Anth 159a

Mabray “Doc” Kountze spent a lifetime writing and breaking boundaries. A spokesman for the Negro Baseball League, he was the first African-American to receive a press pass from the Red Sox (as well as the Braves and the Bruins). “Doc” reported for The Medford Transcript, The Medford Mercury, The Boston Guardian, The Boston Chronicle and The Boston Greater News and penned three books, all histories: This Is Your Heritage and 50 Sports Years Along Memory Lane, and A History of the Early Colored Press in Massachusetts and a Second Sketch of the Boston Guardian. Having organized the National Negro Newspaper All-American Association of Sports Editors (NNNAA) in the 1930’s, his newspaper work often pushed the question of the segregation of the baseball leagues and “Doc” is credited by many with the eventual desegregation of the Red Sox. In his life he was recognized for his civic work on several occasions: He received the Boston College Annual Griot Award, was honored at Fenway Park in a tribute to the Negro Baseball League, and plays and festivals have been organized in his honor in his hometown of West Medford.**

Excerpted from the preface of This is Your Heritage: “The primary objective of this book is to educate, provide and promote better inter-racial understanding, and to reveal, where ever possible, the fallacy of racial differences and superiorities…This book seeks to do away with the fabricated fallacy that says race and color should, and must, be a wall between us” (Kountze IV). The book is divided into several sections the first of which details early history from Africa to the New World, and the second book includes colonial and United States history. The rest of the book was almost exclusively dedicated to the hometown of the author, Medford. Interestingly, Medford has some very fascinating ties to slavery. Not only did many free men migrate to Medford (and slaves forcibly brought), but also Medford (or Meadford) was a colonial rum producing city that exported to Africa and additionally ships built in Medford were used by those in the slave trade. Another area of interest for the author was Medford’s African American military history which dates all the way back to early colonial wars. This great show of patriotism for their country has been largely glossed over by history. The next book detailed the religious history of Medford which is very rich and varied. The fifth book describes the education and economic highlights of Medford. According to Kountze, “Deep, prideful, independent, inherent desire of both men and women, to work hard for their own community, their own living and advancement, is one of the foremost features of our Medford history” (261). Medford civic and social aspects are discussed in great length in book six, and the last book contains a record of Medford’s creative achievements in a range of professions from jazz musicians and dancers to artists and writers. While there is a clear focus on the town of Medford, Kountze used Medford as a representative of African American communities in the United States. This very thick and detailed book shows a rare glimpse at not only an overall picture of African American history but also with a contemporary focus on the personalities that made up the city of Medford. What is clear from the author’s description is that Medford leaves a legacy of distinguished African American pioneers that have served their community of Medford and the larger community as a whole. >> summary by Aliza Krevolin