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Systemic Racism: Making Liberty,

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sy stemic racism
Making Liberty, Justice, and Democracy Real

Co-edited by
ruth thompson-miller | kimberley ducey

Contributors
george yancy terence d. fitzgerald
adia harvey wingfield louwanda evans
anthony j. weems david g.t. embrick
kristianna weber charity clay
carol s. walther edna b. chun
yanick st. jean kenneth sean chaplin
john n. singer christopher chambers
claire m. renzetti noël a. cazenave
jennifer c. mueller roy l. brooks
ana s.q. liberato glenn bracey ii
kristen lavelle marcus bell
john d. foster pinar batur
Systemic Racism
Ruth Thompson-Miller · Kimberley Ducey
Co-editors

Systemic Racism
Making Liberty, Justice, and Democracy Real
Co-editors
Ruth Thompson-Miller Kimberley Ducey
University of Dayton University of Winnipeg
Dayton, OH, USA Winnipeg, MB, Canada

ISBN 978-1-137-59409-9 ISBN 978-1-137-59410-5 (eBook)


DOI 10.1057/978-1-137-59410-5

Library of Congress Control Number: 2017940371

© The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s) 2017


This work is subject to copyright. All rights are solely and exclusively licensed by the
Publisher, whether the whole or part of the material is concerned, specifically the rights
of translation, reprinting, reuse of illustrations, recitation, broadcasting, reproduction
on microfilms or in any other physical way, and transmission or information storage and
retrieval, electronic adaptation, computer software, or by similar or dissimilar methodology
now known or hereafter developed.
The use of general descriptive names, registered names, trademarks, service marks, etc. in this
publication does not imply, even in the absence of a specific statement, that such names are
exempt from the relevant protective laws and regulations and therefore free for general use.
The publisher, the authors and the editors are safe to assume that the advice and
information in this book are believed to be true and accurate at the date of publication.
Neither the publisher nor the authors or the editors give a warranty, express or implied,
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maps and institutional affiliations.

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Design by Emma Hardy

Printed on acid-free paper

This Palgrave Macmillan imprint is published by Springer Nature


The registered company is Nature America Inc.
The registered company address is: 1 New York Plaza, New York, NY 10004, U.S.A.
For “Fearless Feagin”
Foreword

I am humbled to have been invited to write the foreword to this collec-


tion of essays in honor of Joe R. Feagin. I count Joe among my cher-
ished friends, and I admire and respect him as a fellow sociologist—one
with an unrelenting passion for identifying the causes and consequences
of, as well as remedies for, white racism. In fact, the title of this book,
Systemic Racism, highlights one of his most important contributions:
moving the sociological study of race from the social-psychological level
of individuals’ prejudices and discrimination to the social-structural level
of institutionally embedded oppression.
Indeed, the study of white racism has been the primary focus of
Joe’s prolific 50-year career. Joe has published more than 70 books,
many of which have gone through multiple editions, strong evidence
of their enduring significance. Several of these books have won prestig-
ious awards, including the Gustavus Myers Center Outstanding Human
Rights Book Award (both Living with Racism and White Racism: The
Basics), the Oliver C. Cox Book Award from the American Sociological
Association (White Racism: The Basics), and the Choice Award (both
Liberation Sociology and White Men on Race). Joe’s second book, Ghetto
Revolts, published in 1973, just 6 years after he received his Ph.D. from
Harvard University, was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize. In addition to
these books, Joe has published more than 200 book chapters, journal
articles, and reports, and he has delivered more than 200 conference
presentations, invited lectures, and public addresses. Underlying this pro-
lificacy is the motivation captured in the subtitle of this volume: to make

vii
viii Foreword

“liberty, justice, and democracy real.” Many of the contributions to this


book demonstrate the influence of Joe’s research and theorizing at the
applied level on public policy and practice. As Roy L. Brooks writes in
Chap. 6, Joe’s work has inspired and guided several generations of civil
rights activists and scholars.
The intergenerational influence of Joe’s research and writing must
not be underestimated, but arguably more important is Joe’s impact as a
mentor. I cannot even guess the number of graduate students and faculty
he has mentored during his career. A count might begin with the theses
and dissertations he has chaired, along with the number of books and
articles he has co-authored with graduate students and colleagues. One
might expect this kind of collaboration perhaps from a primary advisor,
but Joe’s support and encouragement extend to those with whom he has
not worked directly—for example, those who may have been introduced
by a faculty colleague at another university, or who may have simply
reached out to him after reading one of his books or articles. Joe is obvi-
ously very busy, but one would never get this impression when seeking
his advice or feedback. He is incredibly generous with his time and guid-
ance, which has been to the benefit of countless students and colleagues,
myself included.
The publication of Systemic Racism is timely. I experienced an unfor-
tunate sense of déjà vu when I read in Noël Cazenave’s chapter a quote
from the preface to Discrimination American Style (1978). Joe and
Clairece Booher Feagin wrote, “As this goes to press, concern over dis-
crimination against non-white minorities and women has receded sub-
stantially into the background. The publicly expressed concern of the
1960s over such matters seems to have evaporated. The current public
concern is over the treatment of white males in ‘affirmative action’ pro-
grams” (p. xi). Certainly, the 2016 Republican presidential campaign and
the outcome of the election indicate that whatever public concern over
racism and sexism that may have existed in recent years has been replaced
by a resurgence in support for white supremacy and hegemonic mas-
culinity. The white racial frame appears to be stronger than it has been
since the white backlash of the 1980s, buttressed by systemic racism that
has at least tacit—and, at times, quite explicit—approval at the highest
level of government.
The contributors to this volume identify some of the gaps in the
extant research and theorizing on systemic racism, but in doing so, they
Foreword ix

also illuminate the way forward. Joe R. Feagin’s life’s work provides the
solid foundation on which these contributors and countless others are
building not only critical insights about the development and reproduc-
tion of systemic racism and the white racial frame, but also the means to
dismantle them. That, after all, is the ultimate goal—and there could be
no more fitting tribute to Joe, nor greater testament to his legacy.

Claire M. Renzetti
Judi Conway Patton Endowed Chair
for Studies of Violence Against Women,
Professor and Chair of Sociology
University of Kentucky
Lexington, Kentucky

Bibliography
Feagin, Joe R. and Clairece Booher Feagin. 1978. Discrimination American style:
Institutional Racism and Sexism. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall.
Feagin, Joe R. and Eileen O’Brien. 2003. White Men on Race. Boston: Beacon
Press.
Feagin, Joe R. and Harlan Hahn. 1973. Ghetto Revolts: The Politics of Violence in
American Cities. New York: Macmillan.
Feagin, Joe R. and Hernán Vera. 1995. White Racism: The Basics. New York:
Routledge.
Feagin, Joe R. and Hernán Vera. 2001. Liberation Sociology. Boulder, CO:
Westview Press.
Feagin, Joe R., and Melvin P. Sikes. 1994. Living with Racism: The Black Middle
Class Experience. Boston: Beacon Press.
Acknowledgements

