the class started wednesday and i had to hit the ground running. ..

>> >> they picked that photo of the of the internet. and the young man at the end ben mountains from the denver area and he found out about it from his friends just walking through barnes & noble.

key called the publisher he got ahold of me through e-mail and we had a nice relationship back-and-forth. he said one of his self published books. i also rejuvenated whole lot of french ships from vietnam vets and people from my own battalion after 43 years getting in touch with me. i just heard from several people just last week it is quite in experience. i am glad my editor talked me into writing the book. is the book that i think needs to be discussed at the high-school level to let young men know mike fleming found out, what more is really like. once you survive, it follows

you for the rest of your life. good or bad and for me i think it has been for the good. i look at life differently. i just came back from cuba. oh and a fulbright to where i can see with the cuban citizens are like, to see what they have with your with the revolution with castro and the cuban missile crisis and the bay of pigs and they have a certain world down there. i think that comes from surviving a situation like that purport terrible situation where you have no control and there really does something to year end it guides you through life that when you wake up in the morning you were just glad

you are alive. >> host: the cover of the book vietnam's roughriders. booktv on c-span2.

pamela newkirk talks about ota benga age wharf be treated in anthropology exhibit in the state law was world fair in 1904. this is 50 minutes. >> is my pleasure to introduce our speaker. professor of journalism and a professor of undergraduate studies but dash steady said the york university. she knew what the national press club award and the editor of running for black america. she has appeared in many publications empire to joining nyu she was on a

pulitzer prize-winning team and we're so happy to have her here this evening. pamela newkirk. [applause] >> good evening everyone. it is such a pleasure to be here tonight and particularly to be here in this beautiful building where i did so much of research on this section of ota benga life. thanks for being here. black lives matter is the plea of the people and what is conveyed by thomas

jefferson it when he says it is the indispensable duty of those the maintain for themselves the right to human nature to extend their power and influence to the belief of every part of the human race. the elements of langston hughes. a question and a call and a prayer. black lives matter. it is research into it this story of ota benga and african male who went into the local headlines after he was exhibited in the bronx zoo monkey house with an orangutan. , then why was the disgraced african who did not leave behind any record third leave behind a remarkable feat become a priority? when i started research five

years ago i could not know some will see his life as a metaphor for the black lives today. but somehow i knew his story mattered. how he came to be so monumentally degraded in their world-class city at the dawn of the 20th century during the progressive era. so i began to explore this historical case. i began with a book published in 1982 that has become the definitive account of ota benga life. the pig we in this new was written by the grandson of the african explorer who brought ota benga to the united states. according to the introduction in the book was the story of friendship between ota benga and samuel

burns from the first few pages i was intrigued by the notion that he had forged a friendship with an african subjects to somehow ended up in a zero to be displayed with apes. the narrative was similar to robinson crusoe but have lusatians almost entirely based on uncorroborated accounts. the book etched his tail of french representative into the history -- friendship into history i church to the wildlife conservation side a one dash society to see how it had recorded its records. gathering animals when first published in 1974 exposures

the history of this year beginning with the creation and 8099. recounted the episode, a former curator of publication contended it was unlikely that he was ever caged and displayed at all. contract was ota benga exhibited like a stranger animal? he was locked behind bars in the bear kgb's darr died during certain hours seems unlikely. but ignoring evidence in the archives that verified his daily exhibition in the cage at specific times of the day. then tear clarified he claims the enteric -- enter the case to plead with the chimpanzees that accompanied

him from africa. and he concluded "at this distance in time that is not all that is to be said for sure except it was all done with the best of intentions. i still learn to that his suggestion and defies any faithful reading of the archival records. the exhibition in a bear cage to be stared at was documented in newspaper articles and correspondence and in a published article in the zoological society's journal. this is just one of many examples of what i discovered as a custodian of history.

bring while the archival records that exposed key aspects of ota benga life of his capture in captivity has largely gone untouched for revisiting this historical case it affords a rare look at history to raise questions about what we go and what we think we know about our past. while ota benga did not leave behind his own papers but others did. mountains of archives letters and passenger records, autobiographical accounts, newspaper and magazine articles and since this data and photographs and reported recollections of those that knew ota benga in the era to retrace his footsteps from the kong go through europe and across the united states.

, i discovered confirms my relationship -- my thoughts on their product -- relationship. i can see how the racial attitudes of the new york city social elite were imbedded in scholarship and government policy and culture and why those attitudes with think you're. but first a little bit about samuel. the first child of a slave holding family in south carolina who came of age during the backlash of reconstruction. a white supremacist he went to the condo first as a missionary then a man determined to make his fortune in the country that was plundered by king leopold lecter. as they were being enslaved and murdered under the guise he left his mission riposte to focus efforts to

capitalize on the turmoil in 1904 he returned to the condo as a special agent for the world's fair and his assignment was to bring back pygmies to visit at the fair. fair organizers mapped the programming -- the progress the degree in deaf people of the central africa to be released a civilized. heavily armed with the approval of king leopold ii and u.s. officials he went hunting for the pygmies. he wrote an article entitled ayatollah the venture's row planting pygmies in the cargo. he promoted ota benga is a cannibal space king his pointing teeth.

