Primary Sources, Black History

Join The Gist of Freedom as we welcome Filmmaker Keith Beauchamp (The Untold Story of Emmett Louis Till) returns to The ID Channel with– THE INJUSTICE FILES: HOOD OF SUSPICION  Premieres on Wednesday, February @ 8 PM   Keith Beauchamp, who has worked with us over the last three years on this deeply moving series. After exploring civil rights cold cases in 2011 and suspected modern “lynchings” in 2012, this year Keith returns with a thoughtful look at the continuing efforts of heroes who shockingly even today still need to fight for equal rights.” Modern day self-defense laws, such as Florida’s Stand Your Ground law which was invoked in the Trayvon Martin case, and the Castle Doctrine – which states that a person has no duty to retreat when their home is attacked – continue to perpetuate the pattern of discrimination against African Americans. THE INJUSTICE FILES: HOOD OF SUSPICION examines three such recent cases, including: ROBBIE TOLAN: Bellaire, TX, REKIA BOYD: Chicago, IL and John McNeil   

 International Anti-Slavery Movement-Book Black Abolitionist chapters 7& 8! when the idea suddenly flashed across my mind of shutting myself up in a box, and getting myself conveyed as dry goods to a free state. he did not think I could live in a box for so long a time as would be necessary to convey me to Philadelphia,where I was again placed with my head down, and in this dreadful position had to remain nearly an hour and a half, which, from the sufferings I had thus to endure, seemed like an age to me, but I was forgetting the battle of liberty, and I was resolved to conquer or die. I felt my eyes swelling as if they would burst from their sockets; and the veins on my temples were dreadfully distended with pressure of blood upon my head. In this position I attempted to lift my hand to my face but I had no power to move it; I felt a cold sweat coming over me which seemed to be a warning that death was about to terminate my earthly miseries, but as I feared even that, less than slavery,I resolved to submit to the will of God, and under the influence of that impression, I lifted up my soul in prayer to God, who alone, was able to deliver me. My cry was soon heard, for I could hear a man saying to another, that he had travelled a long way and had been standing there two hours, and he would like to get somewhat to sit down; so perceiving my box, standing on end, he threw it down and then two sat upon it.

The Gist of Freedom welcomes Ida B. Wells: Warrior For Justice presented by Safiya Bandele!     "The Review of Reviews announced that Wells, “a talented and resolute young lady of colour”, was on a pilgrimage around the British Isles to campaign on the subject of Negro lynching; they also published these Sadistic Statistics, "in 1893, excluding Sundays, a Coloured man was lynched every day from January to December." I had bought a pistol the first thing after Tom Moss was lynched, because I expected some cowardly retaliation from the lynchers. I felt that one had better die fighting against injustice than to die like a dog or a rat in a trap… I felt if I could take one lyncher with me, this would even up the score a little bit!    

The Gist of Freedom welcomes Neva Smith, retired Insurance executive! Church Benevolent Society's Angel Becomes the first black millionaire in the country   Prior to the Emancipation Proclamation, Free Blacks formed Mutual Aid, self help,Benevolent Societies to collect money as a means to ensure no one would become impoverished. They served as a primary weapon of  resistance. These societies  were the central mechanism for collecting and disbursing shared pool of wealth.   Unfortunately, In Georgia, laws were passed to mandate the level of reserves that all insurance companies had to maintain and this was a major problem for many of these black burial associations. A church benevolent society unable to meet the $5000 reserve  sought out Alonzo Herndon, a successful barber and a former slave, to buy them out.  Herndon  owned three very successful barber shops and he made a fortune from this trade which he invested heavily in real estate. His success in barbering was spectacular, he acquired more than 100 houses,  His arrangement with the Church's benevolent society led Herndon to becoming the most successful black businessmen, the first black millionaire in the country and the founder of the Atlanta Life Insurance Company;  Today, Atlanta Life has assets of over $200 million and operates in 17 states. The Atlanta Life Insurance Company is the  largest black-owned stockholder insurance company in America.   

