The Gist of Freedom Preserving American History through Black Literature . . .

Join  Ruby Dee's and Ossie Davis' grandson Muta'Ali Muhammad on The Gist of Freedom as he talks with Shellie Gaines about his heartfelt documentary, based on his grandparents Love, Life & Activism.    “An excerpt will be shown in the first screening of the film, Ruby Dee Life Essential  on Oct. 27, kind of as a gift to Gram Ruby” said Muhammad. “So we’ll have her screening, a VIP reception and she’ll get to see a good portion of it then. It’ll take a little bit longer for us to complete the entire project. I think our goal right now is Black History Month 2013.”

Reading of a vintage Script ~ Crispus Attucks (1723? - March 5, 1770) was the first American to die for the Revolutionary cause: "The first to defy, the first to die." Attucks was shot in the "Boston Massacre," the first fight leading up to the Revolutionary War. Crispus Attucks, a black man, was the first person killed in Boston. When tensions between British soldiers and an angry crowd resulted in the death of five people. March 5, 1770 was initially called the day of the Boston Massacre but the name was soon changed to Crispus Attucks Day. Crispus Attucks Day remained the chief American anniversary until independence was won and it was replaced by July 4. John Adams, our second president, called March 5, 1770 the most important event in American history. On October 13, 1888 a monument was erected on Boston Common called the Crispus Attucks Memorial.  Attucks went to sea as a whaler and worked as a ropemaker in Boston, Massachusetts. He learned to read and write, and studied government. Attucks went to many anti-British meetings to discuss unfair taxes; he wrote to Governor Thomas Hutchinson (the Tory governor of Massachusetts) to protest these taxes. On March 5, 1770, Attucks and other Patriots (Colonists who were against British rule) fought with the Red Coats (British soldiers) at Dock Square in Boston in an unofficial skirmish. Attucks was the first of five people to die in the fight. The soldier who shot the Patriots were tried for murder, but most were acquitted (the future US President John Adams was the lawyer for the British soldiers); the acquittals further enraged the people of Boston.  

Supreme Court upholds Obama Cares!  .... But Congress holds Attorney General In Contempt.   Call in tonight, The Gist of Freedom, 347.324.5552 and speak to Constitutional Law Professor Gloria Browne- Marshall. Mrs. Browne- Marshall is also the first black woman to get credentials to cover the U.S. Supreme Court. Learn how this historic decision affects everyday ordinary folks.  

Enjoy The Gist of Freedom's Special Michael Jackson Memorial Show with Siedah Garrett!  The woman behind "The Man In The Mirror"! Siedah Garrett is and, first and foremost, the singer composer of the internationally recognized, self -reflective anthem "Man In The Mirror," Immortalized by Michael Jackson (and her) on 1987's 'Bad" album. On that same project, Garrett also sang the chart-topping first single, "I Just Can't Stop Loving You," a duet with Jackson. Join us in NYC @ www.malcolmXfestival.com Watch The Interview on YouTube.com/TheGISTofFREEDOM   http://youtu.be/sxadxVnN-Bk  Part II   http://youtu.be/pZvDA_Spv_A  Part III This show is hosted by Kimi Rhochelle, call in and speak to Siedah! 347-324-5552.  

  A chat with the director of the stage play Tom Mitchelson with  The Gist of Freedom's Host Dr. Weldon McWilliams B. a tragedy in 3 acts Her name is Professor Beatrice Holloway or sometimes it's Johnnie Mae or sometimes it's Gussie B...or you can just call all of them "B". Monologue from play written    Written by Tom Mitchelson*                 Directed by Fulton C. Hodges*  

