Today is a good day for my first post in a few weeks, as it marks exactly nine months until the book is released. You can conceive (of) the metaphors.
Also, last week, the Democrat and Chronicle published another excerpt of the book, this one on George Eastman and Kodak. I use some not-seen-before NAACP documents to demonstrate how Eastman almost single-handedly stemmed Black migration to Rochester during his lifetime and set the stage for later conservative discriminatory practices.
Here’s a telling quote from George Bock, president of the local NAACP chapter, regarding some instances of racial discrimination in Eastman-controlled organizations in 1924:
“The colored people are not many here in Rochester and our financial interests bow so completely to Mr. Eastman’s judgment that it would be disastrous to get his severe enmity. If the matter is not (dropped), the monied interests, of which Mr. Eastman is the leader, may make it tremendously hard for all the colored people in the city whether they are involved in this controversy or not.”
You can read that story here (for D&C subscribers only). I’m also adding the link to the resources section of this website.