two years later he turn ota benga over to the bronx zoo where he was exhibited in the monkey house. the bush and share the cage with apes was the headline from "the new york times". thousands of new yorkers would flock to the zoo. ministers would protest many refuse to meet is zoological society also held firm and a zoo director the blessings was defiant disabled golan as the sun sets each afternoon in is a jumper.

ota benga has the best run in the monkey house. "the new york times" editor was dismayed by the protest. we do not understand all the emotion around the matter. ota benga according to our information is a normal specimen of this race with the brain as much develop as those as other members whether it is "arrested development" from the other african savages or if they are a degenerate descendants they are equal interest to the students and can be studied. ''. his resistance to captivity all to relieve convince officials he was too much to handle.

he was given to the care of reverend gordon. he recounts his brief say in lynchburg virginia and the house called orphanage farm where he lived daily life - - alone life then he returned to lynch fired - - lynchburg reworked and a tobacco farm in he taught the ways of the safari hunting and fishing and picking berries in routes to the neighborhood children. he was embraced by the black community. he would spend his final years to find his way back home in trying to adjust to american life.

i will read a small excerpt from that period. >> in lynchburg, ota benga found a surrogate home and family settler and their customs and boundaries. when he crossed into the koch and would nyh working-class community he wears heckled and pelted with rocks if he would come back and ask why. he did not understand. however long before he arrived ota benga had seen the score in on the faces in the condo for the crabs from st. louis and the spectators from the cage in the monkey house. he would live within the

alliance of the black community and practice the customs he may have recognized the sorrow. they were the descendants of the people who knew the despair in the loss of language and friendship. these people cobble together to be scorned. some of lost loved ones some for the children of their in slivers. ota benga had only memories and nobody could know what form they took. to be struck by heroin mobs

but the quantified fishes of murder and loveland's did he dream of the client only to awaken alone? 7/8 beneath the stars tied the employers would watch him build a fire today it's dancing around. the friends were in raptured as you would circle and hopping in seeming as if there were not there. there were no older than 10 dead tissue young to grasp the poignancy of the ritual or the urgency of his refrain. >> i will end there and take your questions. thank you. [applause] nobody has questions? you have all read the book?

>> this was done bbc world news leslie. -- last night. so what is essentially happens to him? >> i should say spoiler a large. his age is contested. he offered many different accounts of how he was captured. but the best evidence available it was taken into years before he is clearly a

child then later he said he was 30 when he was captured. that would mean in the bronx zero he would have been 15 and when he died he would have been 25. >> good evening. thank you so much for sharing a light on this young man. also do you have books for sale? bernanke yes. >> yes. but was like -- lifelike before him?

>> it was a lot better than being in the bronx zoo monkey house said he was given his own room to smoker do what he wanted but of course, u.s. and isolated from the children he could not have real human interaction. he was so alienated from his people and country he had limited english at that time maybe 100 words. he wanted to go home. that is what he wanted but they were very nice to him there. mary gordon was the house whether described in every account that i have ever read of her as very maternal and loving and she was beloved by a vet children long after they left davis still refer to her as mother

>> where there are other examples of this like to chicago world's fair would have ethnic exhibits? >> if think the difference between the very popular but create europe at the turn of the century but there were people exhibited with people but the astonishing life of ota benga" nine dash ota benga was exhibited in the monkey house with the ring a than. so they're trying to decide if he was fully human. >> i remember reading about ota benga as a youngster.

what is the psychology of the people that were viewing ? >> but to go to the leaky house there seems to be some recognition. [laughter] i always felt uneasy when i made eye contact because there is some intelligence. to be highly intelligent one so if people are not fully convinced that he is human it is the same thing.

they thought they were looking at someone subhuman because why else would he be in a cage in a monkey house? >> good evening. thank you for doing this. it makes me wonder sometimes in any given sunday people all line up as if they are the exhibit is there a correlation there the fascination as people are

seen as objects were. >> once you objectified them then you can make spectacles of them. someone has to recognize as a human being it wasn't just the idea to marginalize the rooted in science that blacks were a degenerate race and closer to apes than other human beings. said that i am had circulated in the higher echelon. en no surprise 100 years later while i hope you would not see a black person exhibited in as you but it

may explain the rationale of police killings of to have been shot in the back and riddled with bullets as they sit in their car. with everything that america is that they have morphed. >> thank you for this book. said talk about those challenges.