Join The Gist of Freedom as we present The Book Reading: Black Abolitionists By Benjamin Quarles~ Schools, Celebrations and International Emancipation Observed and Celebrated! Vicente Guerrero, Mexico’s first black president Texas President Sam Houston lamented that ". . . two valuable negro boys for which I had paid in cash $2100 previous to my visit to Nashville, ran away to Mexico. Just two and a half months after Mexico abolished slavery Mexican officials attempted to curb the number of newcomers. In 1830, foreigners could not cross the border without obtaining a passport issued by Mexican agents.(6) Texans did not respect the MEXICAN border in their pursuits of Freed Blacks.In 1855, Captain James Callahan of the Texas Rangers under the orders of Texan Governor Elisha Pease entered Mexico in an attempt to recapture slaves. Callahan insisted that the purpose of his excursion was to pursue Indians rather than recapture fugitive slaves. The Mexican government with the help of Native Americans, however, forced him to retreat and withdraw without the slaves; although not without leaving a small village in ruins.(23)After the Mexican American War, Texas was admitted into the Union. The Republic of Texas declared slavery to be legal and in its ten-year existence, the slave population grew 450% from 5,000 to nearly 27,500.(16)  

Join The Gist of Freedom as we discuss Benjamin Quarles' Book Black Abolitionists: With Dr. Walter Greason and hosts, Preston Washington & Ty El-Gray! Chapter 5/6 Self Emancipations, Self Help, and Mutual Aid Societies: The Dorcas,  Sarah M. Douglass and Sarah Smith The Black Beauty“Black, I am, oh! daughters fair,”But my beauty is most rare;Black, indeed, appears my skin,Beauteous, comely, all within:Black, when by affliction press’dBeauteous, when in Christ I rest;Black, by sin’s defiling flood.Beauteous, wash’d in Jesus’ blood:Black, I am in mine own eyes,Beauteous, in my Lord’s I rise;Black I am to men ’tis true;Beauteous, in the angel’s view:Black, if Jesus frowns awhile,Beauteous, when I see him smile;Black, while in the tomb I lie,Beauteous, when I mount the sky!Written from Solomon’s Songs

Black Colleges- Phoenix American!

1846 – She began her amazing career as a writer by publishing her first book of poetry, Forest Leaves, at the age of 21. 1858 – She refused to give up her seat or ride in the “colored” section of a segregated trolley car in Philadelphia (100 years before Rosa Parks) and wrote one her most famous poems, “Bury Me In A Free Land,” when she got very sick while on a lecturing tour. Her short story “The Two Offers” became the first short story to be published by an African American. 1859 – A dedicated abolitionist, Harper was one of the few public figures who did not abandon John Brown after his failed effort at Harpers Ferry, instead writing to him and staying with his wife, Mary, at the home of Lucretia Mott (Philadelphia’s leading Quaker Abolitionist) for the two weeks preceding his hanging. 1865 – In the immediate post-Civil War years, Harper returned to the lecture circuit, focusing her attentions on education for the formerly enslaved, on the Equal Rights Movement and on the Temperance Movement. 1858 – She refused to give up her seat or ride in the “colored” section of a segregated trolley car in Philadelphia (100 years before Rosa Parks) and wrote one her most famous poems, “Bury Me In A Free Land,” when she got very sick while on a lecturing tour. Her short story “The Two Offers” became the first short story to be published by an African American. 1859 – A dedicated abolitionist, Harper was one of the few public figures who did not abandon John Brown after his failed effort at Harpers Ferry, instead writing to him and staying with his wife, Mary, at the home of Lucretia Mott (Philadelphia’s leading Quaker Abolitionist) for the two weeks preceding his hanging    

