juneTeenth (june 19th) 2008 – Celebrations!

QuickFacts! History­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­________________________________________

Juneteenth also known as Emancipation Day and Freedom Day

Originated in Galveston, Texas

Observed in 29 American States and the District of Columbia (Washington, DC) as a National Holiday

Although the Emancipation Proclamation was issued September 22, 1862 , which became effective January 1, 1863, most slaves were unaware of this government order until Union General Gordon Granger and some 2,000 federal troupes enforced the Emancipation and occupied the confederate state of Texas in Galveston ,

The people of Texas are informed that, in accordance with a proclamation from the Executive of the United States, all slaves are free. This involves an absolute equality of personal rights and rights of property between former masters and slaves, and the connection heretofore existing between them becomes that between employer and hired labor. The freedmen are advised to remain quietly at their present homes and work for wages. They are informed that they will not be allowed to collect at military posts and that they will not be supported in idleness either there or elsewhere.^[8]

Juneteenth is celebrated by African Americans on June 19^th annually

Events__________________________________________________________

Juneteenth and African American Heritage Festivals 2008

National Juneteenth Observance Foundation Washington, DC–Host of the annual Washington Juneteenth National Holiday Observance.

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15-18 June-08 – FESTIVAL — AFRICAN AMERICAN CIVIL WAR MEMORIAL 10TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION

Celebrate with us!!! The 10th Anniversary Celebration of the Unveiling of the Spirit of Freedom Memorial, designed by sculptor, Ed Hamilton. Now a national monument, located at 10th & U Streets, NW, Washington, DC, erected via hard work by the work of Councilman Frank Smith, staff and the board of directors of the African American Civil War Memorial Freedom Foundation, we invite the public to Save-The-Date and mark YOUR calendar! Thousands of Descendants of the 209,145 U.S. Colored Troops who fought during the American Civil War will descend on the Nation’s Capital July 16 - 18, 2008! Call 202-667-2667 or e-mail to info@afroamcivilwar.org. Tuesday, July 15, 2008 – Friday, July 18, 2008. 10th & U Streets, NW, Washington, DC Washington Convention Center, 801 Mt. Vernon Place, NW Washington, DC. For more info visit <http://www.afroamcivilwar.org>.

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20-21 June -08 – FESTIVAL — Juneteenth, A Freedom Celebration featuring Dead Prez!

804-644-3900***PLEASE NOTE***DEAD PREZ CONCERT RELOCATED TO…HYPERLINK CAFÉ, 814 WEST GRACE STREET, RICHMOND, VA 23220, CALL ELEGBA FOLKLORE SOCIETY FOR DETAILS: 804.644.3900 SEE YOU THIS WEEKEND!

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20-22 June-08 — PLAY — Alexandria Black History Museum — “RUNNING SCARED, RUNNING FREE”

The spirit of Juneteenth is honored with this special presentation of “Running Scared, Running Free,” an inspiring, and at times harrowing, story set in the year 1850, the year the Fugitive Slave Act was imposed. Three separate stories are dramatically intertwined in this award-winning suspenseful presentation. Meet Dorcas, a quick-witted runaway slave from South Carolina; Tempie, the “conductor” of a safe house on the Underground Railroad; and Tobias Brunt, a ruthless bounty hunter, determined to capture Dorcas and return her back to her plantation owner. Reserve your tickets now order them online at the “Shop” at www.alexblackhistory.org
Showtimes: Friday, June 20, 2008 (8:00 PM-9:00 PM) Saturday, June 21, 2008 (2:00 PM-3:00 PM) Saturday, June 21, 2008 (8:00 PM-9:00 PM) Sunday, June 22, 2008 (2:00 PM-3:00 PM)

Cost: $10.00 / (703) 838-4356. Friday, June 20, 2008, 8:00 PM – Sunday, June 22, 2008, 3:00 PM.
Venue: Alexandria Black History Museum, 902 Wythe Street, Alexandria, VA 22314.
Website: For more info visit <http://www.alexblackhistory.org>.

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21 June-08 – FESTIVAL — NEWPORT NEWS 4TH ANNUAL JUNETEENTH CELEBRATION

The Emancipation Proclamation….and then, there was Juneteenth. Do you know about Juneteenth? Juneteenth is an exciting celebration that commemorates the ending of slavery and brings families, neighbors, and friends together to recognize the contributions that African-Americans have made to American history and to our community. The theme is “Unity in the Community.” The 4th Annual Juneteenth Celebration is sponsored by the James A. Fields House and includes food vendors, live entertainment, exhibitors and craft and trade vendors. Free! / (757) 245-1991. Saturday, June 21, 2008, 12:00 PM – 4:00 PM. Newport News Farmers Market, 2801 Jefferson Avenue, Newport News, VA.

