Black History Month: Imani Perry’s “South to America”
During the racial and social protests of the past two years, many Americans have tried to learn more about the complicated social, racial, and economic systems that have shaped our nation’s history and present. A new book by Imani Perry examines the history of southern culture and history in the United States. It is called South to America: A Journey Below the Mason-Dixon to Understand the Soul of a Nation. Here, btw takes a closer look at this important text.
Who is Imani Perry?
Perry is the Hughes-Rogers Professor of African American Studies at Princeton University, and the author of several other books. She was born in Birmingham, Alabama. Perry has a complicated relationship with her own home and birthplace, which is part of what she explores in the book. Though she now lives in New England, to conduct research for the book, Perry travelled to as much of the South as possible.
What is the Book About?
South to America is not a “regular” history book. Imani takes historical events and weaves them together with personal stories from her own life. In this way, the book is just as much about the present as it is about the past. It explores many of the contradictions that surround the concept of the American South. Birmingham, Alabama, for example, has changed from one of the most segregated cities in the nation in the 1960s to one where African Americans have made incredible economic and social gains. Perry shows that both of these versions of Birmingham are true and important.
At the same time, Perry does not gloss over or excuse the fact that the South, which was built on human enslavement, has a history of racism and inequality. She argues that we need to understand it, and to reckon with our complicated ideas of the South, in order to better understand the nation as a whole. Perry also draws many historical connections between the racism of the American South, and current social problems and injustices in the region and in the United States.
What Makes it Unique?
Perry not only blends history with personal stories; she also weaves in hip-hop, poetry, journalism, literary criticism, travelogue, and more. In this way, the book is almost like a collage as Perry moves from one person, event, or place to another. Perry doesn’t offer any answers to the complex problems that the book presents, but states that she hopes that examining the past will help lead to a more just and equitable future.