Among the countless lessons Joe R. Feagin has thus far passed to Ruth
Thompson-Miller and Kimberley Ducey is the notion that human lives
are much like symphonies, with a grand medley of individuals impacting
on how we develop. The edited volume—intended as a tribute to Joe—
epitomizes this symphonic idea. Ruth and Kimberley wish to acknowl-
edge the individuals who made this book possible. For their constant
and unreserved support a great debt is owed to the Palgrave MacMillan
team, especially Krya Saniewski, Subasree Sairam, Alexis Nelson, Mireille
Yanow, Mara Berkoff, Milana Vernikova, and Senthil Kumar Kumaravel.
Chantal Ducey is owed recognition for compiling the Index and
Bibliographies contained within these pages, for generously revising the
Endnotes throughout the process, and for taking on an endless array
of other jobs. With her trademark bigheartedness, Chantal made many
a deadline far less wearisome. Ruth and Kimberley thank the contribu-
tors, not only for their superb work contained within these pages, but
also for their inspirational resilience, courage, and dedication to making
liberty, justice, and democracy real. Ruth would like to personally thank
the three loves of her life—her daughter Nefertiti and her grandchildren
Myia and Yasmeen. They continue to make her laugh and have helped
her through blocks in the road. Without them, Ruth could not have
continued with her work. She deeply appreciates their love and support.
Kimberley would like to personally thank her three families. There is the
Ducey-Dallaire-Dusseault household, including her much beloved animal
companions. There is theintellectual family —‘birds of a feather flocking

xi
xii Acknowledgements

together’—including intellectual aunts and uncles, sisters and brothers,


who contributed to the book. There is the family Kimberley has found
among colleagues and students, including the hundreds of racialized
people who have explained to her how deeply systemic racism continues
to operate in their everyday lives. One day, perhaps the North American
continent—known as Turtle Island by the First Peoples—will witness
genuine liberty, justice, and democracy. Until then, by way of this trib-
ute, Ruth and Kimberley are humbled and honored for the opportunity
to give back to Joe, who has profoundly enriched the lives of innumer-
able folks, and is among the courageous Americans who live up to the
ideals of liberty-and-justice.

Note

1. 
Denise Oliver Velez, “My ‘Identity’ Can Get Me Killed,” Daily
Kos, 4 December 2016, http://www.dailykos.com/story/2016/
12/4/1605095/-My-identity-can-get-me-killed, accessed 29
December 2016.
Contents

Part I The Social-Science Voice of Systemic Racism Theory

1 Introduction 3
Ruth Thompson-Miller and Kimberley Ducey

2 Joe R. Feagin: The Social Science Voice of Systemic


Racism Theory 17
Noël A. Cazenave

3 The White Racial Frame: A Roundtable Discussion 41


Glenn Bracey II, Christopher Chambers, Kristen Lavelle and
Jennifer C. Mueller

Part II Systemic Racism and Education

4 Diversity and Inclusion: The Balancing Act Between


Governing Boards and College or University
Administration 79
Edna B. Chun

xiii
xiv Contents

5 Speaking Truth to Power: Black Educators’ Perspectives


on Challenging Racial Injustice Through the Lens
of Systemic Racism Theory 111
Terence D. Fitzgerald

Part III Systemic Racism and the Law

6 Systemic Racism: Sociolegal and Sociocultural


Implications 143
Roy L. Brooks

7 Criminalization of Blackness: Systemic Racism and the


Reproduction of Racial Inequality in the US Criminal
Justice System 163
Marcus Bell

8 Legal Outsiders, Strategic Toughness: Racial Frames


and Counter-Frame in the Legal Profession 185
Adia Harvey Wingfield

Part IV Systemic Racism and the Media

9 #Blacknessbelike: White Racial Framing and Counter-


Framing on Twitter’s Digitally-Contested Cyberspace 205
Charity Clay and Louwanda Evans

10 White Trash and White Supremacy: An Analysis of the


James Byrd Jr. and Matthew Shepard Hate Crimes 237
Carol S. Walther and David G. T. Embrick

Part V Systemic Racism and Sport

11 Systemic Racism in the Media: Representations of Black


Athletes in Sport Magazines 263
John D. Foster and Kenneth Sean Chaplin
Contents xv

12 Racial Barriers in Eurocentric Sport(ing) Institutions


Countering the White Racial Frame 285
Anthony J. Weems and John N. Singer

Part VI Systemic Racism in the Global Context

13 Systemic Racism and Anti-Haitian Racism: Challenges


and Opportunities 309
Ana S. Q. Liberato and Yanick St. Jean

14 Water Connects It All: Environmental Racism


and Global Warming in Tuvalu and Kiribati 333
Pinar Batur and Kristianna Weber

Afterword 357

Bibliography 371

Index 373
Co-Editors and Contributors

About the Co-Editors

Ruth Thompson-Miller co-editor of the book tribute to Joe R. Feagin,


is Assistant Professor of Sociology at the University of Dayton. Her
research focuses on the effects of Jim Crow laws and segregation stress
syndrome in the US and abroad.

Kimberley Ducey co-editor of the book tribute to Joe R. Feagin,


is Associate Professor of Sociology at the University of Winnipeg in
Canada. Dr. Ducey’s research focuses on the historical and contemporary
oppression of humans and other animals. In particular, her work centers
on the elite-white-male dominance system in the US and abroad.

Contributors

Pinar Batur is Professor of Sociology at Vassar College in


Poughkeepsie, New York. Her research interests include global racism
and anti-racist movements.

Marcus Bell is a Ph.D. student in Sociology. His academic interests


include urban ethnography, critical whiteness theory, race and ethnic-
ity, poverty and inequality, and the sociology of education. In addition

xvii
xviii Co-Editors and Contributors

to being a Ronald E. McNair Graduate Research Fellow at Syracuse


University, Mr. Bell was named a Junior Fellow of the Yale Urban
Ethnography Project.

Glenn Bracey II is an Assistant Professor of Sociology at Hollins


University. Dr. Bracey’s research examines racial stratification, critical
race theory, social movements, and religion.

Roy L. Brooks is Warren Distinguished Professor of Law at the


University of San Diego. He teaches and writes in the areas of legal and
critical theory, civil procedure, civil rights, employment discrimination,
and international human rights.

Noël A. Cazenave is Professor of Sociology at the University of


Connecticut. Dr. Cazenave is author of several illustrious books,
including Conceptualizing Racism: Breaking the Chains of Racially
Accommodative Language. His research and teaching interests are in rac-
ism, poverty, political sociology, and criminal justice.

Christopher Chambers is Assistant Teaching Professor of Sociology


and African American Studies at Northeastern University. Dr. Chambers’
research and teaching interests are at the intersection of race, gender, and
sexuality, where he explores questions of black subjectivity, identity, and
political ideology.

Kenneth Sean Chaplin is a dual appointed Postdoctoral Fellow split


between the Department of Sociology and Criminology and the Exercise
Science, Physical Education, and Sports Studies Program at John Carroll
University in University Heights, Ohio. Dr. Chaplin’s teaching and
research interests are in race and ethnic relations, gender, and social class
relations in the areas of sport and education.

Edna B. Chun is an educational leader and award-winning author with


two decades of strategic human resource and diversity leadership experi-
ence in public higher education.

Charity Clay is a Sociology Instructor at Merritt College in Oakland,


California and a hip hop artist. A self-described hip hop educator and
Co-Editors and Contributors xix

emcee, Dr. Clay uses hip hop as an educational paradigm that permits
her to link academic material with students’ lived experiences, and to
enable them and their communities.

