History Cambridge has been doing a deep dive into the history of the North Cambridge neighborhood this year, learning about the people, places and events that have made that area of the city unique, as well as what those stories tell us about Cambridge as a whole. One of the extraordinary figures who has emerged from our work is Pauline Elizabeth Hopkins, a Black author, journalist and activist for social and racial justice at the turn of the 20th century.
It is important to note that Hopkins’ work and legacy have not been “lost” – she has always been a known and revered figure among those studying Black literature, particularly Black women’s writing and early science fiction. We are not “rediscovering” her work, but are hoping to amplify what scholars and members of the Black Cambridge community have long known about the power of her words and her activism.
With the Cambridge Public Library and Cambridge Black History Project, History Cambridge partnered on a program Oct. 17 at the Main Library designed to introduce the audience to Hopkins’ work and her world in and well beyond Cambridge. “Beyond Her Time: The Visionary Works of Pauline Hopkins” featured opening remarks by History Cambridge executive director Marieke Van Damme, library director Maria McCauley and project board member Paula Paris, all of whom stressed the importance of returning extraordinary local figures such as Hopkins to a wider audience.
The event segued into a panel discussion featuring two local scholars of Hopkins’ work: Max Chapnick, a graduate of Boston University and a research fellow at the New York Historical Society; and Susan Tomlinson, professor of English at the University of Massachusetts at Boston and editor of “Legacy: A Journal of American Women Writers.” Moderated by author, History Cambridge board member and North Cambridge resident Virginia Pye, the panel delved into Hopkins’ writings in realms as diverse as musical theater, journalism and early science fiction. Chapnick, who has done extensive research about Hopkins’ time at the Girls’ High School in Boston, shared how her education there (as one of a very few Black students) shaped her work. Revealing that Hopkins’ highest exam scores were in the subjects of chemistry and English, Chapnick made the case for Hopkins as one of the earliest Black writers of science fiction, and that her ability to write about science in a detailed and informed way in her novels was a direct result of her mastery of the subject in her school career.
Tomlinson also explored the role of Hopkins’ experiences on her writing, particularly her connection to local, national and international networks of thinkers Black and white. As a writer and editor for The Colored American Magazine, Hopkins had access to the world of Black Boston “club women” who appeared from the outside to be largely about leisure but who were actually deeply involved in causes related to social and racial justice. Although she was born into a family deeply rooted in the Boston-Cambridge area, her upbringing was largely working class, so it was her work as a journalist that allowed her to break into these circles. Once she was there, she quickly proved herself their intellectual equal and began to form lasting connections to the Black intelligentsia.
Hopkins wrote a number of short stories for The Colored American, as well as publishing three of her novels in serialized form in the magazine. As a writer and editor, she oversaw articles on the political, social, economic and artistic ideas of the day and interviewed many important figures in Black literature and activism.
As the panelists explained, the early 20th century was a time of significant disagreement – within the Black community as well as in society at large – about the best way to “uplift the race” for those of African descent, with Hopkins and allies such as W.E.B. DuBois arguing that a liberal arts education was the best path to success and acceptance for Black Americans. On the opposite side of that debate, thinkers such as Booker T. Washington argued that agricultural education was the option that would best serve the majority of young Black people, especially in Southern states where agricultural labor still formed the backbone of the economy. Hopkins and DuBois labeled this approach a virtual return to enslavement, reinforcing many of the stereotypes and limited opportunities that freed people had struggled to escape after the Civil War.
Washington took over control of The Colored American in 1904, effectively ousting Hopkins from her role at the magazine and curtailing her writing career; although she continued writing journalism and fiction, she was no longer able to make a living by writing alone, and took on a number of other jobs to make ends meet, including working as a stenographer at MIT. After the death of her parents (with whom she lived on Clifton Street in North Cambridge), she bought a house at 19 Jay St., Riverside, where she lived until her death in 1930.
In conjunction with this program, the Cambridge Public Library’s book groups have met to discuss Hopkins’ 1900 novel, “Contending Forces: A Romance of Negro Life North and South.” There are three remaining opportunities to discuss the book: Monday at the library’s O’Neill Branch, 70 Rindge Ave., North Cambridge, and in two virtual discussion groups hosted by History Cambridge on Oct. 30 and Nov. 12. History Cambridge has created a Pauline Hopkins page on its website with biographical information and links to works by and about Hopkins, and the video of last week’s event will be available soon on the website.
About History Cambridge
History Cambridge started in 1905 as the Cambridge Historical Society. Today we have a new name and a new mission. We engage with our city to explore how the past influences the present to shape a better future. We recognize that every person in our city knows something about Cambridge’s history, and their knowledge matters. We listen to our community and we live by the ideal that history belongs to everyone. Throughout 2024, we are focusing on the history of North Cambridge. Make history with us at historycambridge.org.
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Beth Folsom is programs manager for History Cambridge.
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