Author Amy Godine 72F Chronicles the History of Black Pioneers in 19th Century New York in New Book
Hampshire College alum Amy Godine 72F illuminates the profound yet often overlooked history of Black pioneers in New York's Adirondacks.
“In The Black Woods, I retrieve the robust story of Black pioneers who carved from the wilderness a future for their families and their civic rights,” writes Godine. “With stirring stories from archival sources, I return these trailblazers and their descendants to their rightful place in the Adirondack narrative. The recovery is long overdue.”
The Black Woods: Pursuing Racial Justice on the Adirondack Frontier follows the history of Black New Yorkers in the mid-19th century who sought freedom and the right to vote through land ownership, a venture in large part made possible by abolitionist Gerrit Smith's land grant. Smith’s initiative, endorsed by figures such as Frederick Douglass and antislavery reformer John Brown, aimed to secure Black suffrage and foster racial justice, reflecting early visions of affirmative action and environmental distributive justice.
The book's significance is underscored by the praise of fellow Hampshire alum Ken Burns 71F, who describes the book as "a beautifully written, painstakingly researched, and uncommonly nuanced story, heretofore a footnote in the ongoing saga of race in America. But here is a real story, liberated from the chains of arrogant historiography and willing to look into dark corners of our national narrative and climb to summits that offer a panoramic ‘us.’"
Originally from Brookline, Massachusetts, Godine attended Hampshire in the 1970s where she earned a B.A. in American studies. A writer, journalist, and historian, Godine holds an M.F.A. in fiction writing and currently resides in Saratoga Springs, New York.
Read more in the Adirondack Daily Enterprise
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