David G.T. Embrick is Associate Professor in the Department of


Sociology at Loyola University Chicago. His publications have centered
largely on contemporary forms of racism. Dr. Embrick has published on
race and education, the impact of schools, welfare, and prisons on people
of color, and issues of sex discrimination.

Louwanda Evans is Assistant Professor of Sociology in the Department


of Sociology and Anthropology at Millsaps College in Jackson,
Mississippi. Dr. Evans’ work examines race, class, gender, and emotional
labor among African American pilots.

Terence D. Fitzgerald is Clinical Assistant Professor at the University


of Southern California’s Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work.
Recent examples of his research on racism and sexism can be seen in
White Prescriptions? The Dangerous Social Potential for Ritalin and Other
Psychotropic Drugs to Harm Black Males.

John D. Foster is Associate Professor of Sociology at the University of


Arkansas at Pine Bluff. Dr. Foster studies the different methods used to
rationalize and perpetuate social inequalities.

Yanick St. Jean is Professor of Sociology at NorthWest Arkansas


Community College. Dr. St. Jean was a Fulbright Scholar in 2006–2008
in Benin, West Africa. Her current research interests include compara-
tive race and ethnicity, and religion and cultural productions as anti-racist
strategies. As a teacher she aims to inspire her students to view society
and culture from critical perspectives and to respond accordingly.

Kristen Lavelle is Assistant Professor of Sociology at the University of


Wisconsin–Whitewater. Dr. Lavelle’s work focuses on whiteness, racial
narratives, identity and emotion, and social memory.

Ana S. Q. Liberato is Associate Professor of Sociology at the University


of Kentucky. Dr. Liberato’s research interests include inequalities of
race, ethnicity, and gender and their interplay with migration, political
xx Co-Editors and Contributors

identity, and political attitudes. She has a special interest in Caribbean


and Latin American societies, and strives to teach sociology to advance
learning, self-discovery, and engaged citizenship.

Jennifer C. Mueller is Assistant Professor of Sociology and Associate


Director of the Intergroup Relations Program at Skidmore College. Dr.
Mueller’s scholarship bridges cultural and race critical theory to exam-
ine the synergy between structural and everyday factors involved in social
reproduction.

Claire M. Renzetti Judi Conway Patton Endowed Chair in the Center


for Research on Violence Against Women, and Professor and Chair of
the Sociology Department at the University of Kentucky, has authored
or edited over 20 books and many more book chapters and articles.
Much of her research has focused on the violent victimization experi-
ences of socially and economically marginalized women. In recognition
of lifetime achievements in research, teaching, and service, Dr. Renzetti
was the 2011 recipient of the Lee Founders Award from the Society for
the Study of Social Problems. In 2014, she was inducted into the Alumni
Wall of Fame by the University of Delaware Alumni Association.

John N. Singer is Associate Professor in the Department of Health and


Kinesiology and Center for Sport Management Research and Education
at Texas A&M University. His research has focused broadly on diversity
and social justice in sport, and more specifically on the applications of
race-based epistemologies (critical race theory, systemic racism theory) to
the study of and with black male athletes in organized school sport.

Carol S. Walther is Associate Professor of Sociology at NorthernIllinois


University DeKalb. Dr. Walther’s research focuses on social inequalitie-
sand demography, specifically the influence of the state on howpeople
interact with governmental forms. She also studies the influenceof reli-
gion on the settlement patterns of same-gender couples.

Kristianna Weber is a writer and environmentalist from Seattle,


Washington. She recently graduated from Vassar College.

Anthony J. Weems is a doctoral student in the Division of Sport


Management at Texas A&M University in College Station, Texas. Mr.
Co-Editors and Contributors xxi

Weems’ research agenda focuses primarily on issues of race, power, and


politics in and through the sport organizational setting.

Adia Harvey Wingfield is a contributing writer for The Atlantic


and Professor of Sociology at Washington University in St. Louis. Dr.
Wingfield researches social processes that maintain racial and gender ine-
quality in professional occupations.

George Yancy is Professor of Philosophy at Emory University. He


works primarily in the areas of critical philosophy of race, critical white-
ness studies, and philosophy of the black experience. He is particularly
interested in the formation of African American philosophical thought
as articulated within the social and historical space of anti-black racism,
African American agency, and questions of identity formation. His cur-
rent work focuses on the theme of whiteness and how it constitutes a site
of embedded social reality and a site of deep and enduring opacity, which
is related to what he has theorized as white ambush.
List of Tables

Table 10.1 Counts of articles from three newspapers, 1998–2000 245


Table 10.2 Representation of print media frames from three newspapers,
1998–2000 246
Table 10.3 Examples of representation of print media frames,
1998–2000 247
Table 11.1 Magazine titles and coding category frequencies 267

xxiii
PART I

The Social-Science Voice of Systemic


Racism Theory
CHAPTER 1

Introduction

Ruth Thompson-Miller and Kimberley Ducey

This book is a labor of love. It is written by established and emerging


scholars who have been deeply influenced by Dr. Joe R. Feagin’s scholar-
ship, activism, and compassion. Stories of contributors’ first encounters
with the beloved bolo-tie-wearing sociologist unmistakably demonstrate
that Feagin is a major example of the way in which one person can have
very significant and lasting positive effects. To borrow the words of con-
tributor Noël A. Cazenave, Feagin has passed “the baton of systemic rac-
ism analysis and activism on to us.”1
Undoubtedly, the late Hernán Vera (1937–2014), a much-treasured
friend and co-author of Feagin, would have profoundly appreciated the
sentiment behind the book. In a 1999 profile of the then recently elected
91st President of the American Sociological Association, Vera captured
perfectly the essence of his friend, writing:

In electing Joe R. Feagin … our membership has recognized the impor-


tance of committed scholarship in American sociology. Joe Feagin is a good

Authorship is shared equally among contributors.

R. Thompson-Miller
University of Dayton, Dayton, US
K. Ducey (*)
University of Winnipeg, Winnipeg, Canada

© The Author(s) 2017 3


R. Thompson-Miller and K. Ducey (eds.), Systemic Racism,
DOI 10.1057/978-1-137-59410-5_1
4 R. THOMPSON-MILLER AND K. DUCEY

example of the “value free” sociologists as Max Weber understood this term:
as those who have refused to accept the official and conventional definitions
of the problems they study. Our new president focused early on in his career
on some of the most intractable social problems. Prejudice, racism, violence,
urban housing, welfare policy‚ [and] sexism are among the topics he has
researched in the field. His thirty-six books and more than one hundred and
forty articles represent a most original contribution to American sociology.2

Aside from the fact that Feagin’s books now number at more than 70
and articles at more than 200, very little about him has changed since
his dear friend penned these words. Above all, he remains steadfast in
his pursuit of real liberty, justice, and democracy. As tenacious as Feagin
is, so too are the “intractable social problems” and “public concerns” he
long ago recognized, including claims of reverse racism that purportedly
harm white men.3 As mostly moneyed white men dominate the presiden-
tial administration of a blatantly white-supremacist-endorsing elite white
male, Feagin’s scholarship and activism remain urgently important.
Fortunately, Feagin has never been “a quiet one, or a passive one,”
having spent his life fighting against racism, sexism, and other oppres-
sions, “and for civil and human rights.”4 Even as a 20-year-old student
at Baylor University in Waco, Texas, he had the courage to stand up for
what is right. His boldness earned him the nickname “Fearless Feagin.”
The moniker has stuck. Fearless Feagin’s impact on the systemic racism
perspective has been as bold and remarkable as the man himself.

