Edith Mitchell Dabbs
Edith Mitchell Dabbs | |
---|---|
Born | Edith Mitchell 1906 |
Died | 1991 |
Occupation | Author |
Spouses | James McBride Dabbs (1935–1970) |
Children | James M. Dabbs Jr. |
Edith Mitchell Dabbs (November 10, 1906 - 1991) was an American
Early life, education, and activism
Edith was born November 10, 1906, in
Dabbs became the chairwoman of the United Council of Church Women of South Carolina, an organization which assisted in the desegregation of South Carolina after the Brown v. Board of Education ruling.[6] She worked within the white women's progressive Christian organization to assist black Sea Islanders and to integrate churches.[7]
Writing career
Dabb's compiled Face of an Island, a book presenting newly discovered Leigh Richmond Miner's photographs of Saint Helena residents in 1970. The photographs, documented by Miner who was a teacher at the time, depicted the citizens of Saint Helena Island, their homes, and their surroundings. It was considered a "valuable additions to the literature of documentary photography" by A.D. Coleman of the New York Times.[8] However, one reviewer felt that the book was lacking in cultural information and did not include enough history on African Americans.[9]
In 1983, Dabbs wrote the Sea Island Diary, a book on the history of Saint Helena, the largest of the Carolina Sea Islands. It was the second book to be written about the subject in the 20th century.[10] It follows the history of Saint Helena from its discovery by the Spanish in 1520 to the 1980s. Dabbs used the plantation notes and correspondence of local families to complete her research. She received grants by the Field Foundation and the Ford Foundation during her work.[11] The Sea Island Diary was not well-received, one reviewer noted that Dabbs was a "very amateur historian" and that her book was flawed because it used only a few "primary resources" and lacked a map of Saint Helena.[12] However, most reviewers asserted that the book would educate the general public and aid researchers who needed anecdotal information from the region.
She attended Salem Black River Presbyterian Church and was buried there when she died.[13] In 1970, her husband died willing Rip Raps Plantation to her.[14]
Works
Books
- Walking Tall (1970)
- Face of an Island (1970)
- Sea Island Diary: A History of St. Helena Island (1983).
References
- ^ "Everything Happens at the Crossroads: James McBride Dabbs – the second son". Everything Happens at the Crossroads. Retrieved 2019-04-30.
- ^ "Oral History Interview with Edith Mitchell Dabbs, October 4, 1975. Interview G-0022. Southern Oral History Program Collection (#4007): Electronic Edition. A Southern Woman Advocates Social and Racial Justice in South Carolina in the Mid-Twentieth Century". 2019-02-11. Archived from the original on 2019-02-11. Retrieved 2019-04-30.
- ^ "Dabbs, Edith Mitchell". South Carolina Encyclopedia. Retrieved 2019-04-30.
- ^ "Dabbs, James McBride, 1896–1970 @ SNAC". snaccooperative.org. Retrieved 2019-04-30.
- ^ Dabbs, Edith (2018). "Edith Mitchell Dabbs Papers" (PDF). Edith Mitchell Dabbs Papers. Retrieved May 11, 2019.
- ^ Jones-Branch, Cherisse. Crossing the Line : Women’s Interracial Activism in South Carolina During and After World War II. University Press of Florida, 2014. p. 80-89.
- ISBN 9780807829011.
- ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2019-05-11.
- JSTOR 539258.
- ^ Howland, Lawrence (1983). "Reviewed Work: Sea Island Diary: A History of St. Helena Island by Edith M. Dabbs". The South Carolina Historical Magazine. 85 (2): 160–161 – via JSTOR.
- ^ Clifton, James (April 1984). "Reviewed Work: Sea Island Diary: A History of St. Helena Island by Edith M. Dabbs". The North Carolina Historical Review. 61 (2): 259–260 – via JSTOR.
- JSTOR 2208513.
- ^ "Dabbs, Edith Mitchell". South Carolina Encyclopedia. Retrieved 2019-04-30.
- ^ "Rip Raps Plantation – Sumter County, South Carolina SC". south-carolina-plantations.com. Retrieved 2019-04-30.