This was one of my on again-off again projects, starting in spring of 1990 when Sammy passed away. As editor of a major black newspaper in Milwaukee I received a lot of mail, tickets, passes - and books. I received a book by Miles Davis and that book inspired me so even though Sammy had just passed away, I wondered why Sammy was so anglicized, so assimilated - so "tommish." Miles was the polar opposite and under another cover I deal with his politics, polish and pro-black stance. Sammy was another issue. I sit down to write and find myself hurling insults that were rooted in truth. But at the same time I was looking at the product and not the process that created this brutha. I also realized that there are thousands of black people out there seeking "success" and are willing to do anything to achieve it. Sammy was the extreme. In this book I refer to Sammy as a "gungamima," a gender-neutral term that I created which refers to a sellout. It is a combination of the name of the Indian traitor Gunga Din who sold his people out to the British and of course Aunt Jemima, the caricature of black women. Combined, we have "Gungamima." The thrust of the book is the impact that "role conflict" has on black people when they attempt to live in two worlds and/or crave inclusion in an alien one. I discuss role strain and also the impact that "conspicuous consumption" has on black people once we achieve monetary security: jewelry, clothing, high-end cars and homes out in communities that don't want us. All of this contributes to role conflict akin to that which I allege Sammy was vulnerable to and a victim of. I deal with a great deal of Sammy's life, from his respect after his car accident where he lost an eye to his short stint in the military, to his growing up as part of the Will Mastin Trio. His obsession with wanting to be liked and seeking to imitate white Hollywood stars followed him as he grew up and began structural, marital and cultural assimilation. He converted to Judaism, married a white woman, and surrounded himself with every status symbol that was on the market. Sammy's relationship with Kim Novak almost got him killed by some Mafioso type and his constant tagging along with the "Rat Pack" led to other problems. I deal with his children, Tracey, Mark and Jeff - all of whom also suffer from role conflict. Another adopted child, this one by Altovise his last wife, ended up with what little was left of Sammy's estate. When he died he was bankrupt and owed the IRS over seven million dollars. I deal with Sammy's involvement in various types of politics, from his love of the Kennedy's to his brief encounter with some Black Power types who hit him up for money. The civil rights movement also benefited from leeching from Sammy and in turn giving him awards he didn't deserve.
About the Author: Matthew C. Stelly is a doctoral student at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee working on a degree in Urban Education and Community Policy. He holds three Master's degrees: Urban Studies (1982), Urban Education (1983) and Political Science (2000). He is working toward his doctorate in Community Policy/Urban Education at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. He is the former editor of the Milwaukee Courier newspaper, former director of the Great Plains Black Museum and the Plano (TX) African American Museum, and lead archivist for The Black Academy of Arts and Letters (TBAAL) in Dallas, Texas. Stelly has more than 2,500 articles in print and has won two national essay competitions. He is the founding director of the largest African-American neighborhood group in Nebraska, the Triple One Neighborhood Association and Parents Union. He is publisher and editor of the Triple One News, a two-time nationally recognized newsletter. He is the father of five children - Mandla, Malik, Clariece, Charisse and Shannon -- and remains actively involved in community organizing and neighborhood development in several cities, including Milwaukee and Omaha.