Synopsis
The book is divided into six parts. Part 1 contains chapters introduc-
ing the man and his work. Chap. 2 by Noël A. Cazenave, titled “Joe
R. Feagin: The Social Science Voice of Systemic Racism Theory,” from
which we borrow Part 1’s header, documents Feagin’s influence on
Cazenave’s scholarship and intellectual development as a radical social
scientist and anti-racist. The distinguished Professor of Sociology from
the University of Connecticut also places Feagin’s contributions to
systemic racism theory in their sociohistorical context. In Chap. 3,
­
Glenn Bracey II, Christopher Chambers, Kristen Lavelle, and Jennifer
C. Mueller—all of whom were students of Feagin when he developed
the concept white racial frame—draw on their knowledge of the frame
at various stages of development and from their assorted areas of exper-
tise. Using a roundtable format, they explore three questions: what is the
1 INTRODUCTION 5

white racial frame and what does it theorize; what does it explain; and
what does it contribute to our understanding of race/racism that other
extant theories do not or cannot? Building from these, they conclude the
chapter with a real-time dialogue.
In Part 2, with its focus on education, Edna B. Chun identifies
approaches to boards of trustees and college or university administra-
tion relations, which promote more inclusive learning environments and
campuses that welcome diversity. Chun’s Chap. 4 includes interviews
with current and former board members, offering insights into the var-
ied level of administrative scrutiny related to diversity and inclusion at
their respective campuses. In evaluating the interaction between board
governance and university administration, Chun addresses three features
of Feagin’s systemic racism theory: the structures and counterforces
that characterize board/administration relations; the dynamic interplay
between these structures and forces; and patterns of change or inertia
that result from the relationships. Also focusing on education is Terence
D. Fitzgerald, author of Chap. 5. Fitzgerald uses Feagin’s systemic rac-
ism theory to examine the experiences of black educators in public and
higher education, some of whom defy and/or attempt to rectify racially
unjust policies, procedures, and systems. The author draws on research
data from a diverse pool of black male and black female faculty, and on
his own academic experiences. Findings highlight the professional and
psychological effects on blacks of pursuing racialized social justice within
a historic oppressive institution.
Part 3, with its focus on law, includes a contribution by Warren
Distinguished Professor of Law at the University of San Diego, Roy L.
Brooks. In Chap. 6, Brooks maps out the sociolegal and sociocultural
implications of Feagin’s systemic racism theory in order to highlight the
legal and cultural responses believed necessary to counteract systemic
racism. The sociolegal analysis is centered on US civil rights law. In
Chap. 7, Marcus Bell argues that unarmed blacks gunned down by law
enforcement officials and civilians, with the slightest of provocation, are a
most severe example of the enduring systematic criminalization of black-
ness. Using Feagin’s theory of systemic racism, Bell analyzes the hyper-
criminalization of black men, women, and children over the long arc of
US history. In Chap. 8, Adia Harvey Wingfield makes use of Feagin’s
concepts white racial framing and counter-framing to assess how black
male lawyers understand the challenges they face in white-dominated
work environments, as well as resistance strategies they employ.
6 R. THOMPSON-MILLER AND K. DUCEY

Part 4, with a focus on media, includes Chap. 9 written by Charity


Clay and Louwanda Evans. The authors draw on Feagin’s white racial
and counterframe(s) of resistance to examine digitally constructed black-
ness on social media. They juxtapose the use of Twitter as a tool of
resistance for those protesting police brutality, and as a tool for those
using narratives of black criminality to perpetuate specific aspects of sys-
temic racism. Drawing on frontstage and backstage dynamics of racism
and the construction of racial narratives, Clay and Evans critique the
historical and contemporary manifestations of the white racial framing
of black bodies and cultural products on social media, while detailing
how this historical and contemporary framing presents white cultural
appropriation as signs of racial progress, not white entitlement. The
authors conclude with suggestions for resistance. In Chap. 10, in their
examination of white racial framing, Carol S. Walther and David G. T.
Embrick examine the deaths of James Byrd Jr. and Matthew Shepard as
case studies, analyzing the two hate crimes through a content analysis
of newspapers. They argue that Shepard was portrayed in the media by
his whiteness, and middle-class status, rather than his homosexuality. In
contrast, Byrd was either ignored or demonized as a lower-class black
criminal. The authors also conclude that Shepard’s killers came to epito-
mize the lower class, whereas Byrd’s killers embodied white supremacy,
a lesser form of whiteness. With these transformations, the news media
essentially asserted hegemonic whiteness, privileging Shepard’s race and
social class.
Part 5, focusing on sports, includes the work of John D. Foster and
Kenneth Sean Chaplin, who examine ways that the media contribute to
the maintenance of US sports as a racial structure. Drawing on a con-
tent analysis of ten major US sports magazines over a ten-year period, in
Chap. 11, Foster and Chaplin use Feagin’s systemic racism theory and
his concept of the white racial frame to advance an understanding of how
these periodicals portray black athletes. Findings reveal that only a small
minority of articles address race directly, and of those that do, three pre-
dominant themes emerge: the first black person to have accomplished
something significant in a sport; correcting wrongs of the past; and high-
lighting the small or declining numbers of black participants in a sport.
Consequences of such portrayals are explored. In Chap. 12, Anthony J.
Weems and John N. Singer combine their sociological understanding of
systemic racism and their disciplinary expertise in the field of sport man-
agement to critically assess the US sports industry. Drawing on the white
1 INTRODUCTION 7

racial framing of elite sport, Weems and Singer illustrate how sports
systemically serve the interests of the white American male. Through
an examination of the history of US football, the authors demonstrate
the elite’s desire to display their purported racial and gender superior-
ity through sport. In addition to the racist framing of elite sport, the
authors consider contemporary resistance to the dominant racial frame
via a discussion of counter-framed efforts in research. Weems and Singer
also explore how counter-framing manifests in the organizational setting.
In Part 6, with its focus on systemic racism beyond US borders, Ana
S. Q. Liberato and Yanick St. Jean, demonstrate the applicability of
Feagin’s systemic racism theory on anti-Haitian racism. In Chap. 13,
Liberato and St. Jean argue that Feagin’s theory is applicable because it
provides a framework from which the historical, structural-institutional,
and ideological can be articulated in a coherent and integrated way. The
authors establish connections between systemic racism and the white
racial frame, shedding light on the mechanisms through which anti-Hai-
tian oppression is legitimized and maintained. In Chap. 14, Pinar Batur
and Kristianna Weber explore how water connects us all, focusing on
the consequences of global systemic racism on the environment. Their
specific emphasis is rising water levels and the impending destruction of
the Republics of Tuvalu and Kiribati. Influenced deeply by Feagin’s work
on elite white men, Batur and Weber reason that the white racial frame
is perpetrated on a global level by an all-encompassing elite-white-male
dominance system and its major subsystems, including systemic racism
and systemic classism (capitalism). They conclude that three core ele-
ments of the subsystems regulate and strengthen global environmen-
tal racism: discrimination against and exploitation of people of color by
the elite and their acolytes in the interest of capitalism; a racial hierarchy
based on the great-chain-of-being perspective, which creates conditions
basic to eco-system collapse; and the white racial frame that explains
ongoing racial oppression in every facet of life on the planet, including
when it comes to white elite dominance over the environment.

