Friday, January 18, 2019

Dr. Raymond G. Dobard (1947-2019)

Dr. Raymond G. Dobard, quilter, historian, Howard University professor and co-author of the best selling and influential book Hidden in Plain View: A Secret Story of Quilts and the Underground Railroad, has passed. Dr. Dobard was a professor of art at Howard University for 35 years and retired in 2010.  I remember his kindness when I visited his office at the School of Fine Arts there with notes I was gathering for what would become my book, Black Threads. Later we spoke on a panel in DC for a National Parks Service event. I marveled at his beautiful quilting. We've lost an important quilting soul.

You can read more about Dr. Dobard at Legacy.com. Hear him speak about Hidden in Plain View on these C-span videosEnjoy.

14 comments:

karen simpson said...

So sad to hear this

Unknown said...

Very sad to hear this. Thank you for documenting our history.

Mageleus said...

It's sad to hear that. But now I want to read his book :(
Unfortunately, I do not read books so often, but I found interesting books here https://bookkooks.com/best-books-2018/ where there are incredible books that became bessellers!

على جمال said...


شركة رش مبيدات بالرياض
شركة مكافحة النمل الابيض بالرياض
شركة مكافحة الفئران بالرياض
شركة مكافحة النمل الاسود بالرياض
شركة مكافحة الصراصير بالرياض
شركة مكافحة بق الفراش بالرياض
افضل شركة مكافحة حشرات بالرياض
شركة مكافحة الحمام بالرياض

VISIT US said...

I want to to thank you for this great read!! I certainly enjoyed every little bit of it. I have you bookmarked to check out new stuff you post…

야설
대딸방
스포츠마사지
출장마사지
카지노사이트

casinosite24.com said...

Very nice article and straight to the point. I don't know if this is truly the best place to ask but do you folks have any idea where to get some professional writers? Thank you. Feel free to visit my website;

카지노사이트

casinositezone.com said...

You make so many great points here that I read your article a couple of times. Your views are in accordance with my own for the most part. This is great content for your readers. Feel free to visit my website;

토토사이트

abbeyiacovelli said...

Casino Slot Machines and Casinos Near Me - MapyRO
Find 대구광역 출장안마 Casino Slot Machines and Casinos Near you from $18 at MapyRO. 김포 출장샵 Casino Slot Machines and Casinos 김천 출장마사지 Near 김해 출장안마 Me - MapyRO. Casino Slot Machines and Casinos 태백 출장샵 Near Me - MapyRO.

racesite.pro said...

Very nice article. I absolutely love this website. Thanks! 온라인경마

raj biswas said...


That is a great tip particularly to those new to the blogosphere.
Simple but very accurate info? Thank you for sharing this one.
A must read post!
Appreciating the hard work you put into your site and detailed information you present.
Wonderful read!
english stories english short stories with moral value What is the factorial of 100

oncasino said...

oncasino

카지노사이트^ said...

It's really great. Thank you for providing a quality article. There is something you might be interested in. Do you know 카지노사이트 ? If you have more questions, please come to my site and check it out!

Niki D said...

Bless you for educating us about Dr Raymond Dobar. I just learned of him from an article about his book you mentioned, "Hidden in Plain View: A Secret Story of Quilts and the Underground Railroad. I did not know he was deceased. I am heartbroken to learn that. Bless you for keeping his work alive and for updating us.

Anonymous said...

As a fine arts professor, Dr. Dobard was not of course qualified as a historian generally, and in his publications and lectures it's obvious just how far he overstepped in supposing that the Afro symbol/Griot weaving tradition survived into the 1800s to be used in the "Underground Railroad" as practiced in the United States. He in fact has never provided documentation of beyond oral tradition, and that oral tradition originating from one extended family three generations past slavery times. In fact hundreds of former slaves had been documented with interviews regarding their experience during slavery times, including testimony about the methods and codes used in the underground railroad -- yet not one of those documented and verified accounts had even vaguely referenced that visual symbols woven into quilts were commonly understood among slaves to be directions on the underground railroad.

Still, as talking points, the slave message quilt myth has generated much interest in underground railroad history generally, even while disregarding the actual intelligence and cleverness that freedom-seekers were capable of -- they employing far more sophisticated methods and codes compared to simple pictographs in quilts (so simple that obviously, slavecatchers would have quickly caught on to it and rendered it ineffective).