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21 June-08 – FESTIVAL — ST. MARY’S JUNETEENTH AFRICAN AMERICAN CELEBRATION featuring SHANG & SPUR OF THE MOMENT

Join us for Juneteenth, a celebration of freedom held at the African-American Monument. This event is a celebration of African American Heritage. Featuring Jazz with Shang & Spur of the Moment, Juneteenth essay contest, Gospel singing, African Dance and Drumming, exhibits, poetry slam, food, vendors, children’s games and activities, Minority Outreach Coalition Mini-Health Fair and more! Free! / (301) 475-1861. Saturday, June 21, 2008, 12:00 PM. Freedom Park, Intersection of Route 235 & Tulagi Place, Lexington Park, MD. For more info visit <http://www.ucaconline.org>.

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21 June-08 – FESTIVAL — Juneteenth Genealogical Seminar “Footprints and Roots”- Suitland, Maryland

On Saturday, June 21 9:00AM-4:00PM, the Prince George’s County, Maryland Chapter of AAHGS will partner with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Suitland Ward and the Prince George’s County Historical Society to present our third annual Juneteenth Genealogical Seminar, “Footprints and Roots.” The keynote speaker will be Dr. Sandra Jowers-Barber, Professor of History at the University of the District of Columbia.

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26 June-08 – FESTIVAL — ALEXANDRIA AFRICAN HERITAGE & CULTURAL FESTIVAL

The reinvigorated Alexandria Heritage Cultural Festival celebrates the cultural diversity of Alexandria. The 2008 theme is “Reaching Back Moving Forward: From Africa to America.” Festival goers will be entertained, educated and inspired as the City explores the African culture and its influence. The festival features food, arts & crafts, and live performances. For additional information call the Events Hotline at 703.883.4686 or the Special Events Office at 703.838.4844. Free! http://www.alexandriava.gov/recreation/info/default.aspx?id=12678. Date: Saturday, July 26, 2008, 1:00 PM – 7:00 PM. Market Square, 301 King Street, Alexandria, VA. For more info visit <http://www.alexandriava.gov>.

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27 June -08 – FESTIVAL — BALTIMORE AFRICAN-AMERICAN HERITAGE FESTIVAL 2008

The Heritage Festival is a family celebration of African American history, culture, art, music and education. In addition to offering a variety of foods, art displays, carnival rides and extensive health screenings the festival is proud to feature a comprehensive eclectic range of music on two stages including: reggae, soul, jazz, rhythm and blues, and gospel enticing for all ages. Attracting over three million people in six years, the African American Heritage Festival is proud to be the premier festival in the Mid-Atlantic region. While the festival celebrates the historic contributions of African Americans, visitors to the event, regardless of ethnicity, will enjoy a unique cultural experience. The 2008 lineup features Fantasia, Mario, Chuck Brown, Fertile Ground, Heaven 600 Gospel showcase, Kindred & Family Soul, Bilal, Eric Roberson, and more! Free! / (410) 340-6966. Friday, June 27, 2008, 5:00 PM – Sunday, June 29, 2008, 8:00 PM. M & T Bank Stadium Parking Lots B and C, 1101 Russell Street, Baltimore MD. For more info visit <www.aahf.net>.

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27 June -08 – FESTIVAL — FAYETTE AREA HISTORICAL INITIATIVE (FAHI) ANNUAL JUNE FESTIVAL

The 4th Annual June Festival which includes a Business Boot Camp and Cultural Sharing Festival. This year’s event will feature Blues entertainers, various workshops and lectures on African American history, education, economic development, the criminal justice system and health issues. The two day event begins Friday morning with the FAHI Business Boot Camp - Economic Development and tools for success in business. Topics will include; Writing an Effective Business Plan, Financing Your Business and Tourism and Small Business. The Saturday Festival will feature motivational speakers, crafts, gospel, blues and jazz music, the spoken word, educational programs, food and other interesting things. Free! / (276) 732-3496. Friday, June 27, 2008, 9:00 AM – Saturday, June 28, 2008, 4:00 PM. Fayette Street Historic District, Corner of Fayette and Market Streets, Martinsville, VA 24112. For more info visit <http://www.aaheritageva.org>.

