The Patronesses

Where did the idea for "Cuba" come from? We will never know for certain, but it was organized by a group of remarkable black women from St. Paul and Minneapolis. These women were the "active patronesses," who did the organizing legwork for the event. There was also a group of upper class white women who provided financial support, referred to as "honorary patronesses."

This section of the site explores who these "active patronesses" were. What was their community like? What did it mean to be a member of the black upper/middle class in 1898? Most of them were married to men who worked in semi-skilled professions as waiters, cooks, porters, janitors, and clerks. Were they still middle class? These were jobs that may not have been considered middle class work for whites. What are the implications of this?

Questions to consider

Why would these women want to organize a pageant celebrating the independence of Cuba? Why Cuba in particular?

Why was a group of women organizing the event, and not men?

What were these women hoping to accomplish through this event?

What would you do in their shoes? How would you go about organizing an event like "Cuba"? Reflect on this as you read through the sub pages; does your answer change after learning more about the social environment of the Patronesses?

Get going

Black St. Paul: A History

How did the Patroness's community develop? Click here to learn about the history of St. Paul and its black community.

Explore Rondo in 1898

Where did the Patronesses live? What does their community look like today? Click here to explore the Rondo neighborhood.

African American Elites

What did it mean to be middle or upper class as an African American? Click here to learn about the social strata of the Patronesses.

Fredrick McGhee

Fredrick McGhee was a pillar of St. Paul's black community. He performed in "Cuba" and his wife was a patroness. Click here to learn about his extraordinary life.

Important concepts

This section explores some of the historical concepts associated with "Cuba." These concepts can be difficult to grasp, so here is a brief introduction to them:

Performance: Performance is more than a theatrical concept; all of us "perform" things all of the time. When we are in different situations, we behave in different ways. Think about the way you behave in class, versus when you're out with friends, versus when you're with your family. In each of these situations, you perform a difference version of yourself, even though these differences may be very subtle. Performance also applies to groups of people; people within a certain group might present themselves differently to other members of this group than they would to people outside of this group.

Genteel performance is a concept I use to describe how socioeconomic class is performed among upper and middle class African Americans. The term is mine but the concept is taken from other historians. Genteel performance refers to a set of behaviors that allow people to perform upper/middle class status, even if they lack the material wealth normally associated with the upper classes.

Double Consciousness: This is a concept first used by black intellectual W.E.B. DuBois. It refers to how African Americans have two consciousnesses: one of being black, and one of how their blackness is perceived by the dominant white world. This is not an easy concept to grasp, but it is deeply explored throughout this site in a variety of circumstances.