The Feaginian Mystique


Various contributors have shared anecdotes about Feagin for the
­chapter. They recall with great fondness transformative first encounters
with the much beloved bolo-tie wearing sociologist. Among that which
stands out in their reflections is Feagin’s deep appreciation for the fact
8 R. THOMPSON-MILLER AND K. DUCEY

that colleagues/students of color have spent their lives under the tyranny
of systemic racism, and as a result tend to define themselves and their
scholarship according to the white racial frame. To help them overcome
this conditioning, he is hugely encouraging of students, as opposed to
using the pedagogical technique he experienced in his early training of
tearing down students to build them up in order to build them up. He
emphasizes the importance of their research. He lovingly pushes them to
take their scholarship further, and helps them clarify their ideas and posi-
tions. Adia Harvey Wingfield explains:

I owe the publication of my first book to Joe. As a brand new assistant


professor, I invited him to Hollins University, where I worked at the time,
to give a lecture on his research. During the time I was showing him
around campus, he asked about my dissertation. When I mentioned that
it was a study of whether black business ownership provided working-class
black women with a route to socioeconomic mobility, he stopped in his
tracks and said, “You HAVE to turn this into a book!” At the time, I was
focused on trying to navigate a new job and hadn’t put as much thought
as I probably should have into what I would do with the dissertation. But
I remember thinking to myself, “If Joe Feagin says you should turn your
dissertation into a book, you should probably turn your dissertation into a
book.” It turned out that Joe was editing the Perspectives on a Multiracial
America series for Rowman and Littlefield. Before he left Virginia, he reit-
erated that he wanted to see a book proposal from me in short order. I
submitted one a few months later, and he patiently walked me through
revisions, restructuring my argument to make it more suitable for a wider
audience than my dissertation committee, and navigating the publica-
tion process. The book was in print less than two years after our initial
conversation.

What makes this story so significant is that my experience with Joe is actu-
ally not unusual. I know so many colleagues, particularly colleagues of
color, whom Joe has mentored, encouraged, believed in, and supported.
Joe does not just research and study the ways systemic racism creates a
special, disproportionate burden for people of color. He uses his life, his
scholarship, and his job to try to offset that burden and to be a force for
social change, sometimes at great cost to himself and his own safety. My
experience being one of the many scholars of color whom Joe has helped
along the way is not unique. But his dedication and unwavering commit-
ment to making a safe space for scholars of color shows that he is unique.5
1 INTRODUCTION 9

During his final years of a doctoral program, Terence D. Fitzgerald was


introduced to Feagin. His research on race and education was forever
transformed. Fitzgerald explains how a first encounter with Feagin has
the potential to be enriching and transformative, while his support of
scholars of color is uplifting:

For the first time my true path was revealed. As a person of color inter-
ested in the complexities of race and US society, I instantly connected to
Dr. Feagin and his stance on race and oppression. Since that first meet-
ing over ten years ago, Joe has served as teacher, mentor, and ally to me.
Most importantly, Joe has been a true friend … even when our connec-
tion was not tied to tenure or his academic responsibilities. His guidance,
words, and support came out of the goodness of his heart. For that, I will
always be thankful … He has taught me to stand strong as the winds of
racialized resistance attempt to push back my scholarly momentum. For
that, I will always be thankful too … Joe has been indispensable to my life,
teaching me to give voice to the voiceless.6

Anthony J. Weems affectionately reminisced on his first contact with


Feagin as well. A new graduate student in sport management, he was
enrolled in Feagin’s seminar on race and politics. In the very first class,
when discussing the Cleveland Indians’ mascot and the white racial
frame, Weems pointed to the sad irony that baseball is considered
“America’s pastime,” but the nation’s “real pastime … was enslavement,
genocide, and colonial expansion.”7 Weems warmly recalls Feagin turn-
ing to him and smiling, as he asked Weems his name. Since then, student
and professor have had many discussions about race, sports, and politics,
and Weems even enrolled in a second Feagin seminar on racism and anti-
racism. He is appreciative of the weighty influence Feagin has had on his
work in the field of sport management.8
Christopher Chambers is immensely grateful to Feagin for his
“uncompromising scholarship on race and racism; his encouraging and
supportive mentorship; and the selfless way he encourages students to
discover their own, independent paths as scholars and advocates of racial
justice.”9 He explains:

I have always felt nothing but support and encouragement from Joe as I
chose to pursue questions at the intersection of race, sexuality, and gen-
der; focus on processes of subjectivity and meaning making; and map the
contours and boundaries of blackness in contemporary society. Even as I
10 R. THOMPSON-MILLER AND K. DUCEY

acknowledge these key differences – between his work and my own – I


also know that my work would not be possible without the intellectual
foundation Joe provided. I measure the quality and success of my work
by its ability to conceptualize sexualities as an essential component of how
racial hierarchy is historically and currently produced in US society; situate
the production and lived experience of black sexualities within the broader
structures of white supremacy and not simply as interactive or discursive
formations; and articulate the ways that sexual norms and values are used
to help authenticate the ideologies and representations of blackness and
anti-blackness, that rationalize racist practices, generate collective identity,
and/or mobilize anti-racist action. In short, I credit Joe with teaching me
the critical framework I use to deliberate, analyze, and teach about race
and racism. His influence has shaped my key beliefs and the language I use
to communicate them. I consider it an honor to build on and extend his
work. And as I hope to make my own intellectual contributions in the area
of black sexuality, I know that I am already indebted to him.10

Jennifer C. Mueller, who was also fortunate to have completed graduate


work under Feagin, first at the University of Florida and then at Texas
A&M University, warmly reminisces about their first contact. He likes to
joke that she appeared to be interviewing him about whether she should
join their sociology program when they first met. Mueller remembers
things quite differently. She explains:

My own testimony is that within a few minutes of meeting Joe I knew


that I had to work with him and that doing so would change my life –
and indeed, it has. From Joe I learned that I could be a rigorous social
scientist, while not forsaking the social justice focus and liberation ethic
that called me to sociology in the first place. I learned that I need not be
apologetic or stifle my voice in naming, critiquing, and challenging white
supremacy and other forms of oppression. From Joe I learned to culti-
vate not just hopes, but what Robin D. G. Kelley calls “freedom dreams”
– creative visions of a social reality not warped by oppressive social con-
structions and alienating, hierarchical relationships; for a culture that is
democratic and communally oriented and power-sharing. Joe’s work, and
by extension the work of those he’s touched, remains a true investment
in these principles. I will be forever grateful to have had the good fortune
of learning to live them by practice under Joe’s modeling, mentoring, and
friendship.11
1 INTRODUCTION 11