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27 June -08 – FESTIVAL — HAMPTON AFRIKAN AMERICAN FESTIVAL

An outdoor, non-alcoholic, family-oriented event that features nonstop entertainment. A marketplace with over 70 vendors displaying and selling their art, crafts, plus live entertainment throughout the day. Food vendors serving up ethnic favorites! Time: Fri ~ 4:30 pm to 10:00 pm Sat ~ 11:00 am to 10:00 pm Sun ~ 12:00 pm to 7:00 pm Free! / (757) 727-8311. Friday, June 27, 2008, 4:30 PM – Sunday, June 29, 2008, 7:00 PM. Mill Point Park, Eaton Street, Hampton, VA 23669. For more info visit <http://www.hampton.gov>.

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2 August- 2008 – FESTIVAL — MANASSAS AFRICAN AMERICAN HERITAGE FESTIVAL

For the past 18 years, the first Saturday in August has marked the African American Culture Arts Festival in Prince William County. Over the years the festival has grown to include more than 125 exhibitors, including arts and crafts dealers, retailers of African Wares, youth groups, colleges and school exhibits, Health Fair, Business and Job Expos, Classic Car Show and great food vendors. Free! / 703-369-2475. Saturday, August 2, 2008, 12:00 PM – 6:00 PM. Grace Metz Middle School, 9950 Wellington Road, Manassas, VA. For more info visit <http://www.maahf.com>.

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2 August- 2008 – FESTIVAL — ACANA AFRICAN FESTIVAL

New this year to the multicultural series is the ACANA (African Cultural Alliance of North America) African Festival. This series continues to celebrate the diverse cultures which make Philadelphia unique city. Supporting the region’s diversity has been a longstanding goal for PECO, who has sponsored the multicultural festivals at Penn’s Landing for the past twelve years. Free! /215-928-8801. Saturday, August 2, 2008, 12:00 PM – 8:00 PM. Penn’s Landing Great Plaza, Columbus Blvd. at Market Street, Philadelphia, PA 19106. For more info visit <http://pennslandingcorp.com>.

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8 August- 2008 – FESTIVAL — EASTERN SHORE AFRAM 10^th Annual FESTIVAL

Join us for the 10th annual Eastern Shore AFRAM Festival! This year’s theme, “Cherish the Family…Honor the Village” reflects our commitment to our community and highlights the contributions of those who strengthen “the village”. This festival provides time for our community to come together on August 10th and 11th and experience AFRAM’s rich cultural and historic legacy - while embracing Unity, Success, Diversity and Pride. Enjoy the sounds of Motown, Reggae, Gospel, Hip-hop, R&B, Steel “Pans” and more…in the sun or shade! Plus food, vendors and more! This will be a two-day cultural extravaganza you don’t want to miss. Once you experience this extraordinary celebration you will find it memorable. So mark you calendar and plan to this year’s festival. It’s free and filled with fun for the entire family. AFRAM’s Highlights are: Parade/Vendors/Pageant/Ethnic Food/Cultural Displays Jazz/Gospel Hour/Reggae/Motown/R&B/Hip-hop/African Dance/Talent Show/Children’s Events/Basketball Contest. Info: 302-6… Friday, August 8, 2008, 5:00 PM – Saturday, August 9, 2008, 8:00 PM. Nutter Park, Collins Avenue, Seaford, DE 19973.

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9 August- 2008 – FESTIVAL — KUNTA KINTE HERITAGE FESTIVAL

This annual event raises an awareness of the African-American heritage and the common challenges encountered by all ethnic groups striving to preserve their culture. This year’s festival will continue with the tradition of providing a variety of entertainers performing on the main stage and in the dining tent. Entertainers performing will include an annual crowd favorite, the Sankofa Dancers. Performances on the main stage will represent a good blend of dance and music including Contemporary R&B, Jazz and Jazz Fusion, Calypso, Gospel and 50’s do-wop. Cost: $8.00 adults / 410-349-0338 or visit <http://www.kuntakinte.org>. Saturday, August 9, 2008 – Sunday, August 10, 2008. Anne Arundel County Fairgrounds on Route 178 (General’s Highway), Crownsville, MD.

