This book is first in its class
Turbulence releases ‘A Tribute To Mama’
Reggae singer Turbulence.
Caribbean Life, March 27-April 2, 2020 31
By Terri Schlichenmeyer
Remember, remember….?
Skipping school, good teachers,
hard lessons, practical
jokes, smelly lockers, remember?
If you don’t, your oldest
friends probably do. As in the
new book “The Last Negroes at
Harvard” by Kent Garrett with
Jeanne Ellsworth, they were
there alongside you when everything
happened, remember?
For many years, Kent Garrett
claimed that he “rarely thought
about Harvard.” Yes, it was
his alma mater, but there was
more to him than his graduation
from an Ivy League school.
He had a career and later, a
dairy farm to run. Being one of
a handful of “Negro” graduates
from an esteemed college was a
small part of who Garrett was.
But then he discovered that
a Harvard upperclassmate died,
and he began to do what he
said he didn’t: he thought about
Harvard.
Garrett was just seventeen
the fall of 1959, when his family
drove him to Harvard and
helped him carry his belongings
to a room he’d share with
another boy, one who happened
also to be a “Negro.” There
were, as Garrett later learned,
eighteen “Negroes” in the class
of 1963, scattered among various
dorms. Eventually, he met
most of them, and they gathered
daily to eat lunch; they also
socialized together because,
although Harvard strove to
avoid racism, social segregation
off-campus was still generally
mandatory.
As they moved into their
dorms that fall, Americans were
just learning that the Soviet
Union was capable of launching
missiles from submarines. A
war in a country halfway across
the world had its first two casualties.
Mike Wallace had done
a TV report on Black Muslims
and Malcolm X, shocking white
America.
The freshmen who hoped
they’d survive at Harvard
Book cover of “The Last Negroes at Havard.”
became sophomores, then juniors,
then seniors.
In their college careers, the
“Negroes” saw protests and sitins,
violence and calls for peace.
They met people who‘d influence
history, and others who‘d
die too early. And by the time
they graduated, eighteen men
had learned that they were not
“Negroes” anymore…
It’s really hard not to love
“The Last Negroes at Harvard”
right from the get-go.
Author Kent Garrett tells his
story with a gee-whiz, downto
earth demeanor that makes
friends with a reader quickly.
It’s a warm tale that can be confusing
in its overload of names
and nicknames, but Garrett’s
portrayals of his classmates
lets readers know that these
young men were nevertheless
unique individuals with ideals,
strengths, and promise.
But this book isn’t only about
eighteen Black men.
It’s also a snapshot of a burgeoning
Civil Rights Movement,
and a country that’s
evolving. We get a peek of life
on the edge of change, when
college-age men wore ties to
dinner. We watch as protests
arrived in Boston, “the Pill”
was whispered-about, segregation
eased in the North, sit-ins
became a thing, and language
changed, too.
Know that this is not merely
a book of nostalgia for older
folk: it’s also for younger readers
heading for college, or for lovers
of social history. Sit down with
this book, and be delighted.
“The Last Negroes at Harvard”
is one you’ll remember.
“The Last Negroes at
Harvard” by Kent Garrett
with Jeanne Ellsworth
c.2020, HMH Books
$27.00 / $39.00
Canada 320 pages
“Last Negroes at Havard” authors Kent Garrett and Jeanne Ellsworth. Jill Ribich
By Caribbean Life
Turbulence, who we have
all come to know and appreciate
as an authentic and passionate
voice in the reggae
music industry, is clearly still
struggling with the passing
of his mother. Though she
died in the Summer of 2019,
the artist continues to honor
her both privately and publicly.
His latest single, titled “A
Tribute To Mama” is a testament
to that fact.
The song was officially
released on March 15 on the
Reggae Vibes Music label;
with a lyric video following
shortly thereafter (published
on March 22).
Turbulence wants the world
to know that this song means
a lot to him. This is what he
had to say when he was asked
about it: “I lost my mother
29 of July 2019 from diabetes
so all courtesy of reggaevibes
we plan to put this tribute
out to the world not just for
my sake but for all the person
who lost their mother
or some one close to them
who they miss dearly… this
song is not an off the top of
the head song but it’s a true
story song all the lyrics in the
song is nothing but facts it’s
heart felt meaningful soulful
an it means everything
to me… so first thanks goes
out to the fans the selectors
media personnel reggae vibes
for hitting the world with this
one… blessed love–”