Uppity-Negro.com

This certainly has nothing to do with any other recent events or entries, although I did touch on it way back when. I'm just waiting to head over to XXX to pick up XXX, head to Chi, meet up with XXX and have dinner at Alice & Friends.

What?

From The AFU and Urban Legend Archive: Death: Charles Drew:

In a recent article in McGill University's student newspaper, titled: "MCGILL ACCUSED OF RACISM FOR NOT REMEMBERING BLACK GRADUATE", the writer states:
'Drew's life ended tragically in the forties after a car accident in the southern United States. He died of blood loss at the doors of a hospital which would not admit him because of the color of his skin. Ironically, his own invention could have saved his life.' [trimmed]
Does anyone have any hard data on this?

It's this weekend and I checked, the book thoroughly refutes the myth. Dr. Drew suffered fatal injuries in the wreck. Despite the immediate attentions of the three other physicians who were with him (two of whom were substantially uninjured), and prompt attention at a nearby mixed-race (segregated) hospital, where he was attended by three other physicians, one of whom was the co-owner of the hospital, Dr. Drew died from the massive injuries. Included in the treatment was the administration of "at least one blood transfusion" - the hospital stocked both whole blood and plasma.

The myth has been widely circulated, including _Time_ magazine. It also mentions:

"But the story lives on. A McGill University publication, the _McGill Reporter_, repeated it in its December 1981 issue. Fortunately, it brought a vigorous denial from Dr. Edward Bensley, professor emeritus of medicine at McGill, [...]. Part of the evidence that Dr. Bensley had was a copy of a letter written by Dr. Ford [another black physician who was with Dr. Drew in the accident], in which Ford tried to lay the 'bled to death' canard to rest."

And later, quoting Dr. Ford:

"Doctor Drew's cause of death was that of a broken neck and complete blockage of the blood flow back to the heart. Immediately following the accident in which he was half thrown out of the car, and actually crushed to death by the car as it turned over the second time, the doctors who were were able to, got out of the car quickly and came to Doctor Drew's rescue, but it was of no avail because even at that time, it was quite obvious that his chances of surviving were nil."

It also notes that the myth was circulating shortly after Dr. Drew's death, and speculates that it may be a mutation of a myth concerning Bessie Smith's death in 1937. She also died in a car crash in the South, and the myth circulated that she had died outside a "white's only" hospital after being refused admittance. In fact, she was taken directly to a "black" hospital by the black ambulance driver - half a mile from the nearby "white" hospital - where she died from internal injuries. (They amputated one of her arms while trying to save her, BTW). I guess the myth is just more believable than the truth somehow.

Emphasis added for no particular reason.

I, for one, welcome our new Michigan Senate Overlords, and look forward to a return to the bad old days.

. . . that previous sentence contradicts the introductory one, doesn't it?

Bugger.