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9 August- 2008 – FESTIVAL — FESTAFRICA 2008

The festival will feature musical performances by local African bands and artists, cultural dances, fashion shows, art & craft exhibits, African foods, a variety of vendors and a children’s area with games, hands-on activities and storytelling plus Fashion shows, artists, poets, and comedians. (Formerly NaijaFest). Cost: $5.00 / (410) 608-0420. Saturday, August 9, 2008, 12:00 PM – Sunday, August 10, 2008, 8:00 PM. Patterson Park at Linwood and Eastern Avenues, Baltimore, MD. For more info visit <http://www.festafricausa.com>.

Helpful Links

The Truth about Juneteenth: NPR Radio Online <http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=91633172.>

juneteenth.com <http://www.juneteenth.com/>.

Junteenth us <http://www.juneteenth.us/.>

by daria nefertiye giraud takharu | (c) 2008. my face in history PROJECT | events

 

Frederick Douglass Narrative, Chapter 3

All the white males had the privilege of whipping any slave at any time. Colonel Lloyd’s Great Farm House was located in Talbot County, Maryland near Baltimore, Easton, and Annapolis and was the center of all the overseers and many other farms in that area. It was a very beautiful place, everything was new, and the gardens the stables were the best in the all the towns. The slaves would fight each other to tell who had the best master and the winner was thought to be the same as his master, the greatest.

“They seemed to think that the greatness of their masters was transferable to themselves”

They would rather be with a rich white man who beat them then a poor white man who beat them. Old Barney and Young Barney had a horrible job taking care of the horses. If the Colonel, his sons, nephews, or his son-in-laws thought the horses were not kept to perfection; either feeling the horses didn’t eat enough, kept their head high enough, weren’t brushed, were too hot or too cold, or too fast or too slow, then Old Barney who was over 60 years old would be beaten on his head even for his son’s accounts. Even if it wasn’t true! They had no right to speak out on their behalf or out of term to a white man. They had to stand, look down and tremble with fear.

When Colonel Lloyd met one of his slaves on the road one day, he asked the slave who he had neither met and tricked the slave to telling him how he felt about his life and condition on the plantation. They had never seen one another since Colonel Lloyd had over a thousand slaves. The slave spoke freely and honestly. The Colonel asked questions about his slave’s food, and his life. The slave was honest saying the Master was not a good one but that he had been given enough food. The next day the slave was never seen again. Rumors say he was chained from wrist to neck and sent to Georgia where he was treated worse than ever. (Darian Smith, Eric Smith)

So the slaves learned that they couldn’t speak the truth about their lives or their master’s brutality. This was a means of survival on the plantation and in the South where slavery flourished. (Daria Takharu)

 

Frederick Douglass Narrative, Chapter 2

At this time Frederick was about seven years old and he was just getting used to a slave plantation. He wasn’t used to the children having more than two pieces of clothing a year. He was not used to the cruel overseer named Mr. Severe for his severe whipping of the slaves. He died quickly and mysteriously. Me and my mother believed he was murdered somehow and deserved it for being so cruel, but I also believe that he deserved to die quickly because of his harsh and cruel way of taking care of slaves and all his anger and aggression and evil. Me and my mom’s point of view is that if he is that angry he would die young. During all the whippings, hardships and torture, the slaves made themselves happy by singing, by taking their poor souls and trying to get a joyful expression on their face. But in my opinion, I believe that one of the songs was not sung to make joy in the heart of the slaves for it was stupid and didn’t make much sense.

“I am going away to the Great House Farm! O, yea! O, yea! O!”

This song not only offends and disgusts me, but if you ever watch Bringing Down the House with Queen Latifah, there is a scene at the dinner table, their dinner guest being served by Queen Latifah in a maid uniform, begins to reminisce on her childhood plantation life singing, “Is Massa, gonna sell me tomorrow? Yes, Yes, Yes! Is Massa gonna sell me, yes, yes, yes”.

The slaves thought that being in the Great House Farm was be better than being in the field.
They sang about, talked about, and wished their lives would be in the Great House Farm running errands and getting better provisions like food, a bed to sleep and not the “cold, damp floor”, and better clothes than the two shirts for kids and two shirts, two trousers or pants, one jacket, one pair of shoes and one miserable blanket for the adults for the entire year. (Darian Smith, Eric Smith)

 

Frederick Douglass Narrative, Chapter 1

Quote from Frederick Douglass: “the means of knowing was withheld from me”

Frederick Douglass was born in Tuckahoe, 12 miles from Talbot County, Maryland. He was a Mulatto who had a very dark mother and white father who was a slave. He was sold because of this white slave masters wife. The wife hated all the mullato children.