Similarly, Pinar Batur says that from Feagin she learned the reason for
scholarship and that “is education, which is about never giving up on
questioning and protesting economic exploitation, political marginaliza-
tion, cultural oppression, and societal inequality.” “In order to realize
equality and democracy as more than ideals, we need to integrate them
into all modes of association, encompassing all institutions,” she explains,
“influencing not only their structures, but also their functions. Joe
taught me that we, as educators, need to foster experience and explora-
tion as the foundations of inquiry, analysis, and critical thinking, and we
should strive to become the voice for innovation, revolution and praxis,
and never let ourselves be silenced.”12
Louwanda Evans’ early communications with Feagin were limited to
email and telephone conversations. But this did not matter. His message,
“you belong in academia,” was loud and clear. She explains:

When working on my master’s thesis … at the University of Texas at


Arlington, I had not personally met him yet. This fact speaks volumes
about Joe. He took me on as a student before even meeting me, and even-
tually encouraged me to pursue a PhD in sociology. Over the years, our
relationship has grown to include mentorship and friendship. It is a rela-
tionship based on mutual respect. Joe has personally encouraged me to see
the validity of my work. This is one of the things that I appreciate most
about him. Now that I have students of my own, I carry [his] words [of
encouragement] with me, and often find myself speaking these same words
to students that question their position in the academy.13

Feagin has also been an important mentor and friend to Ana S. Q.


Liberato. Since 2001, he has helped to shape her scholarship, includ-
ing her thinking on race and racism in the Caribbean and Latin America.
Given Feagin’s audaciousness in examining white elites and their role in
creating and perpetuating racial domination, Liberato counts his cour-
age and uncompromising stance as transformative and essential to her
work. Inspired by his career, Liberato keeps social structures and histori-
cal legacies at the center of her examination of racism. As she puts it,
“this approach helps explain the endurance of racial domination, while
challenging individualistic and constructivist concepts.”14 She continues:

My scholarly identity has without a doubt been shaped by this Feaginian


mystique. But I also need to mention how Joe’s kindness has also
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genteel to be a Tory; but under the patronage of a great Whig lord, it
was a matter of course that he should regard the Whig aristocracy
with reverence and approbation.
We should not have said so much of Mr Pringle, had it not been
that he had once seen Penelope Primrose and greatly admired her,
and had it not also been that the return of Mr Primrose to England
rendered it a very promising speculation for the young gentleman to
think seriously of paying his addresses to her.
When Mr Primrose first called at the rectory the reverend divine
was not visible, for he had not finished the duties of the toilet. But
hearing that Mr Primrose was in England and at Smatterton, he felt
most happy in an opportunity of paying his respects. And such was
the candour of Mr Primrose, that he thought the new rector a very
agreeable sensible man. The two gentlemen at dinner-time talked
with great fluency on a variety of topics which neither of them
understood or cared about. Now Mr Primrose was at this time in that
state of mind which prepared and disposed him to be easily pleased,
and therefore the efforts of Mr Pringle to make himself agreeable
succeeded to admiration. Quite delighted was the rector of
Smatterton to hear the father of Penelope express himself so well
pleased with that village as to be desirous of taking up his residence
there. Very politely did the reverend gentleman remark that there
was no house in the village fit for Mr Primrose’s reception. Mr
Primrose however observed that he was by no means particular, and
that a mere cottage would answer his purpose. Mr Pringle thought
that he should have no objection to giving up the parsonage and
finding a residence for himself, and there was some little talk to that
purpose, but nothing was definitely agreed upon.
As the two gentlemen were engaged in chat about everything and
nothing, a very unexpected interruption was given to their
conversation by the entrance of Robert Darnley. He had arrived at
Neverden much sooner than he had been expected, and hearing
that Mr Primrose had been there on the preceding day, and was now
in all probability at Smatterton, he determined, notwithstanding all
persuasions to the contrary, to ride over and see the father of
Penelope. The young gentleman’s sisters were unanimous in
expressing their disapprobation of such a step; and Mr Darnley the
elder would have interfered with the pompousness of authority to
prevent it, had he not been sagacious enough to know that such
interference would be ineffectual, and wise enough to consider that it
is very impolitic to endanger one’s dignity by uttering commands
which will with impunity be disobeyed. He could not however help
giving his opinion. He was surprised, he said, that a young man of
such good sense and independent spirit as Robert Darnley should
let himself down so far as to turn suppliant. The young lady, he
observed, had already given abundant manifestation of the change
of her mind and the indifferency of her feelings on the subject, it
would therefore be worse than useless to attempt to renew the
acquaintance, it would be absolutely humiliating, and there never
could subsist a right feeling of cordiality between them.
All this talk, however, had no influence on Robert Darnley: he was
not sure that there had been so pointed a manifestation of change of
mind; he had too good an opinion of Penelope’s understanding to
believe that she should have capriciously changed her mind; he
thought it very probable that there might have been some
miscarriage of letters; and he resolved that he would not suffer the
matter to rest in the present dubious and mysterious twilight of
information. For he very thoughtfully remarked, that it was possible
there might be, through the irregular transmission of letters, some
errors which might lead Miss Primrose to consider him as the person
dropping the acquaintance. At all events, as he had never had any
difference with Mr Primrose, but, on the contrary, had been very
civilly and politely treated when they met at St Helena on their
voyage home, it would be but an act of common civility to pay his
respects to the father of Penelope now that he was in the immediate
neighbourhood.
There is something pleasant and refreshing in the contemplation
of that wholesome state of mind in which Robert Darnley shewed
himself to be on the present occasion. People sometimes make a
great blustering and a noisy parade about demanding an
explanation; but they generally set about this demanding an
explanation in such a hot-headed, bullying style, as to render
explanation almost impossible, and make that which is perplexed still
more perplexed. It was not so with the younger Darnley. He was no
miracle either of wisdom or virtue; but he had good sense and good
feeling; and he also had a tolerable good opinion of his own
discernment, and he could not easily bring himself to believe,
notwithstanding all that had been said by his father and his sisters,
that he had misapprehended or overrated the character of Penelope
Primrose.
These feelings, which were habitual and constitutional to Robert
Darnley, gave him a natural and easy cheerfulness of look and
manner. When therefore he was announced at the rectory of
Smatterton as enquiring for Mr Primrose, the announcement was
received with great satisfaction.
“My good friend,” exclaimed Mr Primrose, with much cordiality, “I
am most happy to see you. So you are just arrived in England. But
you must have made very great haste to arrive here from the Downs
in little more than four and twenty hours.”
“I have not travelled quite so rapidly as that, sir,” replied Mr Robert
Darnley, “but you may suppose I lost no time: and I am happy that I
am here soon enough to pay my respects to you before your return.
It would also have given me pleasure could I have met Miss
Primrose.”
“Would it indeed? What! after she has jilted you? You are a young
man of very forgiving disposition.”
“I must first of all know for a certainty that the lady has, as you say,
jilted me, before I feel resentment. The correspondence was
interrupted, but that might be accidental. I must have an explanation,
then it will be time enough to be angry.”
“Well said, young man; I like your notions. But from what I hear,
both at Neverden and Smatterton, I fear that my young lady has
been fascinated by a sounding title. I hear a great deal that I cannot
well understand. If travellers see strange things abroad, they also
hear strange things when they come home again.”
Mr Primrose ceased speaking. Robert Darnley looked thoughtful;
and the parties looked at each other with some feeling of perplexity.
The father of Penelope, as being the most impetuous, though by far
the oldest of the two, after a short interval continued: “But what do
you propose to do? Or what must I say or do for you? Will you set off
with me to London tomorrow morning?”
Robert Darnley looked serious at that proposal, and replied: “So
early as tomorrow morning, under present circumstances, I think
hardly praticable. I do not know what would be the consequence to
my poor mother, if, after so long an absence from home, I should
omit, just at my return, to eat my Christmas dinner with her.”
“Well, I shall go to town,” said Mr Primrose, “and I will endeavour
to ascertain the truth of the matter; and if there has been any
accidental loss of letters, it will be a great pity to make that the cause
of breaking off an old acquaintance.”
“I simply wish it, sir, to be understood by Miss Primrose, that the
cessation of the correspondence has not been my act and deed. But
that I wrote three letters to her from Calcutta, to none of which I have
ever received any answer. If the acquaintance is to be discontinued,
it shall not rest on me, as arising from any fickleness on my part.”
“Good, sir, very good. You are a comparative stranger to me, it is
true; but I commend your spirit, that you are not hasty in resentment
before you know for what. And this I can tell you,” continued he, in a
more slow and serious tone, “such was my thorough confidence in
the good sense and discernment of my poor brother Greendale, that
I cannot but feel respect for any one whom he respected; and I know
that he respected you most sincerely.”
Thereupon the two gentlemen, with cordial grasp and tearful eyes,
shook each other by the hand most heartily, and parted very well
pleased with each other.
CHAPTER XIX.
Mr Primrose on the following morning set off for London in a post-
chaise, being unwilling to risk his neck a second time in a stage-
coach; for he had taken it into his head that a stage-coach must be
overturned at the bottom of a steep hill. He travelled alone; and we
will for the present leave him alone; though it might be very
entertaining to observe how pettishly he brooked the tediousness of
that mode of travelling, and how teasing he was to the post-boys,
sometimes urging them to drive fast, and then rebuking them for
using their horses so cruelly. What the poor man could find to amuse
himself with for the long journey, which occupied him nearly three
days, we cannot tell. In the meantime, we find it necessary to return
to that part of our narrative in which we related that the partial
exhibition to which Penelope had been exposed at the Countess of
Smatterton’s select little party, had produced an almost serious
illness.
Nothing could exceed the kind attentions of the Countess. Every
hour was she making enquiries, and all that could possibly be said or
done by way of alleviation or consolation did her ladyship say and do
for her heart-broken patient. It never for one single moment entered
the mind of Lady Smatterton that Miss Primrose could feel the
slightest repugnance in the world to the profession which had been
chosen for her; nor could her ladyship think that any sorrow or deep
feeling was on the mind of Penelope for the death of her uncle, or
that there was any harassing anxiety on her spirits at the thought of
her father’s probable arrival in England. The Countess of Smatterton
might have been a woman of very great feeling; but, from difference
of situation, she could not by any means sympathize with Penelope.
There is an infinite difference between five hundred acquaintances
and an only dear friend. The pleasures of Penelope were not of the
same nature as those of the Countess of Smatterton, nor was there
much similarity in their pains.
There were also other considerations by which it may be
accounted for, that the sympathy of her ladyship was not exactly
adapted to the feelings of Penelope. The Countess was a patron,
Penelope a dependent. The Countess had but the mere vanity of
rank, Penelope a natural and essential pride of spirit; and it not
unfrequently happens, that persons in the higher walks of society
regard the rest of the world as made to be subservient to their
caprices and the instruments of their will. This last consideration,
however, is not altogether the fault of the higher classes; much of it,
perhaps most of it, is owing to the hungry venal sycophancy of their
inferiors,—but there never will be an act of parliament passed
against servility, and therefore we need not waste our time in
declaiming against it, for nothing but an act of parliament can
thoroughly cure it.
Penelope was not sufficiently ill to keep her apartment for any
great length of time. The medical attendant thought it desirable that
the patient should be amused as much as possible; the air also was
recommended, and, if possible, a little change of scene. To all these
suggestions prompt and immediate attention was paid. It was
fortunate that the Earl of Smatterton had a residence in the
immediate vicinity of London, and it was the intention of the family to
spend the Christmas holidays there. It would therefore be very
opportune to afford the young lady a change of air and scene: for
from her childhood Penelope had never wandered beyond the two
villages of Smatterton and Neverden. The proposal was made to her
