Here’s some local, and rarely discussed Black history, for you. The man is Mathew Foggy, Sr., the “Jimmy Dean” of East St. Louis, IL.
He was my grandparent’s neighbor, on Converse Avenue, in East Boogie and rolls of his Foggy’s Pork Sausage were prominently displayed and sold from area National Food Stores and Kroger’s on both sides of the Mississippi River through the late 1960’s.
His son, Mathew Foggy, Jr., inherited his entrepreneurial spirit and founded the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Skating Rink in East St. Louis, following the assassination of Dr. King in 1968, as a tribute to the late civil rights leader.
[This book] traces how the USA devalued Africans, as people, in order to value them as property and had their mythical inferior status written into federal, state and local laws for 250 years which, in part, is the impetus for the current federal and state initiatives to roll back and eliminate DEI efforts.
The rink went on to be re-branded as Skate King, eventually relocating to St. Louis, and has been an iconic recreational institution for African-American roller skaters in the St. Louis and metro-east area for over 55 years.
So, in the spirit of Foggy’s love of Dr. King and as an avid student of Black history, in 1995, he embarked upon an ambitious and intensive research project, taking a deep dive into the role of African unpaid laborers (slaves) in the pre-colonial, colonial and post-colonial building and creation of wealth for America.
His project was supported and endorsed by 131 of America’s most eminent historians and authorities on Black history, including the likes of Dr. Henry Louis Gates and Dr. Ibram X. Kendi.
And using the aftermath of the establishment of Juneteenth as America’s newest national holiday as a launching pad, Foggy unveiled his new book, “America’s MVP: Honoring The First 12 Generations of Africans In America, America’s Biggest Investment.”
It is a well-written and documented, historical account of the contribution of Africans in America’s; from the slave ship, to the auction block, to the plantation, as well as providing the preliminary and requisite calculus for what reparations for Black labor would entail.
A cursory glance of some of the facts revealed are that the 10 million unpaid laborers (slaves) became America’s number one investment, were monetized and valued in terms of dollars for nearly 300 years.
In addition, it traces how the USA devalued Africans, as people, in order to value them as property and had their mythical inferior status written into federal, state and local laws for 250 years which, in part, is the impetus for the current federal and state initiatives to roll back and eliminate DEI efforts.
This book’s intent is to create a movement to destroy that mythology and elevate the history of the Black contribution in America.
It is beautifully packaged and includes a lapel pin and an American flag, both with a single black stripe, symbolizing the contribution of 10 million unpaid laborers (slaves) in America and asks individuals to “hype the stripe” in remembrance and recognition of the Black contribution in building America.
At Skate King the skaters have, unbeknownst to them, rolled past the “hype the stripe” logo not realizing the true meaning and symbolism that it represents. Now we know about the man and the history behind this budding movement.
That movement is eloquently captured in the book, which you can learn more about by simply going to www.unpaidlabor.com or on Facebook at Unpaid Labor.
Email: jtingram_1960@yahoo.com X@JamesTIngram
It behoves us blacks to share the stories our mothers and grandmothers told us about the treatment we got in “our” country to combat the racial regression America is experiencing now. The Japanese, Jewish, Native American and other peoples deserve reparations but not the African-Americans? How can America explain that? Can we establish a website where these stories can b shared? I have personal memories from Scooba, DeKalb, Philadelphia and Meridian, Mississippi along with stories my father and mother told me. I plan to get Matthew’s book to learn more of our local history … our families attended Bethel Methodist Church together as children! Congratulations and best wishes.