Examining the heightening of tensions in the 1850s in the lead up to the Civil War. The passage of the Fugitive Slave Act with the Compromise of 1850 saw African American liberty reach an all-time low. Not only were all African Americans now vulnerable to slave catchers, but protecting them from kidnapping was deemed illegal. The Dred Scot v. Sandford Supreme Court decision in 1857 further reduced African American rights, as all slaves were deemed to be property, not people. Institutions such as the Committee of Thirteen, a group set up to oppose the Fugitive Slave Act; state conventions; and public meetings that sought to defend the rights of black New Yorkers to ride the streetcars. In a series of cases foreshadowing the Montgomery Bus Boycotts of the 20th century, Elizabeth Jennings, Sarah Adams, and Reverend J. W. C. Pennington refused to get down from segregated streetcars, eventually forcing the desegregation of the streetcars through a New York State Supreme Court case in 1858. However, the difficulties of this decade forced a return to the argument for a back-to-Africa approach, and coinciding with the independence of Liberia in 1847, many were willing to give emigration a second chance. Thus the ‘African heritage’ side of the debate finally re-emerged in the political sphere as the Liberian Agriculture and Emigration Society was founded, Henry Highland Garnet endorsed Liberian emigration, and a national movement by Martin Delany to immigrate to Africa was established. Tensions between Garnet and the anti-emigrationists James McCune Smith, Frederick Douglass, and George Downing dominated the debates of the late 1850s. Here again, in response to continued and persistent oppression in America,  ‘what emerged from these conflicts was the Black community’s determination to stay in the United States and agitate for its rights’  http://www.history.ac.uk/reviews/review/770

Join The Gist of Freedom as we discuss Black Abolitionists and their rescues from Benjamin Quarles book, "Black Abolitionists" Chapter 4. Rev. Samuel Ringgold Ward and Frederick Douglass established the first black American labor union The American League of Colored Laborers (ALCL)  It was formed in New York City in 1850 as a collective for skilled free craftsmen, and sought to develop agricultural and industrial arts skills among its members, and to encourage African American business. The same year, The Slavers passed a the Fugitive Slave Law which targeted Black Abolitionists. The new law deputized and paid anyone who helped capture and enslave a Free black they suspected of being a fugitive, run-away slave. The law arrested anyone involved in the rescue of a "suspected fugitive slave". Ward a well known abolitionist, became involved in the rescue of a fugitive slave, William "Jerry" Henry October 1, federal marshals accompanied by the local police, arrested William "Jerry" Henry. Word of the arrest quickly reached the Convention, then in session at a nearby church. We are here in the most extraordinary circumstances," ex-slave Samuel Ward," told a gathering. "We are witnessing such a sight as, I pray, we may never look upon again. A man in chains, in Syracuse! ... What a term to apply to an American! How does this sound beneath the pole of liberty and the flag of freedom? By pre-arranged signal, church bells began ringing, and a crowd of Negroes and Whites gathered With a battering ram the door was broken in and despite pistol shots out the window by one of the deputy marshals, it became clear that the crowd was too large and determined to be resisted. The crowd broke into the jail and forced the marshals to free William "Jerry" Henry. 

Experience the beauty, drama, and life-changing power of the Bible like never before! Inspired By … The Bible Experience breaks new ground in the presentation of the Bible. Unique among audio Bible products, The Bible Experience is a captivating performance of the Bible presented by a stellar ensemble of almost 400 of today’s award-winning actors, musicians, clergy, directors, and producers. features a star-studded cast of almost 400 performers, including 23 Grammy winners, 8 Emmy winners, 5 Golden Globe winners, and 3 Oscar winners. Highlighting the cast is 2007 Academy Award-winning actor Forest Whitaker as the voice of Moses, along with Angela Bassett (Esther), Cuba Gooding, Jr. (Jonah), Denzel and Pauletta Washington (Song of Songs), LL Cool J (Samson), Eartha Kitt (Serpent), Bishop T.D. Jakes (Abraham), Blair Underwood (Jesus), Samuel Jackson and (God, NT only), among others.  This historic production features an original musical underscore by the Prague Symphony Orchestra and Hollywood-style sound design created at Technicolor Studios and was awarded the 2007 Audies Audiobook of the Year for the New Testament edition