His own mother would come to see him in the middle of the night because she had to go back to the fields by sunrise. If she was caught she would have been whipped. But she risked being caught or whipped to see her son.

Frederick Douglass didn’t know his own age because no one told him. Slaves didn’t know their birthdays because their master’s didn’t want them to be human or fully alive. (see below IDENTITY- EMPOWERMENT)

In Maryland, it was a common custom to separate a child or infant from their mother. This destroys the natural affection of the mother from the child.

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Who was Frederick Douglass, the child?

He was a mulatto of white slave master and dark skinned slave mother, Harriet Bailey.
He was bent on Freedom. He ran away as a young child, and never stopped running until he was a “free” man.

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IMPORTANT TOPICS

IDENTITY AND EMPOWERMENT

Questions: Are Blacks really blacks? When filing out forms when we choose our race, are we really black? Are we really white? Are we really Hispanic?

Response: We can look back and really trace all our history and find out what race we are. Or we can do the logical thing since we are living in the 21^st Century to go back to go back and find out that we are related to Every race. That there is no pure blood of any pure race. If you look back at every family, white black Hispanic they all had different children with someone of a different race. So, while you are checking a form at a doctors office or employment office the logical thing to do is to check all of them. (a Social Commentary from 14 year old Eric Smith Agosto)

According to Frederick Douglass, “Every year bring with its multitude of this class of slaves. It was doubtless in consequence of knowledge of this fact, that one great statesman of the south predicted the downfall of slavery by the inevitable laws of population. Whether this prophecy is ever fulfilled or not, it is nevertheless the plain that a very different –looking class of people are springing up at the South, and are now held in slavery, from those originally brought from Africa; and if their increase do no other good, it will do away the force of the argument that God cursed Ham, and therefore American slavery is right.”

AND THE BIBLE AND SLAVERY CURSE OF HAM, the reason for American Christian Slavery

“But the bible was rewritten and destroyed and made their own versions, like the King James Version of the bible, which created different religions.” (Eric Smith Agosoto)

From the Bible Verse, New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures, Genesis, 9:22, “Later Ham the father of Canaan saw his father’s nakedness and went telling it to his two brothers outside. 23 At that Shem and Japheth took a mantle and put it upon both their shoulders and walked in backwards. Thus they covered their father’s nakedness, while their faces were turned away, and they did not see their father’s nakedness. 24 Finally Noah awoke from his wine and got to know what his youngest son had done to him. 25 At this he said: “Cursed be Canaan. Let him become the lowest slave to his brothers.” 27 Let God grant ample space to Japheth, and let him reside in the tents of Shem. Let Canaan become a slave to him also.” (read by Darian Smith Agosto, age 14)

10:6 And the sons of Ham were Cush and Mizraim and Put and Canaan.

Question: Why did America use this bible verse to sanction American Christian slavery?

Response: They wanted to control this group of people, the descendents of Africans and white slave masters. They believed that by having slaves they were doing what the bible told them and they believed they were doing the work of God and they wanted God’s blessing. But really they were doing inhumane horrible stuff, would give any sensible humane person nightmares for the rest of their lives. Not only were they torturing but by torturing and killing slaves is not the work of God but the work of the devil. For a real Christian to believe that God would torture, rape and kill a human being is blasphemy itself. (Social Commentary by Darian Smith Agosto and Eric Smith Agosoto)

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From Daria Nefertiye Giraud Takharu, mother of twin boys, Darian Smith Agosto and Eric Smith Agosto:

When I googled “slave boy and slave master” to find our third picture for our story (a picture of a slave master and a slave boy) the first hit that came up was quite a disturbing one. I had never read anything like this but read it to my boys who began to change their demeanor. They stopped chatting loudly in the middle of my reading this article, they held their heads down below them, and they asked me to stop reading the article. I clicked to page two of the article, Many of the boys told me that in order to avoid rape some of the male slaves tried to escape, but were quickly hunted down by their captors. They said that the punishment for resisting rape is severe beatings, limb amputation or death.” My twins begged me to stop reading protesting why they had to endure this horrible story. They could no longer bare the real account, eyewitness and narrative of twelve year old boys being raped by Arab Islamist soldiers in the Sudan and Nuba Mountains. I wanted to cry but I couldn’t. My voice was weakened but clear and slow as I continued to read, I wanted them to know that although slavery in American history happened some two hundred years ago, slavery in the Sudan and Darfur and other parts of Africa was taking place right now in 2003 and to this day in 2008.

