Black No More · Chapters
Chapters explained
Chapter companions for Black No More by George Schuyler.
Chapter 1
Dedication
The dedication page satirically addresses white Americans who claim pure Caucasian ancestry, mocking the idea of racial purity and the obsession with genealogical whiteness.
Chapter 2
Black No More
The opening chapter of Black No More introduces the central premise of the novel: the founding of Black-No-More, Inc., a scientific enterprise that promises to turn Black Americans white. The narrative begins on New Year's Eve, where Max Disher, a Black man, is rejected by a white woman, Helen Givens, in a Harlem nightclub. This rejection fuels his desire to undergo the treatment. The chapter also introduces Dr. Junius Crookman, the inventor of the process, and establishes the initial social and economic reactions to the procedure, including the panic among Black leaders and the opportunistic responses of white supremacist groups.
Chapter 3
I
Dr. Junius Crookman announces his discovery of a treatment that can turn Black people white, causing a sensation in Harlem. Max Disher, eager to become white to pursue a blonde woman he met in Atlanta, volunteers to be the first patient. The chapter details the scientific explanation, the business setup of Black-No-More, Inc., and Max's transformation.
Chapter 4
Chapter II
Max Disher, now white, enjoys his first night out with Sybil Smith, a reporter, but finds the white entertainment scene dull compared to Harlem. He returns to Harlem to retrieve his belongings, reunites with his friend Bunny Brown, and decides to head to Atlanta to pursue Helen Givens. He sells his story to The Scimitar, experiences the freedom of being white, and prepares for his new life.
Chapter 5
Chapter III
The chapter depicts the impact of Black-No-More, Inc. on Harlem's black community, focusing on Madame Sisseretta Blandish's declining hair-straightening business as customers abandon her for the treatment. It also shows Dr. Junius Crookman's exhaustion and his wife's concern, highlighting the societal upheaval as African Americans leave their racial identity behind.
Chapter 6
Chapter IV: The Knights of Nordica
Matthew Fisher, now passing as white, arrives in Atlanta and learns of the Knights of Nordica, a new racist organization founded by Rev. Henry Givens. Seeing an opportunity for financial gain, Matthew presents himself as an anthropologist from New York and offers his services to Givens, who eagerly accepts. Matthew plans to use the organization as a stepping stone to wealth, while Givens hopes to revive his former Klan-like influence and fill his pockets with membership fees.
Chapter 7
V
The chapter describes the crisis faced by the National Social Equality League and other Negro organizations as Black-No-More, Inc. rapidly turns African Americans into whites, causing a decline in membership, funding, and support. Leaders gather for a conference to address the situation, with various figures like Dr. Beard, Mr. Williams, Rev. Gronne, Colonel Roberts, and others lamenting the loss of race solidarity and economic impact on their institutions and businesses. The chapter also highlights the broader social and economic upheaval as Negroes migrate to sanitariums, leaving behind traditional communities and livelihoods.
Chapter 8
VI
Matthew Fisher, now Grand Exalted Giraw of the Knights of Nordica, marries Helen Givens on Easter Sunday, 1934. He uses his position to extort money from Southern businessmen by playing on fears of radicalism and racial impurity, while also profiting from the panic over white women giving birth to black babies. Bunny Brown returns from a failed mission to recruit Negro leaders, and the chapter highlights the growing hysteria and the commodification of whiteness.
Chapter 9
Chapter VII: The Strike-Breaking in Paradise
Grand Exalted Giraw Matthew Fisher learns of a planned strike at the Paradise Mill in South Carolina. He flies there with Bunny Brown and extorts $15,000 from the German owners, Blickdoff and Hortzenboff, by threatening to use the Knights of Nordica to support the workers. He then addresses a mass meeting, inciting racial suspicion by suggesting Black-No-More converts might be among them. Back in Atlanta, he sends secret operatives to discredit the strike leaders by spreading rumors of Negro ancestry. The workers, terrified of black blood, abandon the strike. Outside labor organizers are also driven away by similar rumors. The mill owners, on federal advice, build recreational facilities to appease the workers, and the strike is broken.
Chapter 10
Chapter VIII: The Political Maneuvering
Two years after Black-No-More, Inc. began its operations, the Negro population has been nearly eliminated, causing economic and social upheaval in the South. The political landscape is shifting, with Republicans making inroads and fears of socialism rising. Senator Rufus Kretin of Georgia visits the Knights of Nordica to seek help in maintaining Democratic control. Matthew Fisher, now a key figure in the organization, plans to use the 'Negro problem' as a political tool despite its seeming obsolescence. Meanwhile, Matthew is troubled by his wife Helen's pregnancy, fearing the child will be black. Bunny Brown devises a plan to help, which involves seeking out Dr. Joseph Bonds, now a waiter in a café, to potentially assist in the scheme.
Chapter 11
Chapter IX: The Political Proposition
Matthew Fisher outlines a political strategy to use the Knights of Nordica and the Anglo-Saxon Association to win the presidency. They plan to use radio broadcasts, propaganda, and a genealogical law to gain power. The chapter includes a radio program featuring a song 'Vanishing Mammy,' and the formation of a commission to investigate Black-No-More, which ultimately produces a report that is largely ignored.
Chapter 12
Chapter X
As the presidential election approaches, the political climate becomes intensely bitter, dividing families and the nation over racial purity. The Democrats, led by Matthew Fisher, scheme to use Dr. Buggerie's genealogical research to expose hidden non-white ancestry in the population, hoping to secure a landslide victory. Meanwhile, the Republicans, desperate and disorganized, seek any countermeasure. A violent mob attack on a Black-No-More hospital in Cincinnati, incited by inflammatory rhetoric, shocks the nation and shifts public sentiment. In a backroom deal, Matthew forces the Democratic convention to nominate Rev. Henry Givens for President and Arthur Snobbcraft for Vice-President. The Republicans renominate President Goosie. As the campaign heats up, Republican operative Walter Williams visits Dr. Beard in Richmond, who reveals the explosive nature of the genealogical data being compiled by the Anglo-Saxon Association, hinting at a potential scandal that could change the race's outcome.
Chapter 13
Chapter XI: The Perilous Truth
As the presidential election approaches, Arthur Snobbcraft hosts a pre-election party, but his celebration is interrupted by Dr. Buggerie's alarming discovery: the Anglo-Saxon Association's genealogical research reveals that most Americans, including the nation's elite, have mixed-race ancestry. Buggerie insists the data must be suppressed to avoid scandal. Meanwhile, Matthew Fisher confides in Bunny Brown about his wife Helen's pregnancy, which threatens to expose his true identity. Bunny advises Matthew to prepare an escape plan, as the birth of a black child would ruin his political ambitions.
Chapter 14
Chapter XII: The Flight
On the eve of the election, Matthew Fisher and Bunny Brown await the birth of Matthew's child. The baby is born very dark, revealing Matthew's African ancestry. Simultaneously, a newspaper exposes Democratic leaders, including Givens, Snobbcraft, Buggerie, and Kretin, as having Negro ancestry. Matthew, Bunny, Helen, and the Givens flee to Mexico to escape the fallout.
Chapter 15
Chapter XIII
The chapter satirizes the reversal of racial norms as America becomes 'mulatto-minded,' with white people seeking darker skin through stains and tans. Meanwhile, in Happy Hill, a new religious cult led by Rev. Alex McPhule thrives on the absence of Black people, culminating in a brutal lynching of two white men mistaken for Negroes. The chapter also details Dr. Crookman's monograph revealing that new Caucasians are lighter than old ones, causing a societal panic and the rise of anti-white-prejudice movements.
