#history of racism
“Terrace was established by Chinese railroad workers in 1869, when construction crews were racing to connect the eastward and westward tracks of the railroad 70 miles from here at Promontory Summit. Eventually, simple wood structures rose on both sides of Main Street, housing hotels, clothing stores, restaurants, railroad machine shops, even a 1,000-volume library specializing in science, history and travel literature. Because water was scarce, engineers constructed an aqueduct from hollowed-out timber, funneling water from mountain springs that were miles away. At its peak, the town was home to some 500 residents, and it welcomed hundreds more each year, mostly rail and wagon-train travelers.
In 1903, Terrace burned in a fire, and after the railroad was rerouted 50 miles south—straight across the Great Salt Lake—the following year, the town was abandoned. But researchers have returned, seeing the ghost town as an ideal site to learn not only about the workings of a remote railroad town but especially about the immigrant community that thrived here.”
*CW: Mentions of racially-motivated violence.
“This beautifully crafted narrative weaves together the story of the relationship of Magnus Hirschfeld and Li Shui Tong with a brilliant analysis of Hirschfeld’s complex but ultimately racist thinking about homosexuality, race, and empire. It’s hard to do justice to the power of this book. Let me just say that once you open it, you’ll have trouble tearing yourself away, and not only because you’ll want to know what happened to Li’s manuscript.”
[ID: “Cagney Carnation” / Angry Flower meme from Cuphead video game. Angry, shouting flower with text: “How DARE you teach my children that many of the inequities of today are caused by a history of enslavement and racism?!? It’s not their fault and they don’t need to know about it!!” Nice, bashful flower image with text: “Now children, let me tell you all about how the sins of Adam and Eve mean you’re born inherently sinful and must do exactly what we say or burn forever in the eternal lake of fire.” /ID]