“What are we doing about this?” I turned to them.

“I didn’t know this was happening. “ I said as I turned away from their silent bodies that seemed to hang in a shame not their own but of some line of human male spiritual chain or bloodline.

“Slavery still exists!” I said starring at them as they protested my continuation, “What’s the difference between Christian Slavery or Islamic Slavery? What’s the difference? Its all the same to me, its all horrible actions for money, land, oil, resources waged upon “black” people in the name of religion and culture and superiority. “This is so horrible! I cant believe this. This kind of thing stops the family. The rape of little boys messes with their minds. How can they have a normal life? Their masters rape them, the soldiers rape them. How can they be the same? How can they continue normally and raise children of their own, have families with women, continue on their name and culture? My sons’ just looked at me in silence. They just wanted to forget.

Finding this article was spontaneous! It was not planned or part of our reading and although this topic may be out of context and too graphic for the mind of a young child. The fact that this topic exists right in our world should be far more disturbing both spiritually and culturally. We are tied to these people due to our very unique history in America and our ancestors in Africa. And although we are a truly mixed people with ancestry from every European nation, and Trans Atlantic slave route and port, and Native American and Caribbean tribe, we are still connected to those in Sudan, Darfur just as we are connected to cousins and great, great, great grand fathers of Irish or English decent. And slavery is a horrible tool used to destroy identity, culture, race and the humanity of people of any color. And what happened thousands of years ago, and three hundred years ago, happens right now to this very day. And what are we doing about it? Do we even know it exists? Do we ever hear the stories of those men, women and children who are brutalized emotionally, mentally, and physically by slavery?

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To read this article: “The rape of slave boys in Sudan” Contemporary Review, June, 2004 by Maria Sliwa.
<http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m2242/is_1661_284/ai_n6140462/pg_2>.

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For more on Darfur and the Sudan:

Save Darfur Organization – <http://www.savedarfur.org/content?splash=yes>.

24 Hours in Darfur – <http://www.24hoursfordarfur.org/>.

Human Rights Watch-- Crisis in Darfur. < http://www.hrw.org/doc?t=africa&c=Darfur>.

The U.S. Role in Darfur, Sudan: Oil reserves rivaling those of Saudi Arabia? ,< http://globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=viewArticle&code=FLO20060606&articleId=2592>.

Genocide Intervention Network–< http://www.genocideintervention.net/?gclid=CNm0gqmSgZQCFQslHgodi3avWw>.

NYTIMES Editorial– The Genocide Continues: Published: June 17, 2008, < http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/17/opinion/17tue1.html?ex=1229313600&en=6e4fea6a0a2c46c2&ei=5087&excamp=GGOPdarfursudan&WT.srch=1&WT.mc_ev=click&WT.mc_id=OP-S-E-GG-NA-S-darfur_sudan>.

Save the Children Organization– Relief in Sudan’s West Darfur State <http://www.savethechildren.org/emergencies/africa/sudan/darfur/index.html?WT.mc_id=x_gg_sudan_txt_2&WT.srch=1>.

The Carter Center –Waging Peace. Fighting Disease. Building Hope.

<http://cartercenter.org/peace/human_rights/index.html?gclid=CN7l-LOigZQCFQo2GgodS3ZbVw>.

Don Cheadle, Black American Actor, Human Rights Activist– Don Cheadle acts to stop Darfur genocide – CNN, Entertainment, < http://www.cnn.com/2007/SHOWBIZ/books/05/04/darfur.book/index.html>.

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United States Holocaust Museum website <http://www.ushmm.org/conscience/history/>.

The term “genocide” did not exist before 1944. It is a very specific term, referring to violent crimes committed against groups with the intent to destroy the existence of the group. Human rights, as laid out in the U.S. Bill of Rights or the 1948 United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights, concern the rights of individuals.

(read more), <http://www.ushmm.org/conscience/?gclid=CMX97qejgZQCFQQmGgodPkH6XA>.

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REFERENCES:

Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave (1845)

“The rape of slave boys in Sudan” Contemporary Review, June, 2004 by Maria Sliwa. Bnet. CNet Networks. 2008.
<http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m2242/is_1661_284/ai_n6140462/pg_2>.

