In 2001, the DAR published the following book, which was a consolidation and updating of several smaller booklets done since the mid-1980s: African American and American Indian Patriots of the Revolutionary War. 200 pages. It is still available for purchase from the DAR Store at the same street address as below my name for $12.00 postpaid. Several people on the staff research the topic of minority participation in the Revolution on a daily basis because we find it fascinating and important. In October 2002, the DAR Museum will open an exhibit entitled "Forgotten Patriots: African American and American Indian Patriots of the Revolutionary War." It will run for about 10 months. On January 11, 2003, the DAR will host a historical seminar at our headquarters in downtown Washington on the same subject. We've invited many well-known historians who specialize in this topic to speak. The program is still being crafted. The DAR Library has had for years a significant African American research collection and we add new materials to it constantly. We also have an American Indian Collection which is used frequently by staff from the Bureau of Indian Affairs next door in the Department of the Interior. The DAR itself has an American Indians Committee (established in 1941) which focuses on supporting education. Eric G. Grundset Library Director DAR Library 1776 D St., N.W. Washington, DC 20006-5392 202-879-3313 egrundset@dar.org <mailto:egrundset@dar.org> -----Original Message----- From: Angie Rayfield [SMTP:carolinaroots@inmyattic.com] Sent: Thursday, June 06, 2002 11:57 AM To: AMERICAN-REVOLUTION-L@rootsweb.com Subject: Re: [A-REV] Fw: Fw: DAR:Sar At 11:11 PM 6/5/2002 -0400, James L. Stokes wrote: > Ok, its a service organization, I don't see a big difference between the >two. OK, admittedly it's a murky area. But think of your church -- do you consider it a social group or a service group? I would imagine that if you were plugging it into one of the two areas, you'd consider it a service organization. The primary goal is not to provide a social experience or setting, although that's part of any group. > My grandmother, neither of them, would have qualified for the DAR, both >were the daughters of Irish immigrants. I'm pretty confident that both >wouldn't have been involved in the DAR, they both supported FDR and I >suspect that when the DAR refused to allow Marion Anderson (a Black singer) >to sing in the DAR Hall in Washington both would have been unhappy about it. >Its not that my grandmothers were advocates of intergration its just that >they were more advanced that the DAR and were supporters of the President >and his wife. Actually, I've seen this story two different ways. One is that the DAR refused to allow Marion Anderson to sing in the DAR hall. I've also seen stories, though, that indicate that the DAR Hall was in use for another event that day, and so not available. I couldn't tell you which is accurate -- it was a little before my time <g>. As a side note, though. I'm certainly not an advocate of segregation, so don't put words in my mouth (or credit me with thoughts that I don't have), but I also don't think it's terribly fair to judge actions taken 60 years ago against the standards that exist now. Segregated organizations were par for the course at the time (and this was not just a "southern problem;" segregation and racism were a northern problem, too). In some places, it wasn't just the social custom, it was the law, and many people simply accepted it as a fact of life. That doesn't necessarily make them bad people, or bad groups. It makes them a product of their times. > Does the DAR today do research into Black involvement in the American >Revolution or is that left for any Black women who might want to join. If I'm not mistaken, the DAR doesn't do research, as such. Its function is not as a research organization. They do serve as a repository for a great deal of data, they have educational programs, etc. I'm sure there are members of the DAR that are interested in the contribution of blacks to the Revolution, the same as there are people interested in the native American contribution, the German contribution, and so on, but the organization itself is not a research group. Angie ==== AMERICAN-REVOLUTION Mailing List ==== ============================== To join Ancestry.com and access our 1.2 billion online genealogy records, go to: http://www.ancestry.com/rd/redir.asp?targetid=571&sourceid=1237