Black Methodists and Baptists celebrate Watch Night, December 31, 1862: the Emancipation Proclamation would go into effect at midnight. This is why the celebration continues in African American churches today, striking a more joyous note than prior penitential Watch Nights.  The Emancipation Proclamation applied only to enslaved Africans of the Confederate States. The prayer meeting congregation depicted in Carlton’s painting consists of former enslaved Africans that migrated to Union territory during the Civil War  Carlton’s painting is variously called “Watch Night — Waiting for the Hour” or ” Watch Meeting–Dec. 31st, 1862.” It was sent to President Lincoln by abolitionist William Lloyd Garrison  The makeshift pulpit is made of boards salvaged from crates. The minister’s timepiece reads 11:55. Carlton’s painting is variously called “Watch Night — Waiting for the Hour” or ” Watch Meeting–Dec. 31st, 1862.” It was sent to President Lincoln by abolitionist William Lloyd Garrison    The painting now hangs in what is called the Lincoln Bedroom, really that president’s study and Cabinet Room, over the desk upon which he signed the Emancipation Proclamation on the afternoon of New Year’s Eve, 1862.   William Washington Browne, educator and businessman, organized the True Reformers Savings Bank in Richmond, VA, the first black bank in the U.S. to receive a charter. At its peak in 1907, it took in more than $1 million in deposits. The bank expanded into realestate and a newspaper, it operated in&

Juneteenth Holiday Lobbyist Rev. R. Meyers M.D. on The 150th Emancipation Proclamation Celebration.  Maj. Gen. Gordon Granger of the Union Army announced to the assembled crowd at Ashton Villa in Galveston, Texas, "In accordance with a proclamation from the Executive of the United States, all slaves are free." It was June 19, 1865. Juneteenth, started as a celebration of emancipation day in Texas and with the help of  Rev. Meyres it  spread to other states. The celebration dates back to 1866. "America cannot understand its own history unless the African-American experience is embraced as a central factor in shaping who we are and what we have become as Americans," writes Lonnie G. Bunch, founding director of the Smithsonian National Museum of African-American History and Culture in Washington.Set to open in 2015, the museum will be the only national museum devoted exclusively to the documentation of African-American life, art and culture.

The Gist of Freedom is pleased to present to you the Reading of the Historical Book, Black Abolitionists  by Benjamin Quarles! Chapter 2, The Militant Abolitionists- David Walker's Appeal, The Amistad, Black Women abolitionists and Organizations, and Abolitionists Publications and National Organizations! Chapter 2- Black Sowers of The Word    Listen to the reading and Join The discussion with Author and Genealogists, Ty Gray-El (A Black Woman's Smile) and Preston Washington, President Kansas City Black Genealogy organization. While much is known about the white men and women who were involved in the anti-slavery movement, the black abolitionists have been largely ignored. This book, written by one of America’s leading black historians, sets the record straight. As Benjamin Quarles shows, blacks were anything but passive in the abolitionist movement. Many of the pioneers of abolition were black; dozens of black preachers and writers actively promoted the cause; black organizations were founded to support their brothers; black ambassadors for freedom crossed the Atlantic; blacks were instrumental in the operation of the Underground Railroad. Quarles puts it eloquently: ”To the extent that America had a revolutionary tradition [the black American] was its protagonist no less than its symbol.”  

Listen to Michelle Alexander Live!  Ms. Alexander, the author of "The New Jim Crow is the keynote speaker at a Banquet Honoring Trayvon Martin's parents.   ~There are more African Americans under correctional control today-- in prison or jail on probation or Parole-- then were enslaved in 1850, a decade before the Civil War began~   Michelle Alexander ----- A people who do not know their history quickly beome history----  The New Fugitive Slave Law was established in 1850, in exchange for the Gold in California's 1849 (49ers) Gold Rush. The pro-slavers led by Kentucky Senator, Henry Clay agreed to allow the North to admit California and it's gold into the Union as a Free Slave State in exchange for rewarding, paying the slaveholders for the capture of their "Fugitives".