  A Tribute to Langston Hughes~  Harlem Artists, Derrick McQueen and Nora Cole unearthed a few wonderful poems written by Langston, Listen as they bring Langston's love for Harlem Alive! Nora Cole ~ Veteran performing artist, writer, director and adjunct.  Has performed on Broadway, off- Broadway, nationally and internationally. Tours two solo shows, Voices of the Spirits in my Soul, based on family slave history in Kentucky and Olivia’s Opus, An Autobiographical Ode to Adolescence. Most recently revived the role she originated in Rinde Eckert’s Obie Award winning and Drama League nominated, And God Created Great Whales off-Broadway at the Culture Project.   Derrick McQueen is presently a Ph. D. Candidate he completed M. Div. with a focus on Theology and the Arts at Union. He earned his B.A. in Theatre Arts at Drew University in 1987.  Derrick has performed in the Cape May Jazz Festival and tours the country for East Lynne Theatre Company in “Paul Robeson Through His Words and Music”.  Derrick is also on the path for ordination in the Presbyterian Church.  Poems The Negro Speaks Rivers 2. My People, 3. Still Here 4. Madam's Past History 5. Harlem 6. The Heart of Harlem 7. Projection      

Stop and Frisk, Jim Crow By Another Name? Join The Gist of Freedom Sunday June 10th at 8pm~ Listen to Constitutional Law Professor, Gloria Browne-Marshall as she lectures on Stop and Frisk and gives us an update on Zimmerman's latest arrest and Trayvon's Road to Justice.  On May 16, a federal judge granted class Action Lawsuit (certification in a lawsuit) challenging the New York Police Department’s stop-and-frisk practices as unconstitutional and racially discriminatory.  The ruling will allow all persons unlawfully stopped and frisked since January 2005 to be plaintiffs in the lawsuit. The plaintiffs are represented by the Center of Constitutional Rights (CCR), and the law firms of Beldock, Levine, and Hoffman and Covington & Burling, LLP.  Gloria J. Browne-Marshall received the Ida B. Wells-Barnett Justice Award for her work with civil rights and women's justice issues.  A former civil rights attorney, Browne-Marshall is an Associate Professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice (CUNY) teaching Constitutional Law, Race and the Law, and Evidence. She is a member of the Gender Studies faculty of John Jay College as well as a member of the bar of the Supreme Court of the United States. A free-lance journalist and an award-winning playwright, her most recent play is titled "Diversity" and examines marriage choices.  She is a member of the Dramatist Guild, Mystery Writers of America, National Association of Black Journalists, and PEN American Center. Gloria J. Browne-Marshall is the Founder/Director of The Law and Policy Group, Inc., 

  Hole In The Head: A Life Revealed tells the extraordinary life story of Vertus Hardiman. It is a highly moving film about the triumph of the human spirit. It also demonstrates how the lives of two friends were changed forever through their incredible bond. Vertus reveals to Wilbert, church choir members for over 20 years, a tragic and horrifying secret he was forced to conceal under a wig  for over 70 years.  Human experimentation was practiced in the United States during the early to mid-twentieth century. People were used as human guinea pigs without their knowledge or consent. This is the little-known but true story of Vertus Hardiman, who at the age of five became the victim of one such medical experiment that left him with a rare deformity. 

Freedwoman, spy Mary Elizabeth Bowser VS. Confederate Spies ~ Sunday at 8pm  Author Francis Hamit to be interviewed on The Gist of Freedom, June 3rd, by Michael Coard, attorney activist. Francis Hamit, author of the Civil War spy thrillers, "The Queen of Washington" and "The Shenandoah Spy" and Michael Coard, will discuss the roles of women spies, including Mary Elizabeth Bowser, the freedwoman who posed as a slave and stole the Confederates' war plans. Francis Hamit, author of the Civil War spy thrillers, "The Queen of Washington" (ISBN 9781595951717) and "The Shenandoah Spy" (ISBN 9781595959027). Mr. Hamit's books are about the Confederate Secret Service and the women who were its most effective agents. He has written about Belle Boyd and Rose Greenhow. The books are part of a larger fact based narrative that is a fictional treatment of the Confederate Secret Service. It is an attempt to reframe the accepted myths that have grown up around that conflict.     

