The Good Darky facts for kids
The Good Darky statue, also known as Uncle Jack, is a statue from 1927 that shows an older African American man. It was first put up in Natchitoches, Louisiana. The statue stayed there until 1968. Today, it is kept at the Louisiana State University Rural Life Museum in Baton Rouge. Many people find this statue controversial because of what it represents.
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Why Was This Statue Made?
Between 1890 and 1940, many statues were built in the Southern United States. These statues often honored Confederate figures or ideas. This time period also saw the rise of "Jim Crow laws". These laws enforced racial segregation and treated African Americans unfairly.
Many of these statues supported a belief called the "Lost Cause of the Confederacy". This idea tried to make the Confederacy and slavery seem good or honorable. It often ignored the true reasons for the Civil War.
Some statues from this time honored Confederate soldiers or women who supported the Confederacy. A very few statues, like "The Good Darky," were made to honor African Americans who were supposedly "loyal" to their enslavers.
A Magazine's Idea
In 1894, a magazine called Confederate Veteran suggested building statues for African Americans from the Civil War era. The magazine, run by Confederate veterans, wrote:
It seems opportune now to erect monuments to the Negro race of the war period... What figure would be looked upon with kindlier memory than old 'Uncle Pete' and 'Black Mammy'... There is not of record in history of subordination and faithful devotion by any race of people comparable to the slaves of the Southern people during our great four years war for independence.
This idea was meant to show enslaved people as happy and loyal. It ignored the harsh reality of slavery and the desire for freedom.
What the Statue Looks Like and Its Story
The "Good Darky" statue shows an older African American man. He is bowing his head and holding his hat in his hand. This pose suggests he is being very humble or obedient. The original words on the statue said:
In Grateful Recognition of the Arduous and Faithful Service of the Good Darkies of Louisiana
Who Commissioned the Statue?
A cotton planter and businessman named Jackson Lee "Jack" Bryan ordered the bronze statue in 1927. The artist who created it was Hans Schuler. The statue was placed in a park by the river in downtown Natchitoches.
At the time, some people thought the statue was a step forward. It was one of the first statues in America to show an African American person. Time magazine wrote that Bryan wanted to "do something big for the Negro." The New York Times said many white people felt a "warm regard" for the "old-time 'uncles' and 'aunties'" who had cared for them. However, Bryan's own sister warned him that some white people might not like the statue.
How People Reacted to It
The white community in Natchitoches eventually accepted the statue. A story even became popular among white people. It claimed that if African Americans who had too much to drink asked "Uncle Jack" for directions, the statue would guide them home. This story made African Americans seem foolish or helpless.
However, the African American community in Natchitoches generally disliked the statue. They felt it showed their race in a way that was too humble and serving. During the Civil Rights Movement, people protested the statue. In 1968, it was removed. Some say it was pushed into the Cane River, while others say the city took it down peacefully.
Where Is It Now?
The statue was later found (if it was indeed in the river) and put into storage. In 1974, Bryan's family gave it to the Rural Life Museum. The Smithsonian Institution had also wanted the statue. It was first placed outside the museum's main entrance. Now, it is in a less visible area, in a back lot.
Why the Statue Is Criticized
Many people have criticized the "Good Darky" statue. They say it promotes harmful ideas about African Americans.
Maya Angelou, a famous writer, said this about the statue:
Uncle Jack is the quintessential obsequious Negro servant. . . . The droop of his shoulders bears witness not only to his years but more specifically to his own understanding of his place as a poor black in a rich white world
—Maya Angelou, Maya Angelou, 1997. Even the Stars Look Lonesome. New York, Random House. p. 92.
She meant that the statue showed a Black person who was overly submissive. It seemed to show that he knew his place was below white people.
Another writer, James W. Loewen, explained in 1999:
[E]very adult who lived in the segregated South knew the terror on which segregation rested... That is why 'The Good Darky' bows his head; ultimately, he doesn't want to be killed.
—James W. Loewen, 1999
Loewen suggested that the statue's bowing pose showed the fear and danger that African Americans faced under segregation. They had to act humble to stay safe.
