel about having sex during your menstrual period? >> --- How do you feel about anal sex? >> No. Does your ex have a job? >> Some do, some don’t. Have you ever slept in a car? >> Aside from napping during a long drive, no, not that I recall. Do you think the drinking age should be lowered to 18? >> I don’t have an opinion. What was the last term of endearment you used (babe, hun, dear, etc)? >> I don’t use them, so IDK. What were you doing the last time you were in the bathroom? >> Brushing my teeth. How often do you use Flickr? >> I don’t. Unless I’m looking for a source for a photograph I saw on tumblr, or something. Have you ever peed while on the phone? >> No. Have you ever been on a blind date? >> No. Do you have a crush on the last person you texted? >> --- Have you ever got into an argument with the last person you kissed? >> King Crimson and I have... passionate discourse sometimes, but I wouldn’t necessarily call it arguing. Has anyone made you cry in the last 3 days? >> No. Have you ever liked somebody who was nice to you, but horrible to everyone else? >> Not that I’ve noticed. What did you do yesterday? >> Grocery shopping, stopped at the birthday party for some child from Sparrow’s family, did laundry at the Wayland house, stayed for dinner (grilled lamb chops!), had a vaguely-todash-y moment on the way home, came home and wrote about it on Dreamwidth, went to sleep. How many of your Facebook friends have you kissed? >> --- Have you ever made any of your friends cry? >> --- Does anyone disgust you? >> I mean, sure, there are people out there who do things that disgust me.  Is there anything about your life at the moment that you’d like to change? >> Meh, not really. I mean, I don’t want to stagnate or anything, but I also don’t feel any pressing need for self-directed change right now. Do you regret anything you’ve done in the last 7 days? >> No. Do you keep a diary? And if you do, has anyone ever read it? >> I keep a dreamwidth, and yeah, I assume that sometimes people (subscribers, I mean) read the stuff that I allow access to. What would you do about someone who was sending you mixed messages? >> I can’t even imagine what it’d be like to have this experience, so. How’s your appetite atm? >> Intense as always. Oh, you mean my mundane human appetite for food? Eh, I could eat a snack but I’m not really hungry-hungry. Is anything annoying you at the moment? >> No. Out of all the conversations you’ve had recently, which one has made you smile or laugh the most? >> I don’t know. Describe the last situation in which you found yourself feeling awkward. >> I don’t remember. Do you look decent in your most recent photograph? >> I think I look decent in most of my photographs. When was the last time you wanted to laugh, but felt like you couldn’t? >> I don’t know. If they decided to stop making chocolate tomorrow, would you care? >> No. What’s your relationship with the last person who put their arms around you? >> --- What were you doing at 4 o'clock this afternoon? >> It hasn’t turned 4pm yet. I don’t know what I’ll be doing. Maybe playing a game. What will you be doing in 30 mins? >> I’m not sure. Maybe taking a different survey? Was today better than yesterday? >> Not necessarily. Today is good and yesterday was good. Will tomorrow be better than today? >> *shrug*  

[smithsoniancats]

Head of a Cat

Access here

Artist Paul Wayland Bartlett, born New Haven, CT 1865-died Paris, France 1925

Luce Center Label Paul Wayland Bartlett created many sculptures of animals during his early career in France. He studied the menagerie of wild creatures at the Jardin des Plantes in Paris and modeled sculptures of domestic animals such as cats, dogs, and goats. In the tradition of the animaliers, he often focused on facial expressions to capture the animal’s emotion.

Credit Line Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Mrs. Armistead Peter III modeled ca. 1877-1880

Object number 1958.11.20 Restrictions & Rights CC0

Type Sculpture Medium bronze Dimensions 5 1/8 x 4 x 4 1/2 in. (13.0 x 10.2 x 11.5 cm)

[magica-pseudoacademica]

Scotland

Last edited 2019-04-28

Articles

Anton, A. E. “‘Handfasting’ in Scotland.” The Scottish Historical Review 37, no. 124 (October 1958): 89-102. 

* Brochard, Thomas. “Scottish Witchcraft in a Regional and Northern European Context: The Northern Highlands, 1563-1600.” Magic, Ritual, and Witchcraft 10, no. 1 (Summer 2015): 41-47.

* Hand, Wayland D. “Folk Medical Inhalants in Respiratory Disorders.” Medical History 12 (1968): 153-163.

Chapters

Clark, Stuart. “King James’s Daemonologie: Witchcraft and Kingship.” In The Damned Art: Essays in the Literature of Witchcraft, edited by Sydney Anglo, 156-181. Abingdon: Routledge, 2011.