to accompany the family, and the proposal was made so kindly, she
could not possibly refuse it, even had it not been agreeable.
There was something perplexing to the inartificial and
unsophisticated mind of Penelope Primrose, in the wonderful
difference between fashionable manners under different
circumstances. She had not the slightest doubt that Lord Smatterton
and her ladyship were people of high fashion, nor could she have the
least hesitation in concluding that the Duchess of Steeple Bumstead
was also a woman of high fashion; but she recollected how rudely
the Duchess had stared at her, and she had also a general feeling
that many more persons of fashion at the select party had appeared,
both in their manner towards her, and their deportment towards each
other, absolutely disagreeable, unfeeling, and insolent. There also
occurred to her recollection, amidst other thoughts of a similar
nature, the impertinent and conceited airs which Lord Spoonbill had
exhibited when she had formerly met him by accident; and she
compared, with some degree of astonishment, his present very
agreeable with his past very disagreeable manners.
The day on which Lord Smatterton and his family removed to their
suburban villa was the very day that saw Mr Primrose depart from
Smatterton on his way to London. And if on this occasion we should,
by way of being very sentimental and pathetic, say, “Little did they
think, the one that the father was coming to town, and the other that
the daughter was leaving it,”—we should be only saying what our
readers might very readily conjecture to be the case without any
assistance from us: but we should not be perhaps exceeding the
limits of truth. For, in truth, it was a thought which actually did enter
the mind of Mr Primrose just as he set out on his journey: feeling
somewhat angry at the disappointment which he had experienced,
he actually said to himself at the very moment that he entered the
chaise: “Now I suppose, when I get to town, Lord Smatterton and his
family will be gone out of town again.”
It was all very well for the medical attendant to talk about change
of air and change of scene: men of science know very well that
persons in a certain rank will do what they will, and so it is not amiss
that they should be told how very suitable and right it is. Change of
scene is pretty enough and wholesome enough for baby minds that
want new playthings; but no local changes can reach the affliction
and sorrow of heart which sits brooding within. Penelope found that
his lordship’s suburban villa, though built in the present taste,
furnished with the greatest magnificence, and situated in one of the
most delightful of those ten thousand beauteous pieces of scenery
which surround the metropolis, was still unable to disperse the gloom
that hung upon her mind, and to reconcile her to that profession
which the imperious kindness of the Countess of Smatterton had
destined for her.
Lord Spoonbill took infinite pains to render the change of scene
agreeable to the young lady. The weather was, for the time of year,
cheerful and bright, and though cold, not intensely so: and in spite of
the numerous hints which the Earl gave him of the impropriety of
such excessive condescension, the heir of Smatterton would
accompany the plebeian dependent in the chariot, and point out to
her the various beauties of the surrounding scenery. A person who
can see has a great advantage over one that is blind. Such
advantage had Lord Spoonbill over Penelope Primrose. In her mind
there did not exist the slightest or most distant apprehension
whatever of the design which his lordship had in these attentions.
Had there been such apprehension, or such suspicion, vain would
have been all his lordship’s endeavours to render himself agreeable
to the young lady. As it was, however, Penelope certainly began to
entertain a much higher opinion of his lordship’s good qualities than
she had before. He did not indeed talk like a philosopher, or utter
oracles, but he manifested kind feelings and generous sentiments.
On many subjects he talked fluently, though his talk was common-
place; and he perhaps might adapt himself to the supposed limited
information of his companion. The young lady was also pleased with
the apparent indifference which in his conversation he manifested to
the distinctions of rank. And as Penelope was pleased with the
young nobleman’s attentions, and grateful for the considerate and
almost unexpected kindness which she experienced from the
Smatterton family, her manner became less constrained, and, even
though unwell, she was cheerful, and the gracefulness of gratitude
gave to her natural beauty a charm which heightened and
embellished it. Thus, the beauty by which Lord Spoonbill’s attention
had been first attracted, appeared to him infinitely more fascinating
when connected with such mental and moral charms: so that, to use
an expression which has no meaning, but which is generally
understood, his lordship had fairly lost his heart.
The day after the family had departed from town, the letter which
Mr Primrose had sent to his daughter was, with several others, put
into the magnificent hands of the Right Honorable the Earl of
Smatterton. His lordship did everything with a grace peculiar to
himself; even the opening of letters was to him a matter of
importance; and his friends have often smiled at the serious and self-
satisfied air with which he was accustomed to take up the letters one
by one, reading aloud the address before he broke the seal. There
seemed to be something pleasant to his ear in the sound of the
words, “The Right Honorable the Earl of Smatterton.” His lordship
used generally to open his letters in the presence of his family; and
as it frequently happened that, under cover to his lordship, there
came letters addressed to members of his establishment, he used to
make a great ceremony in reading aloud their address also. It was
curious, we have been told, to hear the different intonation with
which his lordship uttered the names of his domestics from that
which he used when speaking of his own great self.
On the present occasion there was only Lord Spoonbill present
when the letters were opened. And when his lordship had first
pompously read aloud “The Right Honorable the Earl of Smatterton,”
he afterwards, in a lower and quicker tone, read—“Miss Primrose.”
His lordship then handed the letter to his son, saying, “Charles, this
letter, I perceive, is addressed to Miss Primrose; cause it
immediately to be delivered to the young woman. At the same time
let me give you a caution. Condescension to our inferiors is very
becoming, and is one of the brightest jewels in a nobleman’s
coronet: but, Charles, while we condescend to our inferiors, we
should always recollect, and let them also know, that they are our
inferiors. We should always treat our inferiors with kindness, and we
may behave to them, when we admit them to our table, with
courteous politeness. But we must not, and ought not, by way of
shewing our condescension, to let down and forget our dignity.”
Lord Spoonbill thought more of Miss Primrose’s pretty face than
he did of his own dignity, and was therefore beginning to grow weary
of this right honorable prosing, and to shew symptoms of
fidgettiness. But when the Earl of Smatterton had once taken it into
his head to administer the word of exhortation to any of his family, he
was not easily diverted from his purpose by any expressions or
indications of uneasiness on the part of the patient: therefore he
proceeded.
“Now, Spoonbill, let me as a friend advise you. I waive my
authority and speak to you purely and simply as a friend. Our title is
a mere empty sound, unless the dignity of it is properly kept up. You
are disposed to be very condescending, and at home it is all well
enough; but what I disapprove of is your condescension in public.
Yesterday you accompanied this young woman in the chariot, and it
is impossible to say who may have seen you thus familiarly
associating with a person of inferior rank. There are too many
encroachments already upon the higher classes, and we ought not
to invite and encourage more. I have done.”
Lord Spoonbill was glad to hear that. But the disobedient one, as if
his only object in listening to a sermon had been that he might act
directly contrary to its advice, forthwith, instead of causing the letter
to be delivered, did himself, with his own right honorable hands, in
person present the letter to Penelope.
“Who should write to me?” thought the dependent, as she received
the letter with a smile of gratitude and gracefulness from the
condescending son of the dignified Earl of Smatterton. Lord
Spoonbill thought that Penelope had never before looked so graceful
and so beautiful as at that moment. There are some countenances in
which peculiar and transient emotions light up a most fascinating
expression of loveliness. This peculiarity belonged to Penelope; and
that look of loveliness rewarded Lord Spoonbill for his
condescension, and made a much deeper impression on his heart
than the discourse of the Earl had made on his understanding. So
impressive was it that it almost enchained him to the spot, so as to
prevent Penelope from immediately gratifying her curiosity by
perusing the letter. His lordship, as if to find reason, or to make
cause for prolonging his stay, said:
“If this letter requires an answer by return of post, my father will be
happy to give you a frank; but the post closes at three, and it is now
past twelve.”
“I thank you, my lord,” replied the young lady, looking at the letter
and half opening it; “I do not know from whence it comes.”
In a few seconds the letter was opened, and the quick glancing
eye of Penelope saw the name of Primrose, and the whole truth
rushed into her mind with overpowering violence; and the intense
feeling of delight at the thought of being saved from dependence and
rescued from a dreaded profession, was too much for her weakened
spirits to bear composedly, and exclaiming, with hysteric shriek, “My
father, my father!” she would have sunk on the floor had not Lord
Spoonbill caught her in his arms and placed her on a sofa. His
lordship rang violently for assistance, which was promptly and
successfully rendered; and as his presence was no farther
necessary, he thought it best to inform the Countess of the situation
of Miss Primrose, and of the event which had produced this sudden
burst of feeling.
Now, generally speaking, the Countess of Smatterton was a lady
of great humanity and considerateness; but when anything occurred
to interfere with or interrupt a favourite scheme, her natural
tenderness was much abated. It presently came into her mind that
the arrival of Mr Primrose in England would prevent the purposed
exhibition of Penelope’s musical talents, and this thought afflicted
her and made her almost angry. Nevertheless, her ladyship
immediately went to Miss Primrose and offered her congratulations
on the happy event. These congratulations the young lady, in the
simplicity of her heart, believed to be sincere, and she made her
acknowledgments accordingly; but she was very much surprised at
the manner in which the Countess received these acknowledgments.
Penelope, when left alone, read over her father’s letter with more
composed and settled delight, and it was an unspeakable relief to
her mind that now, from the language of this communication, she
had reason to be satisfied that there was no danger that she should
be urged into that dreaded publicity from which she had so timidly
but so vainly shrunk. This letter produced a much more powerful and
healing effect than any change of air or variation of scenery could
accomplish. Now was she full of joy and full of hope, and almost
forgot the tears she had shed for her uncle, and the sighs she had
heaved for her lover.
END OF THE FIRST VOLUME.

LONDON:
PRINTED BY C. H. REYNELL, BROAD STREET, GOLDEN
SQUARE.
Transcriber’s Notes
Page 63: “divers discusssions” changed to “divers discussions”
Page 212: “be isappointed” changed to “be disappointed”
Page 353: “shew symtoms” changed to “shew symptoms”
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