[laughter] but the research when but to really test your chops as a researcher. as it was all about going into the archives that many people did not think that people from all walks of life. but because our lives were not considered meaningful it is harder to find evidence.

so going into the archives it could not told the papers of ota benga. so you have to look at to the unexpected cases. you have to look harder and go to the people or wherever you think their baby son. -- when it is so hard the first two years i got i cannot do this. it is too hard. i will have to give the money back. then the stuff started to come out of the closets have to look for so long you hit something that is started to unfold.

look over here. to vitarelli trace the footsteps in 1904 and 1905 and 1906 i could never add anticipated the people of new york society kept a lot of records. who would look at the life of ota benga? they didn't see me coming.

one. >> i appreciate you taking the time afterlife to bring ota benga to life. was -- but the climate of the nation but somehow they ended up oppressed will so what should that do for me? i would like you to articulate that. >> first of all, its substantiates suspicions many of us had it isn't just

happenstance. with it is deeply rooted so much of the scholarship is not out there. with so we all have a feeling but then we're told it is close race with barack obama in the white house and you are paranoid the were shot in the back 20 times you were probably doing something. one so i thank you cannot draw a straight line from a 1906 through this period to help former researcher day to help show us the

foundation of the radius better still percolating today. what i should do for you, as committee is tricky when ota benga humidity was diminished the people who diminished it was diminished more and i think our humanity, we have to feel good about our humanity and to i will take that quotation that is he challenges jefferson that the black person is inferior that this is your humanity to brother. is a call so i don't know.

this is the story of ota benga during that period. it is a really connecting the dots to today. but you may see something that will help you connect some dots with. >>. >> the first commonality to the zero -- to the zero summit there had been shimizu news so what your thoughts of tourism where they go to ruth kenya still

they sit on the bus and they take the one that they point out. it is like tourism but it is the marketing aspect to see whether people live but like a a call to action but they live like that if you have any thoughts. >> all kinds of people travel and to look for different reasons and some people don't. i just think when you are in touch with your committee is a good thing. i have anything more to say

but to recount from his life that people who defied the convention to step out of a box to protest what was happening and i found that incredibly inspiring. the first minister to protest ota benga captivity was not a black minister. he was a baptist minister but he was white canadian and his church calgary baptist is on 57 straight and is still there. he was very prominent as an adviser to the president. you can do great things when you are in touch with your humanity.

>> we you we're doing your research. >> nor would i want to because he never met ota benga and had nothing to offer i was interested in archival evidence one he didn't deal with evidence so that was not my interest so i went back. of this or that so basically i went back to the archives.

>> thanks for a wonderful talk. do they ever express remorse if you talk to the zoo orders? >> no. even after ota benga died there were callous comments made about taming the savage. there is no remorse. the but they doctored up the story of what happened he went from being a cage exhibits to a zoo employee. but never an expression but on the contrary later in life many years later he did express remorse, or so i

heard. his grandson said he expressed remorse. [laughter] i went to school four minutes from your. i started in 83 and finished 1986. i was a dental lab technician we use a variety of equipment we had a student in the class with us and i noticed he would wait for someone else to use it then he would use it. so one day i am sitting at my desk so i said why deal

always wait for someone else to use the equipment? he said i don't want to use it after you. i said why not? i am from brooklyn and i am 18. my initial thought is i did not have the maturity now. [laughter] what you talking about? you have a tail? vitarelli. what did you just said? i said no.

he said sure you do i saw that in a book. how long have you been in this country? he said this year now we're talking to him. he said where did you get this? tomorrow he brought the book how his parents taught him this before he came here to stay clear of black people. ica the disconnect. if this is what you were taught in this is we think. i have two sons and i tried to teach them this with

knowledge. it is actually documented. it makes it easier to do that. >> they were taught that for a very long time. >> i used to live in england and i remember the the id said where are you from?

she said i amended wife. -- a midwife. i am so glad. when i came here they thought we had tails. i am so glad more black people are coming here to be boarded on hospital to see that they don't have tails. 1962 that they thought when the black people were born and details were removed. -- the tales were removed.

>> good evening. a couple of questions. >> usa question is under so complex. he was buried he had a proper funeral because he was not a member of the community. he was buried in the city cemetery. but today they're not quite sure if his remains are still there because it is so overgrown but oral histories suggest he was taken to another cemetery with sell

lynchburg community proposal we have been searching if you go to lynchburg everybody knows to ota benga is. he is the adored figure and everybody wants to know. so if people are prepared to take the lead dna test. yes. so he is buried somewhere in one of the two cemeteries. >> did the condo government ever reach out? >> today? there has been efforts by some to reclaim his remains.

>> i came out tonight at of interest we gain the cover of the book. it is hard to draw linear ties to what is happening today and with a caricature. one but the problem in the community so one thing i have to say this past weekend, i purchased the book four years ago called the sanctuary in this is

literally a picture ever write about that period. >> also there has been very little written in the south which is why i was so interested. i did know that history of the lynchings throughout the south but i did not know it was going on here. into the draft around the civil war when african-americans were beaten and killed by mobs had hanged entries. i knew that history but it seems like there was a drop-off. then this story allows you

to look at what was going on but yes i appreciate your comment. >> so that is what i appreciate that from incarceration and asked to do with people of color better blacken now behind bars. the 400 pages of people hanging from trees. i said i have not opened it in four years but i appreciate this because this tells the story in justice and peace and that is what we can honor to tell the