The “Charleston Code?”
A very important presentation will be given by Raymond Dobard, Jr., Ph.D. of Howard University on October 27, 2009 at 7 p.m. at the Calvert Library, Prince Frederick, Maryland. Again, he will be addressing the “secret quilt code,” the theme of his 1999 book, Hidden in Plain View, a book that has been highly disputed. He is now calling it “The Charleston Code.”
Is calling “the secret quilt code” the “Charleston Code” an attempt to confuse the enemy? Hmmm …
Initially, Raymond Dobard, Jr., Ph.D. (Art History professor), deemed his connections between slave escapes and quilts/quilt blocks to be “pure conjecture.” As time went on, Dobard appeared to become more defensive of his theories.
His thoughts were derived from the testimony of the late Ozella McDaniel Williams, as shared by his co-author, Jacqueline Tobin who interviewed Williams. Tobin teaches creative writing classes for women, last I had heard.
Dobard came under heavy fire for information that other scholars feel is not true. There are many reasons for this disagreement. I have written and published a number of articles on this topic, which are available to read/ and hear on our website.
One main reason for objections is the time frame in which certain quilt blocks are known to have been first made. The theory simply does not jibe with known information. To date, there is no supporting evidence, from any source, for the verbal secret quilt code that was provided to co-author, Jacqueline Tobin.
Many more details are provided in what I have already written, so please visit my website, if you are interested in this topic.
One of Dobard’s greatest detractors was the late Giles Wright, a Black scholar who poked holes in the argument. There was a lot of “chatter” among historians. I publicly disputed the faulty conclusions of the book in one newspaper article of more than 4,000 words, and in two lengthy magazine articles.
The pity of the misinformation or misinterpretation of the secret quilt code is that is has been used in school curriculum plans to develop teaching modules for “Black History.”
This is an attempt to fill a niche need to envelope racial differences and make History more appealing and pleasant. This type of revisionist history is dangerous because it does not acknowledge the truth of what actually happened.
It is ridiculous that children are being forced to memorize the secret quilt code of Ozella. In addition, children are being urged to re-create certain quilt blocks and memorize their “meaning.” The teaching of malarkey is not teaching anyone anything. Instead, it is an insult to the minorities it hopes to serve.
Charleston, South Carolina is the location where Tobin first met and spoke with the elderly and dying Mrs. Williams, an Black woman who graduated from Howard University and held a law degree. Ozella was selling quilts in a marketplace and Jacqueline Tobin returned, year after year, to finally be given the whole “secret quilt code,” not that the code was lengthy.
This new talk is an interesting development. I’d love to hear it. Most of the people I know who are deeply interested in quilt history just want to move on. I will go out on a limb and say that I, and they, are tired of the rehash of misstatements by those who are not dedicated historians/or quilt historians/ or scholars.
Like influenza, bedbugs, or annoying people, we wish that the “secret quilt code” would just go away. Alas, it seems to be about to get a new injection, making it last a little longer.
Read the Baynet story
Patricia Cummings
Quilter’s Muse Publications