Goodare, Julian. “Between Humans and Angels: Scientific Uses for Fairies in Early Modern Scotland.” In Fairies, Demons, and Nature Spirits: “Small Gods” at the Margins of Christendom, edited by Michael Ostling, 169-190. New York, NY: Oxford University Press, 2018.

Houlbrook, Ceri. “The wishing-tree of Isle Maree: The evolution of a Scottish folkloric practice.” In The Materiality of Magic: An artifactual investigation into ritual practices and popular beliefs, edited by Ceri Houlbrook and Natalie Armitage, 123-142. Oxford: Oxbow Books, 2015.

Larner, Christina. “Two Late Scottish Witchcraft Tracts: Witch-craft Proven and The Tryal of Witchcraft.” In The Damned Art: Essays in the Literature of Witchcraft, edited by Sydney Anglo, 227-245. Abingdon: Routledge, 2011.

Videos

* Purkiss, Diane. “Scottish Witches, Fairies and Old Religion - Prof. Diane Purkiss.” YouTube video, 1:11:04, Jun. 5, 2016. https://youtu.be/5XarUnjx-ls.

Webpages and Websites

* Goodare, Julian, Lauren Martin, Joyce Miller, and Louise Yeoman. “The Survey of Scottish Witchcraft.” The University of Edinburgh. http://www.shca.ed.ac.uk/Research/witches/index.html (accessed Feb. 25, 2018).

[rpgchoices]

These are the games I added in the “soon to come out rpg in 2020″, so I just thought I would check them again and see what news were there!

Useless rpgs recs not really recs. Upcoming rpgs for 2020 UPDATE

Pendula Swing: The Complete Journey = The game is out on steam! It has some extra (mostly aesthetic) bonus stuff compared to the episodic version of it, so go check it out! It has a canon bisexual lady dwarf investigating a thief!

The Waylanders = an isometric rpg with time travelling, companions and romance! Still no news but the fact that the early access will be this year. You can go and listen to the game voices on the steam page!

GameDec = cyberpunk rpg where you solve crimes! Very decision and choices heavy and probably the one I am looking forward to the most after Waylanders. No news from the last time!

Zoria: Age of Shattering =  This is an isometric rpg, not a lot of info out. The date change from Spring to Autumn 2020, but if you are interested you can watch the “meet the developers” stream the 12 of June!

The Iron Oath = a pixel-arty isometric rpg, with turn based combat with the promise of party characters with personalities and banter! It was featured in the “Summer of Gaming 2020″ by IGN, so I suppose it will come out this summer!

Project Witchstone = another isometric rpg with turn based combat, this one does not have a lot of story or plot information out, but it seems to be very decision/choices and consequences focused. And you might play as two characters. Still no date yet!

Death Trash = pixel art, isometric rpg in a post apocalyptic world. This is here because they promised me I could talk to monster and not kill them! The website says that it will be in early access soon!

Baldur’s Gate 3 = apparently… it’s arriving in 2020?? PLENTY of News too, from the Reddit AMA and trailers!

Colony Ship = isometric and party based, 12 recruitable companions!, turn based combat, space ships! The game has been moved to Fall 2021.

Dark Envoy =   my pc couldn’t play Tower of Time but it was a great game up till I could play it, and now the same developers are creating Dark Envoy. This isometric rpg seems to be more inspired by Divinity Original Sin and I remember really enjoying the combat and the story of Tower of Time. This has gameplay and trailers now

Tainted Grail = inspired and reimagining of arthurian legends, party based isometric rpg where you have to investigate what is happening to Avalon post-King Arthur. RELEASE DATE IS JUNE 18th.

Gatewalkers = I added this game before realizing it’s an RPG Co-Op… so… ignore this, I suppose, unless you really love cooperative games. Early access 2020.

Realms Beyond = classic DnD inspired isometric rpg set in a fantasy world. You play with a party of companions, but there shouldn’t be too much interactions between you and your companions (the creators said that it’s at the level of Baldur’s Gate 1, not Baldur’s Gate 2). No news!

The Hand of Merlin = this arthurian inspired rpg has been in development for a long time, but has recently seen some new updates so there are hopes for 2020.

The Way of Wrath = party based turn based rpg where you have to lead your people to safety! It seems to be very story heavy, and similar to Expeditions: Viking. You can apply for beta!

OTHER GAMES:

Black Geyser: Backer beta keeps getting posponed. Now it is postponed to June, but there is no update and the last update is from March 2020. At least, there is a facebook page now!

Solasta: The date is set to January 2021!