Few American cities, save Baltimore, mix history, art and commerce in such equal measures and invest in what many might call fairly mundane matters so much symbolic importance. Such is certainly the case with Baltimore's arabbers - the mysteriously named horsecart vendors whose trade represents at once the capillaries of the city's complex food distribution system, a generations-old system of informal apprenticeship for young black men in commerce and the streets, and the symbolic reach of a small-town past into Baltimore's big-city present. There is nothing about he arabbers unique to Baltimore, except the name. And that name summons many of the issues about who they are and what they do that continue to spark debate about their prospects. Historically, there is little information about whether the term 'arab' was used to describe individuals similarly employed in other parts of the U.S., but Baltimore's horsecart vendors have been referred to as 'aras,' 'ay-rabs,' and 'Arrabers' for most of this century. How did the English slang word for homeless youth come to be applied to black (mostly) Baltimore horsecart vendors? The answer lies in the term's denotation of not the nationality of ethnicity of the people referred to, nor their occupation, but their lack of fixedness. The 19th century English usage of 'arab' was meant to refer to the nomadic character of London street gangs. But the current and widely accepted meaning of 'arab' in Baltimore is both narrow and multilayered. 'Arabbers' are people who 'arab' which means to sell foodstuffs from horse-drawn wagons. Photographer and author Roland Freeman's 'Arabbers of Baltimore' is both a photographic and literary event. It's as though the arabbers have seen themselves on the pages and spoken.

The Arabbers of Baltimore

Freeman, Roland L.

Business & Money

Tidewater Publishers

Half a century ago a young woman published a poem that was destined to reverberate through American life. Here that poem is reprinted with thirty-eight stunning photographs that celebrate it. "For My People" is a resounding catalog of black history, a clarion that refutes the affliction of humiliation, an indelible record of noble accomplishments. Since 1942 this enduring paean to black America has remained an everlasting appeal against racial oppression. "I wrote most of that poem," Margaret Walker says, "in fifteen minutes on a typewriter. I think it was just after my twenty-second birthday, and I felt it was my whole life gushing out - as I had felt about my people all my life." Since that time the astonishing young poet whose voice rose in cadences that praise and honor black America has never ceased to stir minds and hearts to action with her credos. She became indeed the renowned poet, novelist, lecturer, teacher, and sage Margaret Walker Alexander. In commemoration of "For My People," her first publication, and in tribute to her richly productive life, the acclaimed photographer Roland L. Freeman has joined a photo essay to Margaret Walker's poem. "I selected photographs that call to mind the special human elements evoked by Walker, so basic to everyday life, and yet not often celebrated, elements which unravel the real beauty and the tenacity for life of African-American people." With this marvelous collaboration both Walker and Freeman stimulate rejoicing for the spirit of the artist who perceives and depicts the rich and vital culture of black America. In this jubilee year of a momentous poem, "For My People" continues to resound in the hearts of African-Americans and for all who love human freedom.

Margaret Walker's "for My People": A Tribute

Biographies & Memoirs

Walker, Margaret

Community & Culture

Univ Pr of Mississippi

Southern Roads/City Pavements: Photographs of Black Americans

Int.l Center of Photography

Something to keep you warm: The Roland Freeman Collection of Black American quilts from the Mississippi Heartland: an exhibition at the Mississippi State Historical Museum, June 14-August 9, 1

Mississippi Department of Archives and History

Looks at the wide variety of roles that quilting plays in African American life, including physical, spiritual, cultural, and historical roles

A Communion of the Spirits: African-American Quilters, Preservers, and Their Stories

Crafts, Hobbies & Home

Crafts & Hobbies

Rutledge Hill Pr

The Mule Train, about 150 people in twenty mule-drawn wagons from Marks, Mississippi, was determined to make the nation aware of the plight of America's poor. The Mule Train is commemorated in this collection of photographs by Roland Freeman and others accompanied by excerpts from local and national newspapers.

The Mule Train: A Journey of Hope Remembered

Arts & Photography

Photography & Video

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Books by Freeman, Roland L.