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WHAT’S COMING UP NEXT?:
Chapter 2

 

meeting Savannah

Ahh, back from my trip…now I’m rushing to get classes completed, projects into their next development phase, websites up and running, caught up on personal stuff..oh did I mention my personal and parental stuff? lol.

Nevertheless, Savannah was what I expected and all I didn’t expect! Let me just add that I thanked my Mother and Father for allowing me the time to spend with “them”. I still here the echoes of my father saying to my mother, “It’s not even about you!” While we waited hours for her to dress before departure! In all truth, our impatience to get on with our journey was really just that…getting on with our life journey, finding closure, learning new information about the old ways of the South, experiencing the new familial nuances we never had together.

I must say out of all the sights, pics, restaurants, shopping we did or didnt do enough of, what stood out for me were the walks and laughter and the echoes of “My Mom and Dad and Me!” and living that experience, the laughter and joy of simply being together.

And what started out as a homecoming trip to Savannah to reunite with my larger family turned into a trip to simply unite with the land and my nucleus that exists in the larger bowl of life in the lowlands of Georgia.

Our history together was created and I was given something far more valuable than anything I could have imagined. Real closure of a broken family, and a powerful sense of wholeness rooted in knowing some history of my Savannah Georgia family.

(stay tuned, more to come….)

 

Hello world!

Welcome to MY FACE IN HISTORY PROJECT!

Now that you’ve learned a little about us and why this online scrapbook was created, lets begin.

 

Narrative of Frederick Douglass

I had had my little African American literature book staring at me for months. The white on black letters faced my bed and I would look at them and glance back into my daily thoughts. This remained a constant until I cleaned and folded a pile of clothes while packing for my Savannah HomeComing trip this Mother’s Day. I started reading the Narrative of Frederick Douglass that same night and found I couldn’t put the book down. I’ve taken the kids on a family field trip to the Frederick Douglass home a few years ago to his home in Southeast, Washington, DC and they liked it. It was cool seeing his tiny bed and realizing he was much too tall for it. And that he shared time in the White House during the Lincoln presidency. I didn’t know he was called, “The Sage of Anacostia” and “The Lion of Anacostia”. (Anacostia is the Nacochtank Native American name for the Anacostia River along the Potomac, as well as, the South East quadrant of *Washington, DC, (* also known as the “Congo of America” was one of the largest slave auction centers in the New World besides Savannah, Georgia was on the steps of Congress and the Senate). Another tid-bit of information is that Georgetown was also a slave port. (check out this WashingtonPost online article)

For me personally, I cringed at most of what I’m reading or have read. To find the unjust brutality in treatment of the slaves it’s as if their was a veil of some strange kind that prevented me from really understanding or picturing this American experience. I’ll share my poem later when I edit. In the meantime, I’ll share with you an excerpt from Chapter 6 (1841, Douglass):

I had resided but a short time in Baltimore before I observed a marked difference, in the treatment of slaves, from that which I had witnessed in the country. A city slave is almost a freeman, compared with a slave on the plantation. He is much better fed and clothed, and enjoys privileges altogether unknown to the slave on the plantation. There is a vestige of decency, a sense of shame, that does much to curb and check those outbreaks of atrocious cruelty so commonly enacted upon the plantation. He is a desperate slaveholder, who will shock the humanity of his non-slaveholding neighbors with the cries of his lacerated slave. Few are willing to incur the odium attaching to the reputation of being a cruel master; and above all things, they would not be known as not giving a slave enough to eat. Every city slave- holder is anxious to have it known of him, that he feeds his slaves well; and it is due to them to say, that most of them do give their slaves enough to eat. There are, however, some painful exceptions to this rule. Directly opposite to us, on Philpot Street, lived Mr. Thomas Hamilton. He owned two slaves. Their names were Henrietta and Mary. Henrietta was about twenty-two years of age, Mary was about fourteen; and of all the mangled and emaciated creatures I ever looked upon, these two were the most so. His heart must be harder than stone, that could look upon these unmoved. The head, neck, and shoulders of Mary were literally cut to pieces. I have frequently felt her head, and found it nearly covered with festering sores, caused by the lash of her cruel mistress. I do not know that her master ever whipped her, but I have been an eye-witness to the cruelty of Mrs. Hamilton. I used to be in Mr. Hamilton’s house nearly every day. Mrs. Hamilton used to sit in a large chair in the middle of the room, with a heavy cowskin always by her side, and scarce an hour passed during the day but was marked by the blood of one of these slaves. The girls seldom passed her without her saying, “Move faster, you ~black gip!~” at the same time giving them a blow with the cowskin over the head or shoulders, often drawing the blood. She would then say, “Take that, you ~black gip!~” continuing, “If you don’t move faster, I’ll move you!” Added to the cruel lashings to which these slaves were subjected, they were kept nearly half-starved. They seldom knew what it was to eat a full meal. I have seen Mary contending with the pigs for the offal thrown into the street. So much was Mary kicked and cut to pieces, that she was oftener called “~pecked~” than by her name.

