[ARETE] Jordan Beamer

[Duncan Jamieson]

Attached and below is her review of Fred Engh, *Matchsticks.*
Thanks
Duncan

*Matchsticks: An Education in Black and White *is a snapshot of 1960s
Maryland and an American society that was still heavily segregated. In
recounting his journey of pursuing an education and joining the golf team
at an all-Black institution, Fred Engh admits his intentions were never to
make a statement, but to make something of himself for his wife and
family.  As the founder of the National Alliance for Youth Sports (NAYS),
Engh attributes his non-profit work to the influence of his schooling for a
degree in Physical Education. Through his experience as the only white
student at Maryland State College, Engh not only witnessed racism and
insensitivity in the culture surrounding him, but was forced to confront
his own ideologies and misconceptions.
Engh's short yet powerful memoir highlights important moments in America's
history of Civil Rights, leading up to the recent events of 2020 involving
police brutality, recession, and major political milestones. This book
provides more than a story of a white man learning to see beyond his own
perspective, it also portrays the longevity of racial injustice by peeling
back the layers of overt and implicit racism, exposing the systemic flaws
within American society. By putting himself in multiple situations where he
was the only white man, Engh was able to catch a small glimpse of the
historic struggles and mistreatments of African Americans; however, through
his growing companionships with classmates and teammates, he begins to
confront his own privilege and imagine how he can contribute to a better
future.
As he writes so eloquently, "And when I decided to go to a segregated
college, I did it so I could get ahead in my life, not to break any sort of
barriers. What I did not expect to see was how my attitude of doing nothing
was no better than overt racism- and that was an education that has shaped
the direction of my life ever since." Though imperfect at times in his
journey of understanding, Fred Engh presents an honest portrayal of the
potential to change the hearts and minds of people subscribed or apathetic
to America's systemic racism, beginning with empathy born from human
connection.
Remember to smell the roses as you recumber past

Duncan R. Jamieson, Ph. D.
Professor of History
Book Review Editor
*AETHLON: The Journal of Sport Literature*
Ashland University
Ashland, OH  44805
USA
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