Blacks@Dartmouth 1775 to 1960

'Another Side of the Blues: Seven short stories' by Charles Wilder-Exposition Press Inc. Charles Wilder, a native of Washington, D.C., and a graduate of Dartmouth College, touches on several important topics examining the experiences of Blacks in contemporary times, including the search for personal identity and self-denial of race in his first published book, 'Another Side of the Blues.' Wilder traveled throughout the States and journeyed as far as South America in his quest to gather background information to tell of the experience of Blacks today in this book of seven short stories of racial interaction and inner conflict.

Wilder reveals that Blacks today do practice discrimination within their own race in terms of color. He points out that Blacks born of mixed blood be it Spanish, French or Caucasian descent, reject that part of them that is Black. To back this up, Wilder writes about a young French intellectual (classified as a Negro) who researches his ancestry for information that he believed would confirm his French heritage. This young man, Armand Leclerc, receives a rude wakening when he is brought to racial consciousness by the white teaching establishment.

A bit of human negativity is touched on by Wilder as he writes about a young, ambitious white journalist who exploited Blacks for his own advancement. This young man ultimately meets a troubled death in pursuing a story on the reaction of Blacks to the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Wilder makes clear in 'Another Side of the Blues' that Blacks of mixed blood do experience a great deal of inner conflict ranging from sheer frustration to mental depression in view of the emphasis on lily-white society.