(NOTE: the Twinzz will start reading this tonight..my goal is for them to digest that African American ancestors risked death or brutal beating to receive education and knowledge in learning to read that was not afforded to them by state law and public practice among slave holding business men, politicians or the church. Being so ‘close-to-home’ further makes the “History-In-Our-Own-Backyard” available for further homeschool field trips, activities, exercises, projects, and readings)

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Resources:

The Hidden History of Washington, DC, A Guide for Black Folks, The Reclamation Project, Apidta, Tingba, Phd. (c) 1998. Mid-Atlantic Division. Roxbury, MA.

purchase book: Narratives of Frederick Douglass,

The Washington Post, The Forgotten Past, Georgetown’s Hidden History. (c)2006. <http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/07/14/AR2006071401398.html>.

 

My “Homecoming” to Savannah Georgia!

A year ago I found my biological father and in that finding I discovered a family heritage to Savannah, Georgia. Residing in Northern Virginia, I’ve visited presidential plantations, like Monticello (Jefferson), Mt. Vernon and Kenmore (Washington), to name a few. I’ve researched missing history of the African in Washington, DC, the TransAtlantic Slave Trade, the Civil Rights Era, African American music and World Cultures and Mythology, to name a few.

Ironically, I’ve always felt that even though I lived in Virginia having been born in New York that I was not ‘from’ Virginia. I couldn’t claim it home no easier than claiming New York my home even though the latter felt more home than all my years in Virginia. I could never really explain why. I just felt it and knew it to be in my heart.

When I found that I had ties to Savannah Georgia I was numbed. My sister had romanticed about the beautiful colonial victorian southern homes and the drooping old Savannah trees that were seen in pictures like “Gone With the Wind” and “Forest Gump” but I only replied with an “uh huh” and head nod.

What awakened me was when I decided to actually visit this mysterious and what has been called historic “ghostly city”. First I identified with the spirit of the Gullah people but when asked if we had relations to the “Geechee” or Gullah and heard ‘no’ placed the notion on the back burner until my genealogy family tree project would prove the contrary. At one of my Dad’s Virginia visits I asked him if we had Native American blood to this he was quite certain and mentionedApalachicola. I figured I better learn more about this place prior to my first visit. So I began the journey of the Old South! What I found made my heart sink and often left me overwhelmed. The pictures of slave auctions, rice fields, plantations, uprisings, and brutality ached at my heart and haunted my mind. At times, I would hear myself say, “Oh my God, I cant read anymore of this.” or “I cant handle this. This is too much!” Even planning tours and seeing pictures of landmarks left me often with eerie feelings I could not explain or conceptualize. I just felt a weird feeling looking at certain pictures.

So I put research down, left papers on the shelf only to find that I”d be forced to pick them back up with new perspective and optimism at finding not only my history but my own face and the insight and clarity I needed in my own life.

For the most part, in spite of my achievements I’ve been restless, confused, and unsettled or unfocused on my many abundant talents. The direction I needed was not fueled with enough passion to manifest any long lasting substance or career achievements. Every goal i made or creative impulse would start then fizzle to a pile of creative ideas unrealized and unfulfilled. And I desperately drew many analysis but still no real movement on my life journey.

I had that kind of enthusiasm when I pulled an arts education project together in 2005 for Black History Month but lost it to go back to work in the corporate world as a graphic designer.

What this trip represents are so many things:

• First to reunite with a part of my own self through family.
• Knowing where and from whom I come from on my Dad’s side.
• Closure.
• An opening of something new.
• The spiritual intellectual dynamic process of becoming whole.

All of these expressions of realization are quite empowering and I can only see a glimpse of how this will not only affect my life but the lives of my children.

I cant wait to share with you what i find…AND SEE!