Black Recreation: A Historical Perspective. Holland, Jearold W. (2002)

Black Recreation: A Historical Perspective. Holland, Jearold W. (2002). Chicago, IL: Burnham Inc., Publishers.Reviewed by Corliss Wilson OutleyDivision of Recreation and Sport StudiesUniversity of MinnesotaMinneapolis, MNIn Black Recreation, Jearold Holland presents, describes and explains the influence of recreation on Black culture and how Black recreation has influenced American culture from before slavery to the present. Dr. Holland's' introduction reveals that his initial premise was to provide a text that could historically document blacks and their leisure experiences in the U.S. He proclaims that the book "will show that blacks, contrary to some myths, have never had a chaotic culture; that play, recreation, and leisure were important and significant in the black experience; and that blacks contributed significantly to white recreation and leisure." Other scholars have failed when attempting to illustrate the influence leisure has had on Blacks and how black recreation has influenced other groups' leisure as well. Holland succeeds in this challenge by producing a text that will be useful for introductory classes, as well as a good starting point for classes on leisure/recreation and diversity. Dr. Holland provides simplicity in reading that will appeal to not only those within academe but practitioners as well. The book contains 11 chapters and explores a wide array of topics including the major theories utilized to explain black participation in recreation, leisure and recreation of African cultures before being brought to America, recreation while in slavery until the reconstruction period, leisure for Blacks under the Jim Crow era, the impact of Civil Rights legislation on Black recreation and current issues.In the Prologue, Holland provides an overview and critical analysis of the conceptual foundations of various terms: race, culture, play, recreation, and leisure. This chapter also introduces the role of leisure in Black culture and provides an overview of the major theories regarding Black and White recreation participation differences. Chapter 1 provides an overview of Black culture prior to the enslavement of Blacks in America. Holland describes many colonial African tribal leisure activities and their importance to African culture-specifically, music, dance and storytelling. He also provides insight into the sociological and anthropological challenges regarding myths and misconceptions of the African people. In Chapter 2, Holland continues to present historical data as he describes the slave trade, the impact seasoning (process where blacks were trained for the customs of slavery which, in some instances, took up to 2 to 3 years) had on the retention of African culture and leisure activities, and the role of the slave auction. Holland describes the slave auction as possibly the first time in history where Blacks influenced White recreation. Whites would travel great distances for the arrival of the slave ships and would engage in drinking, socializing, gambling before, during, and after the exhibition of the slaves. The slave auction, Holland asserts, served as a backdrop for whites to engage in leisure. Chapter 3 continues with an overview of slavery and the black recreation experience by describing slave life on the plantation during the antebellum period. Among the discussion introduced in this chapter are the recreation experiences of slaves, free blacks, and whites. This chapter provides outstanding examples for each of these groups and has an appendix that will be a valuable reference source.Chapter 4 through 9 shifts gears slightly as Holland begins to explore the Black recreation experience between the end of slavery and the 1954 Brown vs. Board of Education decision. Chapter 4 introduces how America legitimized and limited the leisure opportunities of the newly freed slaves during the Reconstruction period. Specifically, Holland introduces how Black Codes, the rise of the Klu Klux Klan, lack of employment, and the mass exodus of Blacks from the South to the North impacted Black recreation. …