The Garies and Their Friends

Content Warning: This section refers to enslavement, racism, racist violence, discrimination, murder and death, and alcohol addiction.

In The Garies and Their Friends, author Frank J. Webb portrays different forms of solidarity and resistance within Black communities. These demonstrations of fortitude emanate primarily from the domestic sphere. One form of resistance is shown in the joy, humor, and play that Black characters, particularly Charlie and Kinch, engage in. Women additionally play an important role as sources of support, as shown by the characters of Esther, Caddy, and Aunt Comfort. Webb portrays more direct forms of solidarity and resistance when the community bands together for protection during the mob attack.

Given the oppression and racism that Black people throughout the United States faced during the mid-19th century, one might expect these characters to be bitter, angry, and resigned. Instead, the Ellis family and their friends embrace joy and humor. Charlie, for example, acts as a typical small boy and enjoys spending time with his comical sidekick, Kinch. He has “a thorough boy’s fondness for play” that flies in the face of the rigid expectations on Black boys of this time period—that they act in servitude to white people—and acts as a form of resistance (17).