Join Us in NYC @ Www.MalcolmXFilmFestival.com Join The Gist of Freedom as we celebrate Memorial Day with Historian Teddy McQueen President Of The Buffalo Soldier Motorcycle club. Henry Ossian Flipper Born into slavery in March 21,1856. Flipper was appointed to the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, New York, in 1873 and became West Point's first African American graduate.He served as a signal officer, installed telegraph lines, and supervised the building of roads. At Fort Sill, he directed the construction of a drainage system that helped prevent the spread of malaria. Still known as "Flipper's Ditch," the ditch is commemorated by a bronze marker at Fort Sill and the fort is listed as a National Historic Landmark. Yet, in 1881, while serving at Fort Davis, Flipper's commanding officer accused him of embezzling $3,791.77 from commissary funds. A court-martial found him not guilty of embezzlement but convicted him of conduct unbecoming an officer and ordered him dismissed from the Army. After his dishonorable discharge, Flipper fought to clear his name.In 1898, a bill was proposed to reinstate him into the Army. The bill and several later ones were tabled, and Flipper died in 1940 without vindication. But in 1976, he was granted an honorable discharge, and later President Bill Clinton issued him a full pardon.

Robert Smalls Civil War Hero Commandeered Confederate Vessel! Robert Smalls began life enslaved in Beaufort, S.C. 1839.  By the time Robert Smalls made his daring bid for freedom, he had already taught himself to read.  Occasionally, an enslaved African was allowed to separate his day into "Master's time" and "Slave's time" and accumulate monies for himself. He bought  a house 511 Prince Street, Beaufort in a tax auction in 1863. Smalls married and paid $800 for the freedom of both his wife and child. Smalls' keen navigational skills earned him a job as the pilot of the Confederate gunboat The Planter in March 1861.

.Join Ilyasah Al-Shabazz, Malcolm X's daughter on The Gist of freedom with host Dr. Weldon M. McWilliams as we celebrate Malcolm X's 87th Birthday, Saturday at 8-9 AM Join us NYC @ WWW.MalcolmXFilmFestival.com Then join the Shabazz family in Harlem with the Tristate communities and celebrate Brother Malcolm X at Marcus Garvey Park in Harlem on Fri., May 18, 5 to 9 p.m. The Shabazz family and the recently revived Malcolm X Foundation will host a daytime block party on Sat., May 19 to both honor and celebrate El-Haj Malik El Shabazz’s 87th birthday, declaring “May 19 as Malcolm X Day!” The event will be held at West 165th Street, between Broadway (Dr. Betty Shabazz Way) 12-5 p.m. The annual program immediately continues at the Malcolm X and Dr. Betty Shabazz Center,participate PHOTOs  

The Gist of freedom is honored to welcome our distinguished guest, Dr. Kenneth Morris. Dr. Morris is the Great great great grandson of Frederick Douglass and the Great great grandson of Booker T. Washington. Dr. Morris is the president of  The Frederick Douglass Family Foundation’s (FDFF) vision is to end human trafficking. On May 5th, Dr. Morris gave the keynote address at the annual John Brown Day celebration held at the John Brown Farm State Historic Site in Lake Placid. John Brown and Frederick Douglass first met in Massachusetts in 1848,  11 years before Brown's history-changing raid on the federal arsenal at Harpers Ferry VA.  By the time they, met, Douglass had become one of the most eloquent and sought-after champions of freedom and equal suffrage for women and men, regardless of race.      

Join the Gist of Freedom and hear a wonderful performance! A DREAM TO FLY Based on the life of pioneer aviator Bessie Coleman Written and performed by Madeline McCray. Madeline McCray’s performance of Bessie Coleman is illuminating. The life she breathes into the world’s first female Black aviatrix is tangible. Ms.McCray has brought to the stage an historical figure who represents the essence of liberated femininity. And in her capable hands as author and actress, Bessie Coleman's accomplishments as a pioneer in aviation, activist and a renaissance woman is assured a rightful place in history.

Langston Hughes, in his own words and Reading by Ossie Davis